LaLa Project celebrates 10 years

The LaLa Project, which raises money to assist those receiving treatment for cancer, is holding its annual pumpkin sale on Sept. 27.
The event has been going strong now for a decade. Initially started by Corrine Jenkins, she said the beginning was purely by chance.
“It wasn’t anything that we’d planned. We planted a package of seeds with our kids and just thoroughly enjoyed watching the pumpkins grow. It got to the point when we picked them that we had around 60 pumpkins. We wondered what we could dodo with that many pumpkins, so we just kind of had the idea of doing a free will donation,” Jenkins said. The kids had a little stand at the end of our driveway and they raised around $800. So we just thought it was a good chance to kind of teach the kids, let’s give back. It gave us the chance to teach our kids about my mom, Linda Lally, who passed back in 1996 from colon cancer. We talked about my mom through that and told the kids we were going to prepare care packages for anyone going through cancer.”
Jenkins said as the kids were young, they weren’t able to fully understand what a person was going through when battling cancer.  The initial care packages included blankets, neck pillows and a water bottle. After that, the LaLa Project grew like wildfire.
“By the next year, we were planting, about 10 packages of seeds. This year, we planted 27 varieties. Just our lot alone is an acre. A few years ago, you know, some other people said they wanted to help, and that the LaLa project touched our lives. Jessie and Kevin Bruning and their son Kase out of Stanton wanted to help us grow, and then Kevin’s parents, Carlene and Kenny, also wanted to help grow pumpkins. Jim and Melody Bourn who live north of Red Oak said the same thing, that they wanted to get involved,” commented Jenkins. “It’s blossomed into this huge event. We just never thought it would be this way. In the last couple years, we’ve had to go to the fairgrounds just because it’s too big to have at our house.”
Sadly, the need for cancer support is just as necessary now as it was when the LaLa Project first started.
“It never goes away. This year alone, my son, who’s 19, lost a friend in April from cancer and that left a pretty big impact on him and a bunch of his friends. I lost an aunt just six weeks ago to breast cancer and then just this week we lost a family friend to cancer. The Iowa rates are alarming. If anyone pays attention to that, they’ll see that the rates just keep going up. The need is there and I don’t think it’s going away.”
Jenkins said that when they first started the LaLa Project 10 years ago, she had no expectations it would grow as large as it has.
“It really is a group effort. This is not just our family doing it. We have other people growing, and we are extremely grateful. Scott and Gayle Allensworth sent their heating and cooling crew out for the second time in a row. They helped us pick Sept. 19. Without them, it would take a couple of days to do it by ourselves. When they showed up last year, we were done within a few hours. It was the most incredible thing. It really takes a village, it’s not something we ever expected,” Jenkins stated.
Last year, they had 2,000 pumpkins to sell by free will donation. The pumpkins sold out in a few hours, and the LaLa Project made around $20,000 for aiding those affected by cancer. Jenkins said she hopes for a strong turnout again this year.
“So far, the event has been shared 67 times just from my initial post to Facebook. I think we’re definitely reaching people, and not just in Red Oak. My dad just called and he’s bringing pumpkins down from my hometown area of Denison. We’ve got people that want to donate from all over. Red Oak Greenhouse is going to be donating mums again this year. We also have someone that privately makes our neck pillows and port pillows,” Jenkins explained. “Port pillows are something that goes on a seat belt so that when someone has a port in, their seat belts are prevented from rubbing up and down on their skin thanks to this little pillow that attaches to the seat belt. I used to order that stuff and then someone came to me and offered to make them for us. It’s incredible the amount of people that participate and help.”
The pumpkin sale will begin at 3 p.m. at the show barn arena at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, and once again everything is available for a free will donation.
“We usually just kind of like to try to say something at the beginning, a short thank you, and once we open the doors, that’s it. We have some carts, but if people want to bring a cart or a wagon, they’re welcome to. I’ve got a good friend, Tianna Fisher, that always does a beautiful display out front and people are encouraged to take pictures in front of it if they want to. New this year, Lolo Snow and Red Oak Nutrition are going to be there on site for separate purchase. People get there early. So we’ve got a lot of people standing outside waiting. I thought that’d be just kind of a fun little treat that people want.”
If anyone wishes to donate to the LaLa Project outside of the pumpkin sale, they are welcome to do so. Reach out to the organization at facebook.com/groups/1352421651442827.
“We actually do have an individual who specifically donates to our operating expenses. Our seed cost this year was almost $2,000. Just like everything else, that’s gone up dramatically in cost. So if people are willing to donate to those costs, that is huge for us as well.”