2012 Calendar Selling Fast!

My 2012 calendar launched last month, and is selling quickly and getting lots of great feedback!

I attended the shot show in January, and WOW – I sold out in FOUR HOURS! I was supposed to be in the Dillon booth for two or three days, but I didn’t realize the calendar would go so fast, so I ended up only getting to stay one day!

Thanks to ALL of you who were so enthusiastic – I had a blast meeting the fans, some new, and many old friends by now

We are already halfway through our inventory, therefore, if you have friends who want the calendar, tell them to order soon – we will take at least 500 of them to NRA in April, meaning we will most likely sell out by summer at the latest, so get yours now in time for Memorial Day or Independence Day this year!

Here is a photo of Army Veteran Josh Olson and myself with Will Parks, Friends of the NRA Spokane, WA.

Josh will be participating in this year’s USA Paralympics, and is an AMAZING hero who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was injured in combat, but did not let that stop him – he is an inspiration to us ALL! This is why I do what I do…

2011 Pinup Calendar Launch

November 5, 2010 — My 2010 Pinup Calendar in honor of  the U.S. Troops sold out quickly, and was such a success that we knew we HAD to follow it up with an even better 2011 Calendar! So, we’ve gone FULL VINTAGE WWII PINUP on this one, and the response so far is overwhelming!

Thanks to all of you who have been such a great support! Once again, profits from the calendar will be donated to New England Warrior to help support education and scholarships for our men and women in uniform and their families, as well as other needs.

The calendar is launching on this year’s upcoming Veteran’s Day, with full media and internet blasts. Make sure you get yours before they are gone because we’ve already sold half our inventory to fans who pre-ordered from last year, as well as to new fans whom I’ve met at several event signings this year where I’ve been honored as a special guest, including the NRA show and others.

God Bless our military personnel, and to those who continue to send me letters, emails and mementos from the battlefield, I am truly humbled and grateful…you are my HEROES!!!! Check out the Behind the Scenes Video when it is posted next week!

Thanks to photographers Richard Petrillo and Barry Gossage for the amazing calendar shots!

“An American Pin-Up Tribute” 2011 Calendar Now Available

Cathy Rankin’s “An American Pin-Up Tribute” calendar is a patriotic tribute honoring our United States Armed Forces and all proud Americans. This is a full-sized, color wall calendar that is good through December, 2011. It measures 13.5″ x 23″ (perfect for hanging!) and includes 14 unique, World War II-era inspired shots featuring Cathy in exact re-creations of the most famous vintage pinup photos from the 1930s, 40′s and 50′s. In the calendar, she portrays Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and more. Also included in the calendar are famous inspirational quotes from military and political figures for each month of the year.

Profits from calendar sales are being donated to New England Warrior (newenglandwarrior.org) in partnership with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (mcsf.org). These 501(c)(3) charities provide much needed supplies to our troops, as well as scholarship and educational funds for military families, memorial funds and more.

The Calendar makes a great gift, décor item for a room, or simply a patriotic statement of support for our troops! BE SURE TO READ THE FULL STORY THAT INSPIRED THE CALENDAR, and God Bless America! Thanks to all the fans who have supported the project – together we are making a difference!

Visit the Store page to order!!

May 13-16, 2010 – NRA Part Two!

What a blast (no pun intended ) I had at my second NRA National Convention in North Carolina this year! My new 2011 calendars were hot off the press just in time to launch at the show, and it was a good thing because there were people standing in line for them and we ended up going through more than 8 boxes in one weekend! Special thanks to all the Dillon fans who are so loyal and enthusiastic in their support, as well as all the other fans of last year’s calendar (Tom and Patsy, you are by far my greatest fans!), and of course the new friends and fans I met! Like last year, I was impressed with the heartwarming sincerity, generosity and patriotism of the attendees, and once again a few tears were shed when I had the honor of listening to certain people share their personal stories. I met some incredible veterans, some were retired heroes, others were currently serving heroes! As always, all were humble, open, kind, intelligent and fun! I am always so moved and inspired by the people I meet at shows like this, and we all agree on one thing – our men and women in uniform deserve nothing less than our full support and gratitude.

On a lighter note, the final night gala was a great time, with Charlie Daniels playing a killer live version of “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” and there were great speeches given by Newt Gingrich, Oliver North, Glenn Beck and so many more over the weekend. There were some fun celebs walking around, including Ted Nugent, Chuck Norris and a few others, so it was great fun and fascinating to observe! Special Thanks to Walker, Elias and Matt at Arsenal for all their help and generosity – you know these guys are special gentlemen when they are willing to haul a 20-pound, ridiclously oversized purse for a girl who’s feet hurt too much to walk Needless to say, there were plenty of hilarious moments throughout the show…

“Colors of America” 2009/2010 calendar

Currently SOLD OUT. The 2011 calendar will be available next summer!

This is a full-sized, color wall calendar that is good through December, 2010. It measures 13.5″ x 23″ (perfect for hanging!) and includes 14 unique, military-inspired shots featuring actual uniform items donated by some of our men and women currently serving overseas. In addition, the calendar features several photo recreations paying tribute to the most famous classic World War II pin-ups!

A portion of all calendar sales is being donated to NewEnglandWarrior.com, a military charity that provides much needed supplies to our troops, as well as scholarships for military families, memorial funds and more. Great as a gift, décor item for a room, or simply a patriotic statement of support for our troops!

Visit the Store page to order, and be sure to read the amazing story behind the calendar’s origins!

2009 Dillon Aero Calendar

I am honored to have been selected as the cover model for the 2009 Dillon Aero Calendar for the third time!

I have enjoyed working with this company for the past five years, and of course they have been gracious enough to help promote my own new calendar, which is for sale in my store right now!

I hope to work on many more future projects with this great company! Visit them online at www.dillonprecision.com.

The story behind the calendar

What are the chances that one girl’s picture would end up in both Afghanistan and Iraq, on two separate occasions three years apart? The answer is, it actually happened…to me. This is my personal story of how I got involved with our troops, and why I was inspired to produce this calendar to help support them.

I’ve always considered myself patriotic. I was raised to believe it is our duty to support our country, regardless of whatever political ideas we might have about war or government politics. But it wasn’t until 2005, that I began to understand just how important the word “patriotic” is and what it really means.

You see, during this time, when the United States was in the heat of battle in Afghanistan and Iraq, my agent booked me for a photo shoot with Dillon Precision/Dillon Aero. This company often featured me on the cover of their calendars and monthly publication, “The Blue Press,” which goes to over 250,000 people worldwide, many whom are military personnel or families. One of my covers became so popular that Dillon decided to produce it as a poster, and it sold out immediately. This is what started everything. For some reason, it struck a chord with our service personnel overseas. It ended up in the hands of some troops in Afghanistan, where this wonderful group of brave men flew a flag in my honor at the base and put my poster on their military vehicle and in their office. They designated me an honorary member of their sector, signed the flag and mailed it to me. It was at that moment I knew my heart belonged to these heroes.

I started receiving emails and letters from many of our military personnel and their families, thanking me for keeping them inspired and encouraged. This surprised and humbled me because I’m not convinced I did anything noteworthy. My poster seems so insignificant to what these soldiers do every day.  I was flattered and felt a great sense of loyalty, pride and duty to these brave men and women. I know that what I do is meaningless and petty compared to what they sacrifice, risk, and deal with, all in the name of our great Country.  So, when I was contacted in 2006 by a retired Marine who asked me to work with his charity, New England Warrior, to help raise money for much needed supplies for the troops, I immediately agreed, and a wonderful partnership was born.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more incredible, I received another email in late 2008. Apparently, that June, there was an insurgent attack in Iraq. The terrorists involved blew up a building, which ironically enough, happened to be a THEATER (as an actor that irony was not lost on me!) As you can see from the pictures, the building was completely destroyed, burned out and full of rubble. You can even see the fire still burning inside the door. We actually lost some of our men. But inside, on a burned and blackened wall, was one item that somehow remained intact – a 2008 Dillon Calendar just hanging there in plain sight, singed corners and all. Most of the pages had melted away, but clear as day, the month of October, which happened to feature my photo, was still there, and completely recognizable. Someone at the scene, I have no idea who, took pictures of the incident and sent them to Dillon because it was such a chilling sight. I don’t know who hung the calendar there in the first place, but once again, here were these brave soldiers, fighting in the most horrible situations, and this simple calendar picture somehow represented something so American to them. I can’t begin to understand how and why this comforts them, but somehow it does, and I am so honored to think I contribute to that in any small way. I began to realize my insignificant little pictures were becoming something much more meaningful than I ever imagined.

Maybe it is just me who gets chills when I look at these pictures, but I feel such a connection and obligation to these service men and women. I truly believe my picture did not end up overseas by accident. Something bigger was going on here. I cannot tell you how many times I have sat at my computer reading emails with tears in my eyes and goosebumps on my arms. I’ve had parents thanking me for a calendar, when they have lost children in the war. They are always grateful, respectful, positive and so genuine in the face of such heartache. I have ENORMOUS respect for all of them.  I save every letter I receive in a scrapbook, along with the flag, their pictures and the  t-shirts they send me! The only thing I can do to even remotely show my appreciation to these families, is to promise to remind people of what they do, and why we should still care and support them in EVERY WAY POSSIBLE, not just in times of war, but in times of peace as well. These soldiers are never away from their duty.

No matter where you stand politically, or what you agree or disagree with regarding war, we are still Americans, ABOVE ALL, and our troops fighting overseas deserve our gratitude. They see things we don’t. They tell the real stories, not the ones we get from our mainstream media. I have been very enlightened by things I’ve learned from the men and women I’ve come to know. They know what they are fighting for and they believe in it and sacrifice for it without hesitation. When you vote in an election, debate issues with a friend, or even when you get frustrated and criticize or blame the government or a particular politician, remember, there’s a reason why we are able to enjoy that freedom. We can all learn from our service men and women.

It is the simple American things we send overseas that keep our troops motivated, comforted and reminded of home. It means more than we can comprehend. (And how ironic to think that in Iraq, a country that can severely and physically punish a woman just for showing her arms, legs or face, that a red-blooded, all-american picture of a girl in a mini-dress is hanging in one of their buildings – there is something somewhat satisfying about that)!  

So, the purpose of this calendar is to pay tribute to all the branches of our Armed Forces. I wanted it to be a symbol of gratitude, pride, courage and honor for our military, and all patriotic Americans. When the concept of war-time pin-ups was at its height of popularity during World War II, Americans had such a great sense of togetherness and pride in their country above anything else. It was a simpler time. We now live in a different world, and some of those ideals seem to have suffered. My ultimate goal with this calendar is to recapture that feeling, to remind people of that tradition, and to just brighten the battlefield a little for those who long for home. In addition, I will be donating a percentage of all calendar proceeds to New England Warrior for the wonderful work they are trying to do.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to those of you who took the time to read this story and purchase this calendar. I am passionate about this cause, it has moved me and touched my heart and made me a different person. Please look at the pictures, and just reflect and think for a few moments on what our troops do, that most of us would probably never even consider sacrificing.

Thanks to Photographers Richard Petrillo and Barry Gossage for the amazing calendar shots!