Orange, Black and Pink: Colors That Make Me Think

It’s October 1st and that means for the next 30 days, I expect to see a lot more orange and black and … pink. Every time I see someone in orange, I immediately will think of Halloween. Every time I see someone in pink, I immediately will think of breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an amazing campaign that was started about 25 years ago. I don’t know how many millions and millions of dollars have been raised to fight the disease in that time span, but my goodness, aren’t we all so very aware of it?

Chances are that you know someone participating in one of the many fundraising walks and marathons dedicated to the fight against breast cancer and chances are you’ve made a donation. If that is not the case and all the pink that you see over the next 30 days gets you thinking about breast cancer and what you can do to show your support, please scan the events listed below and note that one-time general donations can be made via any of the websites.

Lee National Denim Day – October 2nd
http://www.denimday.com/
Lee National Denim Day is a national, single-day fundraiser for breast cancer. Starting in 1996, Lee Jeans invited companies to “go casual for a cause.” Employees were invited to make a $5 contribution to breast cancer and in exchange, they could wear jeans to work. More than 3,000 companies participated that year and a total of $1.4 million dollars was raised. Since then, Lee National Denim Day has raised more than $75 million for the fight against breast cancer.

American Cancer Society: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer – Raleigh: Oct. 3rd
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY10SouthAtlantic?pg=entry&fr_id=19948
The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer has raised more than $340 million since 1993. The event has roots that go back to 1984 when a Massachusetts cancer survivor named Margie Gould Rath worked to establish a way to celebrate fellow cancer survivors by raising funds for the American Cancer Society. Her concept evolved into the fundraiser in which almost 5 million walkers have participated.

The 5K Walk begins at 9am at North Hills.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure – Charlotte: Oct. 3rd, Hickory: Oct. 17th
http://ww5.komen.org/
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is credited with launching the global breast cancer movement in 1982. Komen for the Cure is the “world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find cures.”

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer – Charlotte: October 24th-25th
http://walk.avonfoundation.org/
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is a national series of 29-mile weekend fundraising events. It started in 2003. Participants can choose between a marathon (26.2 miles) or a marathon and a half (39.3 miles) over two days. Participants are encouraged to raise at least $1,800!

A friend of mine, Cynthia Cassell, will be walking in Charlotte. I admire her for committing to the marathon and a half and to raising over $3,000! Here is her personal donation page: http://walk.avonfoundation.org/site/TR?px=3630112&fr_id=1860&pg=personal.

Orange, black and pink…the colors of the month, colors that make me think.

Picking up a Bagel for a Cause Tomorrow

I’m easing my way back into this blog and back to the commitment I started earlier this year of finding a life-long community service cause. One of the challenges of keeping this commitment is finding different service organizations for which I can volunteer on a one-time basis. I am working on lining up some fall projects, though.

I prefer hands-on service, but of course, there are countless ways to give back to thousands of organizations and hundreds of causes each day. In fact, anyone can support the fight against hunger this week simply by eating at a restaurant that is participating in Share Our Strength’s “Great American Dine Out.” On the website’s homepage, you can enter your zip code to find a participating restaurant near you. More than 5,000 restaurants in all 50 states are donating to Share Our Strength’s effort to bring nutritious foods to needy kids.

Note for Raleigh, North Carolina residents: There are 75 restaurants in the area supporting the Great American Dine Out, a week-long event that continues through this Saturday (September 26th). If you plan to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner at a restaurant over the next three days, why not check the list and make your meal count?

Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery appears to be a big supporter so I’ll be picking up my bagel and caffeine fix there tomorrow morning.