Think Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It’s the start of October, which means it is now okay to shamelessly take cute pumpkin patch #selfies, inhale all the apple pies, and consume the bag of chocolate you originally bought to give out for Halloween. To me, October is a pretty sweet month.

It’s also Breast Cancer Awareness month. On this pinked-out month, communities come together to support breast cancer research, praise survivors, and honor the fallen. It’s the one time of the year when wearing pink symbolizes the movement, but what matters more is how you can help breast cancer research and patients. It’s almost the time of giving, so here are a few ways to pitch in to build awareness and save lives:

• 1. If you’re into swag that still promotes a good cause, try wearing an “I love boobies!” bracelet from the Keep A Breast Foundation. It’s hilarious (and a possible conversation starter), and automatically resonates with breast cancer. For those that don’t understand the bracelet, it’s another opportunity for you to spread breast cancer awareness.
• 2. Put some cash towards the cure. There are many worthwhile charities that support research, patient support and care, mammograms and education. Fund your favorite by donating directly or even holding a fundraiser of your own.
• 3. You can buy products that donate a percentage of the proceeds to breast cancer research, but make sure they’re legitimate about their efforts. Read more about what the Breast Cancer Action Network calls pinkwashing, where a company promotes a pink ribbon product but actually has products that are linked to the disease, on BCA’s blog.
• 4. You can also participate in breast cancer running and walking events, where communities gather together to complete a race and a percentage of the proceeds are donated to breast cancer research. Find a local event near you at the American Cancer Society website.
• 5. Encourage the women you care about in your life to have a mammogram. According to the FDA, more than 39 million mammograms are performed every year in the U.S. And they appear to be making a difference– the American Cancer Society reports that the breast cancer death rate has decreased 34% since 1990.

One last tip, before you donate to any cause, it’s a good idea to do some research to ensure you know how the money is being used. If you need some help, the Breast Cancer Action (BCA) created the Think Before You Pink campaign, whose mission “calls for more transparency and accountability by companies that take part in breast cancer fundraising, and encourages consumers to as critical questions about pink ribbon promotions.” They do incredibly detailed research to ensure that donators know what companies are rightfully donating to the cause, and which are just putting on a marketing show.

There are plenty of ways to help out as we wind down into the holidays. Whether it’s breast cancer or another cause, we hope we’ve inspired you to see how you can make a difference in the other people’s lives.