Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Pink Campaigns
October 1, 2007
The following article is one that I put up on July 19th, 2007. Since it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month in the United States, I just wanted to put this up again so that anyone who might have missed this in the past get a chance to read it. Thanks for your patience if you’ve seen it before.
Think before you pink.
Since I’m on an activism roll here, this post is intended to alert people to watch where their donations are going and how much of it is actually going to the places it should be. This is about breast cancer, but if you’re thinking of donating money anywhere, it’s really a good idea to find out where the money actually goes and how much of it really reaches the places it you are wanting it to go to.
The following is a letter that can be found on the Think Before You Pink website:
Dear Friend:
Take Action: Think Before You Pink
[Additional Message]
I can tell when fall has arrived because pink ribbons pop up on just about every kind of product you can imagine. Toilet paper, makeup, breath mints, cookbooks, candles, clothing, and more, all promising to give some portion of proceeds to breast cancer.
Each fall I wonder whether these pink ribbon products are more about boosting sales than saving women’s lives.
Sure, the people in these companies truly care about the disease. But so many of the businesses give pathetically small amounts to breast cancer programs for each purchase. Many of them don’t even tell you how much money from, say, a $200 sweater, actually goes to help women with breast cancer. It could be a penny. But they’re not telling.
Well-meaning people want to make a difference. But too often companies—rather than women with breast cancer—are profiting from our good intentions.
Meanwhile, breast cancer rates keep rising. Every 1.9 minutes a woman hears the words, “You have breast cancer.” Every 13 minutes, a woman dies from the disease.
We need more than just awareness and pink ribbons to change these staggering numbers.
That’s why I’m urging you to join Breast Cancer Action’s efforts for change this October. Send a message to companies that sell pink ribbon products. Ask them to reveal how much money actually goes to breast cancer, how the funds are being raised, who gets the money, and what programs are being supported. Tell them to put people before profits.
Before you buy another pink ribbon product…
Think Before You Pink.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Critical Questions
On their website are several links with some very surprising things you might not know about how donations are distributed. One of thier pages includes critical questions that really should be asked before making contributions for any breast cancer fund raising events or projects.
Explore where the money is going.
Another link to look at is the press room. There are many articles about “pink” and the campaigns and the politics surrounding the breast cancer research and the monies involved. Please, take a look if you care to learn more about the issues surrounding the whole “pink” campaigns.
One in seven women are expected to develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
Most certainly most people have been affected by someone either in their family or one of their friends who have breast cancer or have heard stories of friends of friends who have it or have had it.
From thier site on the facts page it says:
“An estimated 178,480 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2007. This number does not include cases of carcinoma in situ. An estimated 62,030 new cases of breast carcinoma in situ will be diagnosed in 2007. Of these, 85% will be ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).If every woman lived to age 85, one out of eight women in the United States would develop breast cancer by that time—a “lifetime” risk that was one out of 14 in 1980. A new breast cancer case is diagnosed every 2.2 minutes.”
I am one of those women in 2007 that were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer so I have some idea of what I’m talking about here. If you have breast cancer or know someone who does I think it’s important to find out as much as you can before you make a move. Learn, listen, research, question your doctors, get second and third opinions. Realize that you do have choices and whatever choice you make is yours to make - not your doctor, not your family, no one but you knows what is right for you.
We alone are the ones who have to live with whatever choices we make and there are no really easy choices, no magic wands, no magic cures. We can choice from various treatments and we can choose to have no treatment - it’s totally up to us.
Thank you for taking the time and care to comment. Your visits honestly mean much more to than you might imagine. Jump in, comment anywhere on any of the posts. 
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October 2, 2007 at 4:53 am
oh how true! Thanks Ruby.
Martha, Have a beautiful day. Peace. ~ RS ~
October 2, 2007 at 9:13 am
*nodding*
My saving grace—I ‘don’t do pink’.
Not one thing in the wardrobe……nary a one.
Contribute, yes.
Buy pink?
Do I strike you as a pink kinda gal? LOL
Mel, …Pinks not that bad and no, you don’t strike me as pink - but colorful, yes. Peace and no pinks. ~ RS ~
October 2, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Excellent advice. I worked for a number of non-profit groups and I’m very attuned to questioning where the money goes…for every charitable organization.
Ggril, Excellent advice especially from one like you who has some first-hand experience. Peace and information. ~ RS ~
October 2, 2007 at 2:11 pm
I agree. If you want to support any cause, it’s better to donate the money directly than to buy a crapload of yogurt.
DT, Right on. Yogurt just doesn’t do it for me and donating directly is a huge difference. So many uninsured folks who could use some help paying for those scans etc. out of pocket……..boggles the mind. Peace and no yogurt. ~ RS ~
October 2, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Great article! Like so much of the fundraising these days, ‘overhead’, ‘administrative costs’, etc., chew up the lion’s share of a gift.
My gut reaction to this is - if someone wants to buy a $200 sweater, their first motivation isn’t to ‘give’ to breast cancer research
They want the sweater and the little warm & fuzzy that comes from thinking they’re contributing ’something’ to the cure! Personally, I don’t think that’s a bad idea. These marketers could certainly dump the Pink campaign altogether and whatever money they are contributing would be dried up.
If someone wants to make a true ‘donation’ vs. go shopping, they should go directly to a reputable organization and give there.
Grace, Yeah, let them buy their $200.00 sweaters then give $200.00 to someone directly. Peace and reputable organizations. ~ RS ~
October 2, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Healing prayers to all.
SE, Make sure you’re part of “all”. Peace and prayers. ~ RS ~
October 3, 2007 at 12:47 am
I’ll just not buy one PINK thing again, unless they say how much $cha-ching$ is actually going to the cause. I’ve been known to buy the “pink w/ ribbons” spatula because I needed one anyway and it was a small way to help. Now I realize that maybe only 5 cents went to the cause. I’d rather give the cause the whole $4 - instead of getting that spatula. This is nutz! How can companies and people get so greedy?
Bella, Yeah, it’s good to find out how much of the $ we donate actually goes towards the actual cause we want to donate for. I’ve known some women who had to apply for grants to get money to help pay for the treatment(s) and it still wasn’t enough. I just don’t know how people manage.
Peace and information. ~ RS ~
October 3, 2007 at 3:27 am
I have two pins on my black leather vest I wear everywhere…my sons graduation pin from CMU and a Pink metal ribbon. My mom died of cancer last year, not breast but one just as bad and insidious.
Pink Peace
mark
TWM, Aww, nice Dad, how proud you must be. Sorry about your mom - it’s so hard losing our moms - mine died of cancer too…back in ‘89 and no matter how long, it’s still painful to think of her like that. Hugs. Peace and pins. ~ RS ~
October 3, 2007 at 11:04 am
Here is a site, Ruby, that might interest you, “Think Before You Pink”:
http://www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org/
Peace!
R.
JG, Thanks so much. I’m wondering now - did you read the article I posted or are you being funny? Peace today. ~ RS ~
October 3, 2007 at 11:17 am
Great post Ruby..it really is the one of those “between the devil and the deep blue sea” kinda things buying retail products to support worthy causes is`nt it? After all, most of these people would be giving nothing directly yet at least something gets thru` in the end via retail…and retail expands its sales %…though I hate that part maybe some good does come out…it is best to know how much is going to the cause first and foremost though…
Ceeque, Thanks. I think this might almost be fodder for another post actually. Here’s a link some might find interesting that I might put in the article about money being made off of breast cancer research. If you read the article you’ll see this:
That’s the sort of thing that really disgusts me. They’d be better off just giving out the watches - but that would cut into their profit margin by about 3 million dollars!! Sorry, didn’t mean to rant here. Peace and research. ~ RS ~
October 3, 2007 at 4:36 pm
This is Katrina, communications associate at BCA. Thank you for your support! It means a lot to all of us. Don’t forget to ask the six critical questions of pink ribbon marketers: how much money is going to the cause, what is it funding, how much was spent on marketing versus the amount being donated, what is the maximum donation, and, most importantly, is the product making us sick.Take action on our 2007 campaign at:
http://www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org/Pages/TakeAction.html
Thanks again and keep blogging!
Katrina, Welcome! (I’ve put your questions in your comment in bold, I hope you don’t mind) Thanks so much for that list of questions. They’re great and very important questions to be asked before donating. Thank you for the link as well. Peace and action. ~ RS ~
October 3, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Oops! I scanned what you posted and picked up the theme. That left me so focused on getting a link from my daughter from a person she interviewed a year or two ago that spoke on the same subject. I emailed her, got a quick response and posted the link for you, never realizing that your post was about the same organization. Consumerism disguised as “charity” happens to be a pet peeve of mine. So, no, I wasn’t being funny, just typically clueless. This is definitely not something to crack wise about. Sorry.
Peace!
R.
JG, BUSTED! (scanning) No, I had a feeling that it was something like that. I’m wondering how that interview went now. Much peace my friend. Hugs for you both. ~ RS ~
October 3, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Great article Ruby.With the word to ‘Help’ and ‘Donate’ getting louder these days,with people getting generous in donating,spreading a word of caution is a must.
We definitely need to know where our contributions are heading to.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful information
Cheers!!
Megha, Welcome. Thanks for dropping by and glad you liked the article. I hope folks will take it to heart. Peace and information. ~ RS ~
October 3, 2007 at 11:05 pm
I’ve read this article and I think it educates people to be more aware before they “give”.
I, for one, am not offended by October’s pink breast cancer awareness. *I* make sure I know where the money is going before I buy any products whose company claims to donate to “the cause”.
I AM offended by those who take advantage of the pink ribbons and pretend to care when all they’re obviously doing, is trying to make a buck.
We all need to keep our eyes open.
and for the record? I love pink. Always have.
*shrug*
Anonymous G., I agree. Best to keep our eyes open. No one will keep watch better than ourselves, eh? I’m acquiring some pink things - I’ve never liked it in the past but I am more and more lately for some reason…nothing to do with breast cancer though. Peace and pink. ~ RS ~
October 4, 2007 at 1:18 am
Ruby, the interview is on the podcast on this:
http://www.alternet.org/story/23982/
page. The podcast contains other stuff but I think the one about Think Before Pink is near the end.
R.
JG, Oh cool, excellent. It might actually be the first podcast I’ve ever listened to. (Yes, I live in the dark ages!) Thanks so much. Peace and podcasts. ~ RS ~
October 4, 2007 at 4:28 pm
This is an excellent post…along with resource links, and one that is educational for those who “do pinking” without thinking.
I am an advocate for the Susan G. Komen For the Cure.
http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm
The funds are used for treatment, screening, grants, education, research and awards, etc.
http://cms.komen.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/komen_image/howfundsareusedchart.jpg
They use 8% for administration costs.
My way of donating to them is to walk in one of their
“Susan G. Komen for the Cure” events, by walking a 5k. The fee I pay to enter is my donation to the cause. It also allows me to physically participate in an event that has anywhere from 20,000 - 40,000 participants, on that particular day.
It is one of the most inspiring activities I have been proud to be a part of. The feeling is overwhelming.
Peace, Love, “Pinking and Thinking”. xoxo
Lor, Thanks so much for the links here. I should put them up on the “blogroll”. (I hate the word(s) blog and blogroll) Nice how they show how the money is spent! I appreciate the information and I do know and agree that the Susan Komen foundation does good things for folks. I’ve even heard of them helping with (or supplying?) grants for folks who are having a hard time paying for the bills associated with breast cancer - rent etc. still needs to be paid even if people are lucky enough to have insurance - the co-pays can be rather large! Much appreciated. Peace and activism. ~ RS ~
October 4, 2007 at 5:04 pm
[...] others through writing, photographs, music, conversation, etc. Contributor beware: As my friend RubyShooZ warns, “Think Before You Pink”, and research the organization you are contributing [...]
October 4, 2007 at 11:30 pm
LOL, I’m with you on that one…I hate those words (blog, blogroll), they sound so cold. I prefer more friendly categories, although I have “blogroll” in my sidebar.
Yes, they do supply grants for bills, etc. Co-pays can knock one down, most definitely. They add up so quickly.
Hugs, Love, Bedtime pillows. :)) *Yawn*
Lorri, I wonder what else to call a blogroll though - I’ve named mine “ClickWorthies” but I’m not sure how happy I am with that either. Our co-pays for some things can be pretty high but for the medical bills haven’t been that high. I’m so glad that I’ve made the decision I have. Hugs back, love, peace and pillows! ~ RS ~
October 8, 2007 at 1:09 pm
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