OPI Pink of Hearts 2009

By now, everyone has probably seen an onslaught of pink products this month – you can buy practically everything in pink this month and with a portion of sales going to various breast cancer charities.

OPI goes about donating to the cause in an interesting way. OPI is transparent about the amount of money they are donating and where it goes:
• $5,000 to Rethink Breast Cancer in Canada; and,
• $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the United States.

In return, OPI hopes customers will support their efforts by purchasing OPI Pink of Hearts – an exclusive shade of light pink polish produced specifically in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Although it’s only supposed to be available in October at a professional salon near you and it sells out quickly, I’ve also seen it hanging around a bit longer so, it may not be too late.

Editor’s note:
I made a promise to you I didn’t keep. I said I’d publish one pink blog post every week during this month but I ended up skipping last week. Family first as they say but that’s not to say I’ll cut my weekly pink posts short. Instead, I’ll keep them running into October because like other diseases, breast cancer isn’t something limited to one month a year.

I mentioned I’d be sharing details about a contest at divine.ca, online destination for Canadian women. Unfortunately, it’s over now and my contact left the company during the program – sorry folks.

Help raise money and set a Guinness World Record to #BeatCancer

For my October series of weekly posts to raise awareness for breast cancer in honour of my friend Andrea, here’s something we can all do to help… and it’s so simple.

I'm helping to raise funds to
#beatcancer, by blogging, tweeting
and posting Facebook status
updates.

Click here to join me!

All you need to do is Tweet, update your Facebook status or write a blog post including the hashtag “#beatcancer” until noon EST today and eBay/PayPal and Miller Coors will donate 1 cent to cancer research. It’s part of a campaign to raise money and awareness to beat cancer. Lend a helping hand and be part of this social media experiment to try and set a Guinness World Record for the most social media mentions in 24 hours (yes, I know, this post is a bit late but there’s nothing like the present for a good cause.)

There are four charities listed on the #BeatCancer website where you can make a direct donation. For us Canadian folks, you may prefer making a donation to a local organization. I’ll be making one to rethink breast cancer today.

On the move for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For long-time readers, pink posts on Bargainista won`t be anything new. My mother battled breast cancer and I`ve had several friends who have faced the battle too. From time-to-time I've blogged about Breast Cancer fundraising initiatives.

On Monday, I learned my friend Andrea was diagnosed with breast cancer. For those of you who think breast cancer is a disease affecting mostly older women, think again. Andrea like so many of you reading this blog, is a wife and mother with two young children. She has also made a huge contribution to children's literacy and the podcasting community. Andrea is forging ahead, staying positive and already thinking like a survivor.

In honour of Andrea, I will be writing one pink post a week throughout this month and highlighting opportunities for you to support the cause. I`ll do my best to showcase some of the more interesting initiatives - feel free to send me your ideas too.

Last year, I did some work with rethink breast cancer helping spread the word about BreastFest Film Festival last year. rethink is an incredible organization because it helps raise awareness about the importance of breast health for younger women and provides support for women with early-onset breast cancer and their families. (Growing up as a child who`s mother had the disease, I know life would have been much different had rethink been around at the time. You can check out these pink products with a portion of proceeds going to rethink this year.

Breast Fest Film Festival 2008

You’re probably familiar with the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer t-shirts Roots sells every year. Did you know all net proceeds go to Rethink Breast Cancer? Rethink is a Canadian volunteer-driven charity helping young people who are concerned about and affected by breast cancer. Funds raised go toward education, research and support programs.

When it comes to fundraising, Rethink does a lot more than sell t-shirts. This year they’re trying something new and exciting… Breast Fest Film Festival 2008 – the world’s first film festival dedicated to breast cancer awareness. Through a variety of film genres and new media, Breast Fest will be showcasing many issues surrounding breast cancer in significant and interesting ways, and connecting people to the breast cancer cause. Why don’t you check it out…

What?
Breast Fest Film Festival 2008

Where?
Royal Ontario Museum (map)
100 Queen’s Park
Toronto, ON

When?
Nov. 21 & 22

How?
Buy tickets now.
Prices range from $10-$25 per showing.

UPDATE (Nov. 11, 2008)
I am officially helping Rethink Breast Cancer promote the Breast Fest Film Festival 2008.