October is normally a vibrant and colorful month. You expect to see a lot of different colors because of the changing Fall weather….colors like orange, yellow, red; and now you can add PINK.  The color pink has exploded everywhere because October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. It is “Think Pink” Overload to me, and I like the color pink.

As someone who received a breast cancer diagnosis 5 years ago (and still cancer free), I’m happy to see organizations taking an interest in ‘finding a cure.’ But a lot of products out there with the pink ribbon logo (which is not trademarked) is self-serving commercialization and majority of that money is not going to research helping to find a cure or preventing it.

Even the NFL is wearing pink and I think that’s great. It’s a wonderful cause actually, but I just want to be sure that my green money goes toward a legitimate pink foundation.  Ask yourself this question before you buy a pink product… “How much money from this purchase actually goes toward breast cancer research, and is the amount clearly stated on the package?”

Here are a few of the organizations that give directly to cancer research and help women with cancer and their families.

• The American Cancer Society
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure
• National Breast Cancer Foundation
• The American Breast Cancer Foundation
• Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation