Pinktober Revolution
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So I did a little googling
Here is a link to their main page. http://www.bcrfcure.org/
and here is a link to a page that rates charities. They got a 61.67 out of 70. They scored better than Dana Farber in Boston. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5001 I don't know how to interpret the rest....
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Well it says that "currently 90 cents of every dollar goes directly to research" on the Time for Research page. I think that is pretty good.
Then I found The Lucy Fund which is 100% research on metastatic cancers, including breast cancer.
https://www.nfcr.org/?option=com_content&view=article&id=1043
The NFCR that funds part of The Lucy Fund has a dropdown where you can actually read their tax forms (under financials) which I have never seen before.
and the ESSCO BC Fund which says about 3/4 down the page that all donations go to research http://www.esscomghbcrf.com/ and describes the fund here:
http://www.esscomghbcrf.com/about-the-fund
I will keep looking, and I agree it is time to ditch the awareness b.s.
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Oh yay! I'm so glad you found that shells! I must have missed it. It seems like a great program to support.
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BCRF does donate a much higher percentage of its fundraising to research, but it is important to note that it is an organization dominated by Estee Lauder corporate. Their products are full of neurotoxic and carcinogenic ingredients. Check the link for their products: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
Also, earlier in this thread there was a link to the origins of the pink ribbon. Here is a link to the full story, also linked to Lauder, and not in a very positive light. Lauder and Komen are equally responsible for the annual misery of Pinktober: http://thinkbeforeyoupink.org/?page_id=26
And yes, some of the money Komen raises is to pay attorneys who will sue you for using the phrase "for the cure" even though only 24% of their funds raised go to research - with a lot of strings attached.
I like Breast Cancer Action because they seem to embody my feelings about what needs to be done to accomplish change and make real progress. Here is a link to their site:
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Chabba-
You have got to be joking. That poor couple. Did it actually come to fruition ???0 -
Novena notification update:I unintentionally made it sound as if the novena was just for Frank. Franks change of condition triggered us to want to do a novena. The novena is for all of us on BCO and others that are added by members. The link below goes to the working copy of the combined list of intentions,If those unfamilar with a novena would like to take a look and see how it's being put together. The next paragraph is the first intention.
Dear God---May all, of many Faiths, come together in prayer and support of each other. Jesus Christ,Mother Mary , and the Holy Court of Heaven, hear our prayers for all the sisters and brothers of BCO in this there time of need. Strengthen them and their families and let them not despair. Heal them if you will, or guide them to understanding and acceptance of your plan.
community.breastcancer.org/for...
So, if you want an intention added for you , or someonelse please PM me any time now. Probably should put this link in your favorites to refer to on Aug 14th. At this point we are leaning towards ST Peregrine Patron saint of Cancer as two members are willing to take the intentions to ST Peregrines shrine near Pheonix Az.
Sorry for muddling up the first communication. It all seemed logical at the time. It was only after multiple messages received that I realized the problem Thanks for your involvement. SAS
The prayer that will be added is said once a day and the intentions are said once a day
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Dakota, I don't know. Like so many court cases, both civil and criminal, the shock of the filing makes major headlines but the final resolution isn't noted except by those directly involved.
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Another link regarding the Komen lawsuits:
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She's baaaaaaaaack.
Brinker didn't leave after all. She just gave herself a new job.
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Most of the time the only winner in these kinds of suits are the lawyers.
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Unfortunately Komen's lawyers are being paid with money raised by people who think they are helping fund research "for the cure" - that is the problem.
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Well I for one had no idea of the controversary regarding Komen. And I'm fairly well read. The only thing I really can say I that I know is I get my mammgrams at the Komen center and it was started (the company) to help find a cure for cancer.
I have no problem with smeone receiving a good salary for being a CEO of a large company, even though that it is not a popular position. A person with a large responsibility should be compensated for it. We all want pay commenserate with our responsibility. What was listed as her salary is actually fairly conservative among most CEO's of both non-profit and for profit companies (check out the Red Cross CEO's salary). The fact that her husband is a millionaire shouldn't matter. Just because he is doesn't mean she will be if the marraige goes south. And even if it did, she's entitled to make her own living. That aside, even though it is a lot of money to most of us , it is just a fraction of what is brought in.
In looking at the rest of those dollars, that's what I do have a problem with. I agree we need to put our money where it gets the most bang for our buck. I for one will be educating myself far more on these companies listed above to make sure that my money is spent on the companies that put the most into research. If you're not aware of cancer by now, than your head is probably too far up your behind for a ribbon to help.
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Nancy Brinker and her husband amicably divorced many years ago, she received a substantial settlement. Norman Brinker died in '09. I realize that CEOs of large companies make large salaries, but she likes to refer back to her promise to her sister that she would do everything she could to end the suffering breast cancer causes - I guess that doesn't include giving up her paycheck. The fact that she has let her politics influence where grant/research money is directed is also a problem for me.
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Its "commensurate" with responsibility, but your point is well taken, Mini. If I was CEO of one of those huge organizations, I would be earning that pay as well. After reading SpecialK's link, what would be great would be if the companies that want to participate in raising funds for breast cancer research would do/make their 'pink thing' and then just go around Komen and give the funds directly to their chosen research organization. Surely these items are already in production and ready to hit the shelves soon, but maybe a letter writing campaign to the CEO's of these companies would help. Maybe they are also unaware of the backlash that is going on by us and others regarding the bastardization of the pink ribbon. Though I guess Komen would not let them use the pink ribbon or "for the cure" as the article and others have said.
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I, too, have no problem with Komen getting a competitive salary for the work she does. My issue is the Komen Foundation's involvement in politics related to women's health issues. She, herself, said that the foundation made a huge mistake with the Planned Parenthood debacle.
I also agree that the foundation needs to devote more money to research and less to "awareness". You've all said it right - you'd have to be living in a media-free vault to not be aware. I'm good with money for screenings, treatment and research.
A very good friend of mine who's had BC three times is extremely active with the Komen Foundation and I think was on the board of directors of the Kansas City chapter. She told me that race participation is down 20% this year. So it seems the message has been heard. People are voting with their feet. My family took our $1500 in donations and participated in a fund raiser for a cancer center associated with Dartmouth in upstate NH. The overwhelming majority of their dollars goes right to research.
My biggest gripe is the pimping of the ribbon. Pink trash dumpsters, pink-handled hand guns and all the other crap is disgusting. But that's not all Komen. There are thousands of corporations who see the $$$ signs in using pink on a product, with that special focus on the month we've all learned to hate. It's a pink tidal wave that's going to be hard to fight. Educating people on where their pink purchase's money really goes is probably key to success. But that won't be easy. We might have some success using social media like Facebook and Twitter to push the issues into the forefront.
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By the way, I have several good church friends who spend a LOT of time training and raising money for the 3-day events. They go all over the country to these, sort of like a past-time. Do you think they would listen if I explained what was really happening? Would they be offended? I'm sure they have raised thousands of dollars in my name and the name of others at our church who have been through BC. Would I seem ungrateful to suggest they stop? Oy.
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That's a tough call, Shells. It's hard to be critical of friends and family who are doing things in the name of love. I was able to tell my family why I would no longer be doing the Race for the Cure and explained why. We all agreed that The Prouty at Dartmouth was a better cause. But if some of them wanted to do the Race for the Cure, or the 3-day race, I'd be supportive of their efforts, as long as I didn't have to get personally involved.
I think we need to keep in mind that Komen still does a lot of good things. I haven't checked the accuracy of this statement, but my friend from KC said that Komen still funds more research projects than any other organization in the world. They're big and they have a big bank account. It's just that they could do so much better, percentage-wise.
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shells43 - refer your friends to http://www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org/ or the movie PinkRibbonsInc., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QPZfcYTUaA so they can really understand. Then they can make an informed decision, and continue to fundraise and donate to Komen if they so choose.
luvrving - Komen does give more to research because they are the biggest and raise the most money. It is just that their percentage is less than it should be. How the money is raised doesn't sit well for so many of us, and the resulting commercialization and trivialization of breast cancer is a problem.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/08/us-usa-healthcare-komen-research-idUSTRE8171KW20120208
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I do agree about all the pink stuff. I mean really, does anyone need a mixer or a pink garbage can? Do you really see it and think, oh yea, I better get a mammogram or donate money to reasearch? But you see them all over. I mean if you like pink, go for it, but it's like using a squirt gun on the Colorado wild fires for all the good you'll do.
I also have a friend from church who heads up our local support group. She does a lot of good work, but one of the first things she did was give me a SGK pink ribbon pin. I've gotten a lot of other pink stuff as well. I accept it as it was meant - a gesture of love and support, but I'd still rather see a donation made to a quality organization.
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Mini, I agree that gifts like that should be accepted in the same loving way with which they were given. I received my share on pink ribbon pins, bracelets, etc. from well meaning friends and just thanked them and smiled. What can you say really?
As for pink cat food (my personal favorite), people who buy pink (most, I think) are just trying to help in the easiest way possible, and probably will never write that check to any individual organization, but hope that the few cents that are promised actually get to where it is needed and supposed to go. SpecialK is right that these orgs are so big that even the pennies on the dollar that go to research add up to more than most of us could ever think of giving. I know I am guilty of buying pink before my own BC. I never EVER thought about how it must feel to a BC patient until I became one.
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Shells - I agree. And I think people are unaware of just how little makes it to the research. Although this is actually the same for lots of charities. I read of one that holds a circus each year for a kids charity. When someone looked closely at their books, it turned out that the charity got a whole 5% of the earnings. The rest went into the operators pockets. I think all charitable orginizations should have to post their stats in an easily located area on the net and in magazines, papers, etc., and in a readable format.
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I'm not a girly girl, but I used to like pink clothes--tops, sweaters, jackets, scarves. I don't wear pink any more and I really would like to:
Take Back the Pink
Just as left of center American patriots need to take back the American flag. As women and other citizens take back the night. As African Americans reclaim the beauty of black. And so on. I would love to dilute the damage that the Komen foundation has done by pinkifying and infantilizing this killer disease. But how? What kind of message do you put on a pink T-shirt to convey that Komen doesn't own pink. I'm actually not one who wears many T-shirts because I hate them--the messages and the "look at me, especially my chest" way of communicating.
But I might wear a pink T-shirt that says on the back:
I'm Taking Back the Pink, and Komen Better Watch Her Back
OR
Komen for the Kure Stole Pink, and I'm Here to Take It Back
Clearly this needs some thought, but I wanted to jot it down.
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Oh I never do anything over the phone. No worries. I research everything. :-)
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Watch out, Surly! They might sue you!
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Surly, Your thought in taking back the pink is close to how I came up with PINKTOBER REVOLUTION. Anyone aware of the pink onslaught in october would have to be pretty clueless to not get the message-- ---sassy(AKA) sheila
LuvRing --as you say it's hard to be critical of friends or family for doing things out of love
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What's Komen going to do, kill me? Headline: "Komen Sues Dead Women for Misspelling 'Cure'"
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Hahaha Surly, I love it!
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To all would like to consider a companion thread that would archive the links. I did this on another thread. It works very well for saving to one area, and categories can be done within the initial gathering of links i.e research funding whatever. It would allow for all the links offered by each person not to get lost as pages go on. I have no problem doing it , but involved with another project right now. If someone can make a list of categories. Then I'll go back and See if I can put it together. Then after that I would track and transfer to the archive page and edit into the category.
I would know fairly quickly if I have enough knowledge to put the link into the right category. I may not. Someone above did make a suggestion regarding this, it is doable. But who does it . Until I saw a category list and then looked at the links over many pages know if I'd be the one that could do it . In this archive list anyone would be able to post a link, but by having one person responsible for C&P to a particular category is the key to making it rapidly useful. Otherwise it's just repeating whats here which would not serve anyone well. No clue how clear this is, seems logical to me right now, but know that may not be the case.
Many of you have made very useful link suggestions, if there is something on the web that has already done this and it's a major source for info in many categories, I can edit the thread header to identify the link. Don't need to reinvent the wheel. Sassy
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The first summer after dx, I did RFC and was awed to be one of thousands of participants. Went bald from chemo, with a group from work and my MIL. Didn't cross the 'finish line' because we saw my car and MIL was tired so we split.
Went again the next summer, with hair and with MIL but without co-workers. This time I crossed the 'finish line' and was appalled when the survivors were cut from the herd and sent down a chute to receive gifts including flowers and a medal, which I refused.
This summer, I skipped RFC for two main reasons. One is the politics and two is the money being spent NOT for the cure. Or should I say, on things other than the cure.
If there's a likeness of SGK in the public domain, how about a shirt with her pic that says something to the effect of "Remember" or "Remember Me, Research for the CURE" or "Remember, it's for the CURE" or "Remember the Promise - Find a CURE"
some other ideas:
Reformed Racer
RE-THINK PINK
I wanted to find the cure for breast cancer but all I got was this lousy t-shirt.
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