My beef with donations

Okay, first let me post a little disclaimer. I do not mean anything bad or negative about this post. I'm just stating what I think and how I feel. After all, this is my blog and I write what I want to write about.

If you've ever read my blog before you may know that my Aunt passed away of melanoma almost two years ago (12/26/10). My mom and I made a blog for her so family and friends could read and keep up with her journey. You can read more about her story here. Basically, Aleisha was diagnosed with melanoma when she was 35-years-old. She never tanned and didn't even stay in the sun very long because she was fair-skinned. If she had to be in the sun for a longer period of time, she would always be sure to cover herself. She was very careful. Not because she was afraid of melanoma {did we even hear that word eight years ago?} but because she was careful in general.

Melanoma is not just caused by too much tanning, but that definitely does not help speed up the process.

I love to read the blog Adventures with My Enemy Melanoma. Chelsea is a 25-year-old who was diagnosed with stage III melanoma a few years ago. Girlfriend is a fighter and is doing so well! If you read her blog, you will find out that she loved tanning beds. Today not so much. She spreads the word to help make people aware of this monstrous disease.

Okay, here's my beef.

October is breast cancer awareness month. I'm totally for it. I know several people who are breast cancer survivors and sadly, a few who did not survive.  My mom even went through a lot with it a few years ago. Thankfully everything turned out to be okay. I agree that you should be checked yearly and that money does need to be raised.

But...

When money is being raised and you are promoting another type of cancer, then that's wrong. Also, how do we really know where that money is going?

Let's see...

"D-Feat Breast Cancer" by getting a tan because you need some vitamin D.

So let's just hop in a coffin tanning bed and help prevent breast cancer while you're getting another.

***

The website Think Before You Pink has some great advice when giving money. Here are some of the questions they say are good to know the answers to before you donate money (to any organization)

1. Does any money from this purchase go to support breast cancer {or any cancer} programs? How much?

 EXAMPLE: In 2010, Dansko shoe company sold pink ribbon clogs. Consumers likely thought that a portion of theirpurchase of pink ribbon clogs went to a breast cancer program. However, purchase of the pink ribbon clogs was not connected to Dansko’s donation—none of the portion of the sales went toward their already set donation of $25,000to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. No matter whether or not you bought the clogs, their donation was the same.

2. What organization will get the money? What will they do with the funds, and how do these programs turn the tide of the breast cancer {or any cancer} epidemic?

EXAMPLE: The KISSES for a Cure music box is advertised by its maker, The BradfordExchange, online with the following: “A portion of the proceeds from this music box will bedonated to help fi ght breast cancer.” It is not clear what breast cancer organizations would benefi t, how much money they would receive, and what programs or work would be funded by the donation.

3. Is there a “cap” on the amount the company will donate? Has this maximum donation already been met? Can you tell?

EXAMPLE: In 2010, Reebok marketed a line of pink ribbon emblazoned footwear and apparel at prices ranging from$50 to $100. Though it heavily promoted the fact that some of their pink ribbon product sales would be donated tothe Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, they set a limit of $750,000, regardless of how many items were sold, and therewas no mechanism in place to alert consumers once the maximum donation had been met.

To find out the answers to these questions or read more about it, you can visit Think Before You Pink here.

Please remember, I'm not "picking" on breast cancer. In fact, I'm sure it is this way for many other donations. I just was appalled by the tanning for a cure {shown above}. I also want to make sure that the money donated goes to the right place so we can find a cure.