Need advice/suggestions
I know you're all sick of my yakking excitedly on about my t-shirt shop, but bear with me, here ...
I'm opening up a shop devoted to cancer awareness (there's only one shirt in there right now - a riff on one of my infertility shirts that sells pretty well - but I have several more in mind).
I want to donate half of everything I get from that shop to the fight. My question is this: to whom do I donate? Obviously there's the American Cancer Society, but I'd love to focus any money I donate toward stamping out pediatric cancer and/or reproductive cancer (ovarian/breast/etc).
It's not that I feel like one type of cancer is more horrible than another and thus deserves my donation, it just feel appropriate that I donate that way at this time.
I'm Google-ly handicapped so I really need a hand with this.
Whom do you suggest? Is there a reputable organization that does research to fight pediatric cancer? Better yet is there some society who does things for kids with cancer? I love the thought of my money (and whoever buys my tees's money) going to actually improving the lives of kids with cancer right now.
If you have any suggestions or information I'd be very grateful!
Also, if any of you have any suggestions for t-shirt designs I'll be happy to sing your praises all over the 'net and the shop and give you full credit as designer.
Thanks, guys! I'm really excited about maybe making a difference.
7 Comments:
Hey, Blue!
This is FANTASTIC. I humbly suggest the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. It's a research/treatment/teaching facility associated with Harvard University. Here's their site:
http://www.dfci.harvard.edu/
I applaud your efforts!
Blue -
Here is a great one that is totally devoted to battling children's cancer:
http://www.alexslemonade.org/
There's the Children's Cancer Research Fund http://www.childrenscancer.org/
Or you could do St. Jude's http://www.stjude.org/
Do you have a non-profit children's cancer center in your area?
Great idea!
I like Share Our Strength - its an organization to help feed our nation - US only kids who have nothing to eat.
Sick as it is - we are the fattest nation - and yet there are 13 million kids hungry in the US alone.
I do a Virtual Bakesale to help out. I think I may do it online this year.
check it out
http://www.strength.org/
Lance Armstrong Foundation. This foundation apparently provides funding for many different research endeavors regarding cancer.
Whichever you choose,be sure to check out their balance sheets to see how much of each dollar really goes in the direction of your intentions (http://www.charitynavigator.org/). You may be surprised at what you find.
Oops. I'm. Stepping. Up. On. My. Soapbox. Can. Not. Stop. Ugh!
Ever considered helping to fund what are known as "orphan disease" foundations? (For example, http://www.rarediseases.org/)>
Orphan diseases are those (often genetic and sometimes cancerous) diseases, including many pediatric and neonate types, that are so rare that no pharmaceutical company is willing "adopt" them and incur the expenses involved in finding cures or treatments when so few will be buying the drug or treatment. And the government isn't lobbied enough to budget money for them since so few people are affected and the critical mass required to get the attention of vote-seekers just isn't there. And so, the research that could conceivably prevent a lot of heartbreak just never gets done. Even one person's death can devastate many people. Yet, it doesn't usually affect us 'til it's one of our own. If it's your parent, spouse, sibling, or child with the rare and likely fatal disease, you definitely find yourself cursing the lack of funding and concern by the powers that be.
Whew! [Panting and wiping the foam from my mouth....] I'll get down now.
Dana Farber, most excellant charity for children's cancer research. I have a group dedicated to knitting hats for babies/kids with cancer and all are donated to Dana Farber.
This is the first time I've read your blog, but this post really caught my eye. I friend of mine's daughter died of a rare pediatric cancer. She fought such a brave fight for many years, managing to be an excellent student, friend and role model to so many before she succumbed at 16. The family has set up a foundation called the Hannah Peretsman Breene Foundation. The foundation provides support at the St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ, where Hannah was treated. They provide volunteers to work with sick kids in the hospital to make their day a little brighter. The foundation recruits, trains and schedules volunteers to put together structured activites for the sick kids. The foundation has gotten great feedback for the work they do from the doctors nurses and patients. The foundation is not trying to cure cancer, but to bring a smile to a child's face. It is a small thing, but huge, too. If you want to find out more, you can contact them at hpbfoundation@optonline.net.
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