Hope Blooms

Sponsor an event that will have an impact this fall and next spring. During NBCAM, hold a ceremony in which participants plant pink tulip bulbs. Hand out Pink Ribbon Flower Lapel Pins to everyone there. In conjunction with the ceremony, organize a flower and plant sale to raise money for a breast cancer support group. In April, the tulips should sprout. As they blossom, distribute our Forget-Me-Not Breast Care Reminder Seed Packets which feature screening recommendations. The seed packets and pink tulips will remind people of the efforts to end breast cancer.

Soothing Activity

Find out if any groups in your community provide personal care items to cancer patients. If so, boost their inventory! Start by ordering Lip Balm, which can be personalized with the name of your organization, facility, or business. Then ask everyone to contribute more items to supplement this supply. Award Embroidered Pink Ribbon Butterflies to indicate who donated.

Aloha Guests

To draw people into your educational NBCAM activity, try a Hawaiian theme. Adorn your facility with tropical decorations. Have your employees and/or volunteers wear pink Hawaiian shirts. Place a flower lei on attendees as they arrive. Play ukulele music. Keep fruit-flavored drinks, such as pineapple and mango, cold in Insulated Cooler Bags. And reward every participant with a Flowered Flip Flop Lapel Pin.

A Pink Glow

Light up your town to raise funds and awareness. Get permission to wrap strings of pink lights around light posts in your downtown area. Ask businesses, organizations, and individuals to each sponsor a post. Attach signs that tell who sponsored them and that announce National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Use Pink Ribbon Luminaries With Flameless Tea Lights or Light Up Mirrors as thank-you gifts for the sponsors.

Important Note

What goes up must come down. Balloons released into the air return to the Earth and become litter. Animals may be harmed be either swallowing the balloons or getting tangled in the strings. Here are some suggestions for enjoying helium-filled “The Best Protection Is Early Detection” Balloons without releasing them.

• Attach balloons to a cart that is loaded with educational items; push cart up and down hallways as you distribute items.

• Have balloons on hand to give to any children who visit your facility during October.

• Use balloons, each marked with a number, in a drawing instead of raffle tickets.

Sweet Activity

Provide an outlet for creativity while raising funds for breast cancer research by sponsoring a cake-decorating contest. When you announce the contest, let everyone know the cakes will not be returned but will instead be used for a cake walk. Have categories to compete in, such as the prettiest and the largest number of pink ribbons. Award Desktop/Travel Alarm Clocks imprinted with “Time For A Mammogram?” to the winners. Charge a fee for participation in the cake walk. Give an Embroidered Pink Ribbon to each person who pays to join in.