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Business & Tech

Scarsdale, Shop Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which means a variety of pink products will be hitting the shelves. But, do your pink purchases always go towards the cause?

A wave of pink is flooding stores everywhere, as retailers participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For the savvy shopper, it is an opportunity to donate to a good cause while snagging unique, pink-hued items and special services.

In Scarsdale, the Victor Balestri Salon, will be accepting $10 donations to the American Cancer Society in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With a donation, customers will receive a free bridal and special occasion trial makeup application. Those who donate will be pampered on Saturdays, from 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. or Friday nights, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. through the month of October.

Earlier this month, the Scarsdale Fire Department sold pink t-shirts to benefit the American Cancer Society.

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And on Saturday, the Scarsdale Striders will be selling sweets and treats for breast cancer research. The Cookies For A Cure sale starts at 10:00 a.m. and ends at 2:00 p.m., and is part of the Scarsdale Fire Fair.

The Striders is a group of Scarsdale women and their children who support the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. To make a donation online go to:http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ScarsdaleStriders

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Also on Saturday, over in Pelham, the Burger Bar is hosting a fundraiser for The Tutu Project. The breast cancer awareness charity is selling pink tutus and other pink items and featuring Belly Dancers For Charity, a food buffet, raffles and more. 

But before you plunk down your green for some pink, the nonprofits behind Breast Cancer Awareness Month want you to check the label.

Jenna Glazer, director of development for Young Survival Coalition (YSC), a global organization dedicated to helping young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, said that buyers should be on the lookout for a label or tag that tells where the money from the purchase goes.

"If you walk into (a store) and see something with a pink ribbon and no information about where the money is going, chances are it doesn't benefit the cause," she said.

Glazer said the best way for consumers to ensure that pink products are legit is to visit the non-profit's website for a list of its partners.

For a group like YSC, which is on the smaller end of the spectrum of breast cancer awareness groups such as Susan G. Komen For the Cure, the check it receives is just part of the benefit. Each time YSC partners with a company, Glazer said, "It raises the profile of nonprofit and gets the word out to the people who need us."

Here are a few pink products available online that breast cancer nonprofits are putting their names behind:

  • The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) has partnered with Barnes & Noble, which is offering a pink leather Nook cover with a stitched ribbon for about $35, with $5 going to the foundation.
  • Susan G. Komen for the Cure sells its own official merchandise on its website. It has pink leather business card holders for $15 each, as well as candles, coasters, neckties and car accessories.
  • Hard Rock will celebrate its thirteenth season of Pinktober with a variety of merchandise, including a pink honeycomb robe for $80. 75 percent of the profits from each item sold goes to the Caron Keating Foundation.

Some retailers don't enter contracts with nonprofits but still donate a portion of their proceeds. Team Cheer, a website that offers gear for cheerleaders, is donating five percent of its pink profits to BCRF. From socks to bows to briefs, the company's Cheer for a Cure collection includes products from $5 to about $25. You won't see it advertised on the BCRF website, but according to foundation staff, Team Cheer has made donations for the past two years.

If you think a pink product is suspicious or you are wondering about the relationship between the company and the cause, give the nonprofit a call. Representatives are usually happy to verify whether a company is really giving.

If you have a favorite pink product that benefits Breast Cancer Awareness Month, share it in the comments section.

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