Breast Cancer Society Symbols
The pink ribbon is the universal symbol of breast cancer. Anyone who sees you wearing it knows that it is your outward sign of support for victims of breast cancer, their families and friends, and others who have been affected in some way by breast cancer.
The artwork and silk scarves offered by Capital Region Action Against Breast Cancer also serve to show the support in the fight against breast cancer.
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Brief History of the Pink Ribbon Symbol
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Pink ribbons were being worn by participants in the Komen Foundation race being held in Washington, DC, on June 16, 1990. The next year, the Foundation gave pink ribbons to every participant in the New York City race.
In 1992, in an effort to draw attention to the amount of money that was actually being used for breast cancer research, Charlotte Hayley, herself a breast cancer victim, attached peach-colored ribbons to cards containing pertinent information. Alexandra Penney, editor of Self Magazine, became interested, and approached Hayley about their working together.
Hayley did not want the initiative project to take on the air of commercialization, however, so she turned down Penney's offer. Penney decided to use the pink ribbon symbol in Self Magazine's issue that commemorated National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Penney then asked help from Evelyn Lauder, and pink ribbons were handed out at Estee Lauder counters. This helped further raise the awareness of the symbol and what it stood for.
As more corporations incorporated the pink symbol for breast cancer awareness, Paul Davidson registered the domain name pinkribbon.com, and launched a website dedicated to and available for anyone in the world who had a connection with breast cancer, in October 1997.
This initiative was expanded by Walter Scheffrahn, whose sister, Desiree, had suffered from and survived breast cancer. His wife, international model Amanda Witteman, lent her support to the initiative when she began dating and later married Scheffrahn.
Pink Ribbon Products
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Wearing a bracelet is a good way to show your support for breast cancer. It can be as simple as a pink plastic one, or as elaborate as one made of gold or silver with pink precious or semi-precious stones, or a charm bracelet.
This is especially effective if you are a survivor or have a family member, relative, or friend who is a survivor. You or the wearer can add small charms for each year of survival up to the fifth one, when a larger one can be attached. More charms can be added each year.
Lanyards, usually worn to hold identification cards or badges, key chains, pens, and other items, can also be used. You can continue the theme by using breast cancer symbol clips to hold the items on the lanyard.
Many styles of checks are available, from backgrounds with the symbol, to the symbol appearing beside the information field, the signature field, the memo field, or anywhere else on the check. Each time you use a check, you show your support for breast cancer awareness.
You can purchase other products that have the breast symbol on them. These can range from coffee cups to notepads to computer mouse pads.
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Other Symbols
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The Capital Region Action Against Breast Cancer, or CRABB, is a non-profit organization located in Albany, New York. They use the crab as their symbol in the fight against breast cancer, because, according to their website, the Latin meaning for cancer is crab, the ancient Green word karkinoma also means crab, and Hippocrates likened the appearance of the blood vessels in the breast that were swollen from cancer to crabs.
They offer fine art work and silk scarves that have different scenes on them, as well as original verse written by cancer patients.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
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During October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many companies use either the symbol itself or the color pink in their labeling, packaging, and even the products themselves.
Dedicated Events
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Two of the most well-known events that are dedicated to breast cancer awareness are the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Both of these events are major fundraisers for breast cancer.
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