October is back. For years we’ve been inundated with Breast Cancer Awareness in the month of October through TV commercials, football players donning pink garb, and countless walks. I wish October could just be Charity Awareness Month, to raise awareness about all of the great nonprofits where you can donate and volunteer!
By no means am I saying breast cancer research and fundraising is not important or relevant, it’s just that we are aware that breast cancer exists, but are you aware that breast cancer isn’t even the number one killer as far as cancer goes?
According to the National Cancer Institute, the number one cancer killer is lung cancer, followed by colon cancer. Breast cancer, does in fact, rank third, but there is not nearly as much mention, prevention education, or fundraising and awareness about the first two killers. If you’d like to not only “think pink” this month, you can also donate to the Lung Cancer Alliance and the Colon Cancer Alliance to help fund research and help families that suffer from these illnesses.
However, there are also smaller, grassroots nonprofits unrelated to cancer research that still need your help this fall.
Interested in supporting our troops overseas? Soldiers Angels is a nonprofit dedicated to the aid and comfort of men and women serving in the U.S. Army, the Marines, the Navy, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, and even in assisting veterans and their families. You don’t even have to donate, you can simply adopt a soldier to write to! Even if you don’t agree with the war, you can still support troops who are protecting the United States!
GlamourGals addresses the problem of elder loneliness. This nonprofit organizes and inspires teens to go to senior homes and give complimentary beauty makeovers to the women living there. Though this may seems trivial, 50 percent of seniors living in senior homes have no relatives, 46 percent have no children, and of those, 70 percent are women. We all know someone who has lived in a senior home, is living in a senior home, or will live in a senior home—you can start helping those individuals now by supporting GlamourGals.
Regardless of where you’d like to donate, consider this fall donating to a nonprofit, research group, youth group, etc. to help people who have less than you.
