Pink Party for Cancer Awareness

I was very excited about the opportunity to host a get together from Pssst and General Mills.  As you all know, October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and there were many promotions on television and online to help raise awareness and raise money for Susan G. Komen For the Cure.

A lot of great companies were also involved, including General Mills and Yoplait Yogurt.  For every pink lid you send by December 31, 2010, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, now up to $1.6 million. And they guarantee a donation of at least $500,000.  For more information, please visit Save Lids to Save Lives.

I was invited to host a get together where I would serve Yoplait yogurt, collect pink lids to send in for the Save Lids to Save Lives campaign, and raise everyone's awareness of breast cancer and breast health.

I haven't  personally had any close family members diagnosed with breast cancer, but I have had family members and friends, including my late grandmother, who were diagnosed with other types of cancers.  And I also became aware of just how prevalant cancer is when my husband was working for an insurance company that specialized in cancer policies.  Everyone that he talked to had at least one person in their immediate family who had been affected by cancer.  So it's a cause that I feel very strongly about.

For the get together, I was given a hostess kit which included the following items:

-a $15 Visa giftcard, to purchase Yoplait Yogurt for the party.

-a stack of coupons for Yoplait Yogurt

-a stack of breast health information sheets

-a self-exam shower hanger

-a pink bookmark

-and a copy of Promise Me by Nancy G. Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure

For the party decor, I mostly used items I already had on hand, including some pink Christmas balls, which I placed inside of some cloudy pink glasses.  I also had some pink and red heart napkins left from Valentine's Day, and I placed the spoons inside a Valentine's mug.  Additionally I used some white plates featuring pink flowers.  And I had some pink trim on hand, so I just cut out several pieces to make ribbons for the table.  (I also had some pink silk flowers which I meant to add to the table, but I completely forgot about them....oops!)

And keeping with the pink theme, I served some pink creamy salsa dip, pink candies, and some pink cookies from Pillsbury, along side the pink Yoplait yogurt (of course!).

Today in addition to sharing my party with you, I'm also sharing some of the information that was provided by Susan G. Komen for the Cure for the party.

-All women are at risk of breast cancer.  Being a women is the number one risk factor, and your breast cancer risk increases as you get older.  Most women who get cancer have no other risk factors.  Men can also get breast cancer, but it is 100 times more common in women.  Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women today.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Recommend that You:

• Talk to your family to learn about your family helath history.
• Talk to your provided about your personal riks of breast cancer.
• Ask your doctor which screening tests are right for you if you are at a higher risk.
• Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk.
• Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at 20, and every year starting at 40.
• Know how your breasts look and feel and report any changes to your health care provider right away.
• Make healthy lifestyle choices that may reduce your risk of breast cancer.

I'm linking up this week at linky parties.

Disclosure: Host kit, including information and a $15 gift card were provided by Yoplait and General Mills through Pssst & MyGetTogether.