Community Corner
Shop Pink in Apple Valley-Rosemount to Benefit 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's an opportunity to donate to a good cause while snagging unique, pink-hued items.
Among the retailers in Apple Valley and Rosemount offering pink-themed items and Breast Cancer Awareness Month promotions include:
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• Ulta, 14929 Florence Trail, Apple Valley—Ulta is running several promotions to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. One is "Donate with a Kiss," during which customers who donate $1 can add a “kiss” to the store’s front window. Click here to learn about other fundraisers.
• Kohl’s, 14926 Florence Trail, Apple Valley—Kohls sells Kohl’s Care items through its website that support the American Cancer Society, Midwest Division and the southeast Wisconsin affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Those items are available in stores in Wisconsin.
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• , 14910 Florence Trail, Apple Valley—Bed, Bath and Beyond sells a number of pink items. On its website, the company has partnered with the nonprofit HealthyWomen, which provides health and wellness information, including materials about breast health.
• Regis Salon, 7875 150th St. W., Apple Valley; and Cost Cutters locations in Apple Valley, 15465 Cedar Ave., and Rosemount, 3824 150th St. W.—Hair stylists in the Regis Family of Brands will take part in Clip for the Cure on Oct. 13. That day salons will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from every haircut to help raise $1 million for the Regis Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. Click here for more information.
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 Bed Bath & Beyond 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. YSC, which is based in New York City, lists Oakley, Nutra Nail, Liv/giant bikes, Ford and Urban Outfitters as some of its partners.
The amount of money donated to the nonprofit is also key, Glazer said. With YSC's partnership with Oakley, for instance, $20 from each pair of sunglasses goes right to the nonprofit, which offers resources, connections and outreach to young women with breast cancer.
And 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. Apple Valley's Barnes & Noble location is at 14880 Florence Trail.
• 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 5 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 non-profit a call. Representatives are usually happy to verify whether a company is really giving.
"I've actually gotten Google alerts and seen people say they are partnering with us and they aren't," Glazer said, adding that she follows up on those alerts and asks for a check from the retailer that made the claim. Sometimes, she said, retailers were unaware that they needed a contract with YSC and will send along the check happily.
But in some cases, she said, "I never hear back from them."
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