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 Aspirations
October is Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
by Jeanette Shanigan
As I'm sure you are all aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a reminder to focus our energies on eradicating this deadly disease, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among American women. Here’s a link to an interesting blog from the New York Times that discusses some of the issues surrounding breast cancer: well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/01/despite-awareness-campaigns-breast-cancer-myths-linger
Those of us with a passion for beads can support raising funds for breast cancer research through Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer. This organization was the brain-child of Dona Anderson, whose own life has been too affected by cancer, but she turned to the folks at Bead&Button  magazine to help bring the idea to fruition: www.beadandbuttonshow.com/bnbshow/default.aspx?c=ps&id=32 Along the way Tonette Pillitteri of Bead Babe offered to help and the auctions for this worthy cause were begun: www.beadbabe.com/index.asp?where=auction
Patch created by Shawna Groh, Michigan
For the fourth time I am organizing a beaded quilt project that will be donated to the BBBBC auction at the Bead&Button Show in June 2008. Last year around $5,600 was raised through this particular project for breast cancer research. With your help and support, we can repeat that success and use our passion for beads to make a difference. Please help by submitting a square. The theme this year is the rose, so each square must have the rose motif on it somewhere. Additional guidelines and pattern suggestions can be found here: shanigansbeadshenanigans.com
My heartfelt thanks to the folks who have already submitted squares. You can see the squares received to date here:  shanigansbeadshenanigans.com/BCQuilt.html There is also a timely free pattern on this page for brick-stitch earrings that feature a pink ribbon.
If the cause is not motivating enough, perhaps this bit of information is. Research suggests that giving to worthy causes triggers the same “feel good” receptors in our brains as sex and food! Check out these links:
www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8023307
health.msn.com/centers/depression/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100167285
Please take a couple of hours of your beady time to make and contribute a rose square to this project for Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer. And don’t forget the regular self-exams and mammograms!
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