What does your brand or organization have in the pipeline to celebrate breast cancer awareness month this October? Breast cancer is a serious topic--it hits males and females, young and old--but an awareness event doesn't need to be all stiff, somber, and sentimental. Here are three ways to make Breast Cancer Awareness month more fun for everyone: Host a cookoff. One of the more enjoyable breast cancer events I attended organized a cookoff pitting journalists against breast cancer survivors. Unlike the usual seminar-type event, this one was fun because we got our hands dirty in the kitchen. At the end of the day, we left with these pink promotional aprons and some knowledge on how to cook healthy meals to minimize the risk of cancer. Organize a fun run to raise community awareness. Send participants home with personalized pink T-shirts to thank participants for their support. This one was an edgy but effective way to bring the message across. Do a fund-raiser. Help your local cancer group raise funds by selling homemade pink cupcakes or customized pink totes. Find more cancer awareness items here.

By April next year, tobacco companies will not be able to add their logo to sporting, athletic, or entertainment events or on custom T-shirts and other apparel and other promotional items. With the bill that President Obama signed recently, granting the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco, cigarette companies will be seeing a lot of changes. Aside from being banned from adding logos to promotional items (similar to what happened to the health industry early this year), tobacco companies will have to pull out flavored cigarettes off the market. In addition, manufacturers and importers will have to disclose the ingredients in their products. It's been a longstanding battle between legislators and tobacco companies, one that many probably thought they won't see the end of. Obama, who has publicly disclosed his struggles to quit smoking, hopes this new bill will reduce the 1,000 teenagers who become smokers every day. If your organization is looking into promotional items to help you in your anti-smoking campaign, this box of custom Australian chewing sticks is a good encouragement. Infused with Australian tea-tree oil, peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, fennel, and menthol, these promotional chewing sticks freshen breath and leave a long-lasting flavor in the mouth that promises to ...

I've always loved reading, but I am ashamed to admit that while I read everything and anything when I have the time, I didn't know until today that May is Get Caught Reading Month and that this book-loving celebration is actually on its tenth year! I also found out that the National Basketball Association has teamed up with Get Caught Reading to bring this activity to new heights by distributing posters of NBA and WNBA players caught doing their favorite deed: reading. As I come from a family that treasures reading (my parents are educators and my dad's a writer), I feel sad knowing that fewer people are reading these days. GCR's program this year is to emphasize that reading brings you to greater heights. The greatest achievers in history were big readers. Now I wish I'd known about this event earlier, or I would have suggested the following promotional items for GCR, libraries, and bookstores to encourage people to buy more books and to read more: Booklights ($1.69) are great giveaways for book clubs and bookstores to people who can't get enough of reading. To encourage sales, these booklights can be used as a reward for a minimum purchase. These brass bookmarks with tassel ...

Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation is proof that small donations matter as much as big ones. When these little contributions are put together, they add up to a big amount. Pooled together, they can make a difference. "The biggest single component of [the more than $300 million raised] was from the sale of the yellow wrist bands, which was $60 or 70 million . . . But all of that was people spending one dollar for a yellow wrist band," Lance says in this interview with Australia-based blogger Karen Cheng. Can you imagine how a $1 wrist band can make a difference? Similarly, if you are raising funds, whether it is for a new church, an additional wing for the school, or for someone struggling with an illness, make room for small donors. Some people may not have so much, but they would like to give anyway. So if you're holding, say, a $500-a-plate fund-raising dinner, why not sell affordable fund-raising merchandise as well? Looking for promotional awareness items? Find some here. Get subscriber-only discounts on promotional items when you sign up with the Branders newsletter.

While you're still in the mood for New Year's resolutions, here are five things you can do to contribute to something big. Remember that the power of millions can be strong enough to bring change and move things forward. 1. Plant a tree. It's one of the easiest way you can do to combat global warming. If your company still doesn't have anything planned for your corporate social responsibility program, why not hold a tree-planting activity? Have an inspirational message imprinted on a polo shirt. 2. Help support the fight against breast cancer. Hold a fund-raiser or devote an extra hour to do something good to someone who's fighting breast cancer. These little pink address books are perfect for fund-raisers. 3. Support the schooling of a child from the third world. Find a charity you trust and set aside a few dollars a month for tuition and other school expenses. Encourage others to save some money for their own sponsorship. This promotional piggy bank is a fitting memento. Whatever amount you give will help another child's future. As Anne Frank once wrote, "No one can ever become poor by giving." 4. Hold a cookfest for a good neighborhood cause. Does ...

Pink ribbons are probably a recent memory to you, as October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The pink ribbon has been used as an icon to symbolize the fight against this female disease, which is now the second leading cause of death in women. In the next two weeks, you'll be seeing a lot of red ribbons, because World AIDS Day is on December 1. Red ribbons are used in awareness campaigns for AIDS and drug prevention. These made me wonder about the history of ribbons and their use in promotional awareness programs. According to Wikipedia, one of the earliest meaningful appearances of the ribbon is that of the yellow ribbon, which was mentioned in a marching song (the song, "Round Her Neck She Wears a Yeller Ribbon," was copyrighted in 1917). It's amazing how powerful and meaningful a color is. White ribbons have been used to symbolize the fight for peace or violence against women, while purple ribbons stand for the fight against Alzheimer's disease (this November happens to be Alzheimer's Awareness Month). The fight for diabetes is symbolized by gray. If you're looking for promotional awareness items, you don't need to stick with ribbons. You can make use of a hundred other ...

Some 23 million Americans currently have diabetes, and it is predicted that one in three children will have diabetes. The disease is currently the fifth deadliest in the United States. People with diabetes are at risk for heart disease and stroke, blindness, kidney disease, sexual dysfunction, amputation, and nervous system damage. While no cure has been discovered yet, with proper diet, exercise, and medication, people with diabetes can lead normal lives. Whether or not you have someone close to you who has diabetes, you can help in the fight against the disease this November, National Diabetes Awareness Month: Raise funds to find a cure. Host a marathon or a walkathon and invite people to take part in it. Hand out giveaways such as promotional caps, shirts, sweatshirts and jackets, or sports bottles to those who join. Provide information about warning signs. One in four Americans does not know that she or he has diabetes. Your organization or company can give out pamphlets or flyers containing basic information about diabetes. Seek donations for those suffering from diabetes. Write a letter or call potential donors to seek donations. Here's a sample letter from the American Diabetes Association . Let people know simply by wearing promotional shirts, caps, or ...

Do you know anyone or are you caring for anybody in the family with Alzheimer's? Five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, a disease that destroys brain cells and causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. It is now the sixth leading cause of death in America. People with Alzheimer's go through serious memory loss and may forget where they live or where they are going. Simple tasks such as using the telephone may become difficult. Their ability to communicate may be hampered, as they forget certain words. Alzheimer's changes people's personalities. Some become fearful, suspicious, and confused. But the most painful part is that one day, they may not recognize loved ones or remember good memories anymore. As with breast cancer, there is still no known cure for Alzheimer's disease, but one does not need to go through Alzheimer's alone. Here are some things you can do for Alzheimer's Awareness Month this November: Write Congress. Our legislators need to be aware of Alzheimer's issues. Educate those who have family members with Alzheimer's on how to care for them, the legal issues that they may have to deal with, and health insurance services. Help children cope. Kids will find it difficult to understand why Grandpa suddenly ...

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer among women, and this year, Time magazine reports that 182,000 American women will be diagnosed with the disease. While the pharmaceuticals industry continues to search for The Cure and come up with improved technologies such as the Cone Beam CT, corporate entities and nonprofit organizations can do their share in spreading awareness for breast cancer. If your company is planning to raise awareness for breast cancer any time of the year, here are some key points you can emphasize in your campaigns: 1. Early detection can save lives. Your company can give out these promotional self-breast exam cards ($0.25) to encourage females to look out for any growth or changes on the breast. 2. Remind women over 40 years old to get a mammogram every year through eye-catching promotional awareness magnets (as low as $0.29). An X-ray screening exam, the mammogram catches diseases early and reduces breast cancer death rates by up to 30 percent, says the American Cancer Society. 3. Help fund research or provide financial aid to struggling women who are battling breast cancer. The custom pink little book (as low as $6.05) is a practical merchandise that you can sell in your ...

A friend I bumped into the other day was telling me about this breast cancer support group he runs and how it's been really inspirational and encouraging not just to the patients but to their families as well. Part of the group's activities this month and on to December is a marathon and a food-and-drink festival that will raise funds for those with breast cancer, and he asked me I knew of any good thank-you giveaways that his group can use. "I knew just the thing!" I said with delight, and I told him about this promotional little pink address book (5.75x 4.25 inches, 160 pages) that I discovered the other day, and how it just encapsulated the idea of support. If anybody needs a tip, some advice, just a shoulder to cry on, reach out for the little pink book and call the first name you see! I thought its elastic bookmark was cute and reminds me of the Moleskine. I like how the little black book that we know it has become something else, something more meaningful, don't you?