October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Celebrate this event by promoting awareness and breast-health education in your organization, community, or both! By combining effective planning with creative activities, you can supply memorable—even lifesaving—knowledge and tools about this disease.

Spread The Message

Show your concern for the health of your employees, clients, and community. Provide informative and fun awareness opportunities throughout the month.

• Decorate key communal areas with a breast cancer awareness banner.
• Hand out stylish swag bags for your patients, staff, event attendees, or congregation. Fill pink gift bags or reusable totes with educational tools and pink-wrapped buttermints, and a gift such as a water bottle, hand sanitizer, or candle with inspiring messages.
• Hold a “You Deserve a Hand” luncheon or tea for the hardworking women who juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. Arrange for free manicure stations and manicure sets and emery boards as take-away gifts. Invite a health professional to speak about healthy habits that help reduce breast cancer risk.
• Email a daily question about breast health to all employees and enter those who submit correct answers into a daily raffle for useful workplace stationery items that bear messages of awareness and hope.
• Organize a breast cancer awareness treasure hunt. Strategically “hide” breast cancer awareness hats, silicone bracelets, and key tags throughout your facility. Ask employees (and visitors and clients, too!) to report their found treasure to an assigned coordinator through text message or photo. Have the coordinator send out company-wide updates through tweets, emails, text messages, or your company’s social media accounts.

Empower Employees

Help your staffers become breast-health ambassadors.

• Replace current pens and sticky pads with those bearing awareness messages.
• Hold fun brainstorming workshops in all departments of your organization. Have staff members team up to think of creative ways they can promote awareness throughout your organization. Implement winning ideas and award participants.
• To promote stress management and general wellness, offer a “spa-tacular” afternoon of pampering. Hire a massage professional to provide five-minute massages for anyone interested, and offer spa essentials such as lotion, lip balm, candles, and more to everyone, including the men!
• Have a lunch and learn for all staff. Order pizza and present the latest info on breast cancer early detection and prevention. Men can share the information with the women in their lives.

Pink It Up!

Pink is the official color for breast cancer awareness. This October, create an environment that celebrates it!

• Decorate indoors and out with pink-hued flowers, Indian corn tied with pink ribbon, and autumnal pumpkins and gourds that have been painted pink or carved with breast cancer awareness messages and symbols.
• Provide pink breast cancer awareness T-shirts and designate “wear pink to work” days. Consider providing discounts or gifts for clients who wear pink throughout the month.
• Hold a staff “Pink”-nic with pink food and drink. Raffle off breast cancer awareness socks and tumblers.
• Decorate hall doors in pink butcher paper and have students or staff decorate the doors with pink ribbons and messages of hope. Hold a contest and award prizes for best door!
• Have a “Best Dressed In Pink” contest during the month. Encourage participants of every gender to go all out in pink attire from head to toe. Vote on the best dressed, and award the top three with prizes such as drinkware or belt bags. Post photos of the winners on social media.

Help Out With A Health Fair

Any level of participation in a health fair—from full sponsorship to simpler means of support—shows that your organization cares about its community and wants to join in advancing breast cancer awareness.

• Sponsor a mobile mammogram unit where women can take advantage of on-the-spot screenings. Give each participant a takeaway gift, such as an awareness lapel pin.
• Add your organization’s name to imprintable items such as monthly planners.
• Donate free services or goods as prizes.
• Attach small breast cancer educational materials to your business cards or brochures.

October provides many opportunities for breast cancer awareness outreach. By combining fun and education, you can engage your customers, students, patients, clients, staff, and community members. Together you can help instill positive habits, spread awareness, advance prevention, and unite in the fight for a cure.