up to know good - donating to the fight against cancer

I have to admit, today is a tough day for me. A good family friend is in surgery right now, with the hopes that a rare form of melanoma can be almost completely removed from his back. It's hard not to reflect back on my family's many struggles with cancer - I lost 2 great aunts to the disease, and my husband lost his mother 3 years ago. It is days like today that I wish I could do more to help families struggling with a cancer diagnosis.

So here are some simple ideas:

• Coinstar will allow you to donate your spare change to several non-profit organizations, including The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
• Participate in a Race for the Cure in your area. To date, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has raised over 1 billion dollars for breast cancer research - all this has been accomplished in just over 25 years. Several years ago, I participated in a Race for the Cure, and many racers wear the name of a loved one that is currently fighting breast cancer, and unfortunately many wore the names of loved ones that lost their battle. I even saw the name of my 5th grade teacher - one of my favorites - as one of the women fighting her own battle against breast cancer (and I've since heard, a survivor). It's a moving experience.
  
• Interested in participating in a triathlon? Check out Team In Training to train for an event and raise money for cancer research.
  
• For any ebay addicts out there (I'm guilty!) click here to view auctions that donate a portion of their proceeds to the American Cancer Society.
  

These are just some ideas I could come up with right now - if any of you know other ways of helping with the fight against cancer, leave a comment.

Sorry for the somewhat somber sendoff to the weekend. On a lighter note, I offered my photography services to Project Night Night, and it looks like I'm in charge of presenting several totes to homeless children in my area - I'll be sure to write about the experience and (possibly) post some pictures. I'm very excited to get involved! I'm also really really REALLY hoping this June gloom will burn off asap - I have a photo shoot with Kate & Luke this afternoon and it would be nice to see the sun today...

Have a great weekend everyone!