October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The National Cancer Institute, estimates that in the United States in 2009, we will see 192,37o women and 1,910 men diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,170 women and 440 men die from the disease. The many faces of breast cancer include celebrities like Melissa Ethridge, Olivia Newton John, Nancy Reagan, Sheryl Crow and Christina Applegate. When asked, most people will know a friend, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother or wife dealing with the disease.

In honor of these women and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve chosen The RITA Foundation as our GreenApples Charity of the Month for October 2009. RITA is a Jacksonville-based, volunteer-run, non-profit organization on a mission to raise awareness and money to help in the fight against all cancers, with emphasis on breast cancer. These may include clinical research, basic research, education, awareness, and patient related breast cancer programs.

While the name RITA is an acronym for “Research Is The Answer”, Foundation Chairman & President Charles Jantz shared with me that the first time he suggested this name to the women of Deercreek Country Club when organizing their first charity tennis tournament, one woman began crying because she’d had a sister named Rita who had passed away from breast cancer.

The Foundation generates revenue through special fund raising events, donates all net proceeds as unrestricted grants, operates with no salary or overhead expenses, and donates all funds to programs in the greater Jacksonville area.

Donate $1 with your purchase today to support the RITA Foundation!

DRINK GIVE. DO GOOD.
Also, every time you purchase a PINK bottle of GIVE water, the company will donate 10 cents to RITA on behalf of Native Sun and its customers. This program will extend past October, as long as we carry the product!