Ever wonder where your money goes when you make a charitable cancer contribution? Well, here's the lowdown on how the Susan G. Komen Foundation spends their donated funds.

For 25 years, this world's largest and most progressive grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists has allocated 33 percent of all dollars for research and awards, and 29 percent for education. Fifteen percent of donations are spent on screening, eight percent on fundraising, and eight percent on administration. Finally, seven percent goes towards treatment.

Komen professionals say they are extremely careful about how they spend the dollars entrusted to their care. And that makes me happy.

The York Mints "Designer Series" tins are the ultimate fashion accessory. Celebrity designers Nicky Hilton and Nicole Miller created two fresh new York Mints designer tins exclusively to benefit the Young Survival Coalition (YSC). The intricately designed tins house the latest mint offering from York, featuring a soft mint center surrounded by a layer of dark chocolate and hard-candy shell.

Hilton's tin features a chic black and white design with a muted floral pattern, capturing the essence of her signature style. Miller's tin has a black and cream intricately designed palette following suit of her Spring 2007 collection.

Each tin features the designers' signature and will retail for $25 with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the YSC.

I guess I've just assumed that breast cancer organizations happily accept every donation they receive and joyfully funnel all charitable gifts into their noble endeavors. I mean, without money and research and programs and services and education, where would we be? We'd be uninformed and lagging behind the force of this disease instead of gaining momentum on its trail. That's where we'd be.

Now, I've never assumed these organizations accept money obtained through illegal measures. But I've also never assumed they'd turn away money just because it came from a group of women whose profession and means of fundraising might be considered unacceptable. I suppose I shouldn't make assumptions. Because I seem to be wrong on all accounts.

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada has officially rejected a donation from a group of Vancouver strippers because of the controversial nature of their fundraisers. Exotic Dancers For Cancer these women call themselves, and for four years they have been raising money in honor of another dancer who lost her battle with terminal cancer.

Trina Ricketts, founder of the exotic dancer website nakedtruth.ca and recipient of the letter rejecting the donation, is shocked that people consider this contribution dirty money. And she is so bothered by this unfair judgment that she has been contacting the media and outting the Breast Cancer Society of Canada's discrimination practices. Her protests are working.

In a supportive turn of events, Ricketts has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response -- and she now has several organizations willing to accept all donations she wishes to offer.

This story is not nearly as simple as presented here. It's so much more detailed and touching and moving when told by Ricketts herself -- who happens to share her inspiring journey right here.

CORRECTION: Trina Ricketts reports that she did not seek out the media to out the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.

"The decision to go public was not in the interests of outing the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, but rather to seek out charities that would be willing to accept our donations," she said.

Angelina Jolie, who told CNN host Larry King on December 18 that her 56-year-old mother was battling ovarian cancer, is now confirming that her mother passed away on Saturday afternoon.

According to a new release, Angelina Jolie and brother James Haven were with their mom, actress Marcheline Bertrand, when she died this weekend at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. It is reported that Jolie's boyfriend, Brad Pitt, was at the hospital with Jolie and her brother.

Bertrand, divorced from Jolie's Oscar-winning actor father Jon Voight and primary caretaker of her children, had small roles in the movies Lookin' to Get Out in 1982 and The Man Who Loved Women in 1983.

A private funeral is planned -- and the family asks that donations be made to the Women's Cancer Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai.

Yesterday afternoon, a Canadian hockey team with a roster of seven and eight-year-old boys sported pink socks, pink jerseys, and pink hockey sticks in an effort to raise money for Breast Cancer Action of Ottawa -- a group dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for those affected by breast cancer.

The color pink was a non-issue for the little boys asked to do their best to help others.

"I'm excited about playing in pink," said one eight-year-old decked out in the breast cancer color to support his aunt, who is currently battling the disease.

One hockey mom says it was surprisingly easy to convince the boys to wear pink uniforms.

"They told me that real men wear pink," she said.

And so pink is what they wore on this special day -- it was Hockey Day in Canada, when Canada's national game is celebrated throughout the country -- and raise funds is what they did. In fact, the team was overwhelmed by the amount of donations received and the special items given for use in a silent auction. A jersey signed by Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators, a jersey signed by Wayne Gretzky, and two tickets to a Senators hockey game top the list of generous offerings.

These little boys reached their goal -- they raised awareness, and they raised money. Yes, indeed, real men do wear pink.

Baltimore region's blood supply hit an annual low. Blood donations are typically slow in January but the need picks up with surgeries back on schedule after the holidays. Types O and B seem to be particularly low.

Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein called blood donation "a very thin red line that connects a lot of people in the community". He also stated that as a physician, it is a very horrible moment when you think that blood may not be available.

Blood can not be manufactured in a lab, it has to be given by people. Premature babies require blood donations in order to live, trauma victims need blood so they don't die, cancer victims require blood sometimes because of very toxic therapies, and that is only a few of the reasons blood is so desperately needed.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 800-GIVE-LIFE

Catherine Jones has breast cancer. And she needs Herceptin in order to fight for her life. But Herceptin, a targeted drug used to treat HER2 positive breast cancer, is very expensive -- and for some time, Jones was not sure how she could possibly pay for this potentially life-saving therapy.

Jones, 49 and a resident of New Plymouth, New Zealand, decided to ask for help. So she set up the Herceptin for Catherine Trust to raise the $80,000 needed for the treatment. In less than four weeks, she received $64,600 in donations.

Jones is overwhelmed by the support and says she will continue to use the trust to raise funds -- not just for herself, but for other women in need.

The New Zealand government and its drug-buying agency Pharmac does not fund Herceptin. So most breast cancer patients who medically qualify for the treatment have no means of receiving it.

Jones, who is about to receive her third of 17 Herceptin doses, thinks she can help. She is surely off to a great start.

The Komen Foundation welcomes Energizer as the newest National Series Sponsor of the Komen Race for the Cure. For 2007, Energizer will encourage Race participants to Keep Going with the Relax, Recharge, and Remain Strong Retreat - and together, achieve the goal of ending breast cancer.

For the past two years, Energizer has joined the fight against breast cancer through Power to Keep Going, a marketing initiative that donated $350,000 to the Komen Foundation.

For more information, please visit www.energizer.com

Bounty -- the Quilted Quicker Picker-Upper -- is celebrating its 40th birthday and in celebration of this milestone is giving $500,000 to charity.

Bounty's promotion of this charity give-away takes the form of Cards That Count, inspired by three charitable organizations -- the American Cancer Society, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. -- and created with Chandra Wilson of Grey's Anatomy who says she strives to teach her three children about the importance of giving back.

Wilson's children -- and all of us -- can give back by helping Bounty decide how to distribute their $500,000 birthday gift. Just send one of the Cards That Count, and Bounty will allocate donations based on the percentage of e-cards sent in support of each charity. Choose from birthday cards, all-occasion cards, or create your own specialized card -- and cast your vote for the charity of your choice by sending a card that really does count.

As Larry Stewart tells it, the story begins 26 years ago, when a week before Christmas he was fired from his job. It was the second year in a row he had been fired from a job the week before Christmas. As he sat in his car at a drive-in restaurant commiserating his untimely employment fate, he noticed the car hop was not wearing a warm coat as she worked in the elements of winter cold for nickels and dimes in tips. Although his recent unemployment status made his financial security uncertain, he decided to pay for his meal with a $20 dollar bill and told her to keep the change.

What happened next changed his life and the lives of countless others who would come to benefit from the generosity of a stranger. The car hop began to cry. She told Stewart he had no idea how much the extra money would help. Touched by her reaction, he went to the bank, withdrew $200 dollars, and then drove around looking for people who might need a few extra dollars.

Over the last 26 years, the cable television and long-distance telephone service businessman, who went on to earn millions after his rocky start in the working world, has given away over a million dollars. Anonymously. Stewart never wanted anyone to know his name or the name of his company. Until now.

Stewart has been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus that has spread to his liver. He thinks it is time to reveal the mysterious identity of the Secret Santa many in Missouri and elsewhere have wondered about for the last 26 years. Why? By speaking publicly about giving, he is hoping to inspire others to give. According to Stewart, "that's what we are here for -- to help other people out."

Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) -- a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life -- recently began offering a new resource for breast cancer survivors, for both the newly diagnosed and those with metastatic disease.

"The first few weeks after diagnosis can be extremely difficult emotionally, and women with advanced disease often do not get the support and resources they need," said Jean Sachs, LBBC executive director. "We want to give them an understanding of their choices to help them make informed decisions regarding their physical and emotional health."

This understanding comes in the form of a 28-page brochure -- What to expect . . . today, tomorrow and beyond: Steps for coping with the medical, emotional and practical concerns of breast cancer -- available free on the Internet or by request. This guide, a road map, addresses topics such as coping with the news of a new diagnosis, telling family and friends, understanding pathology reports, choosing a medical team, asking for help, and finding support.

LBBC offers multiple addidtional resources -- including specialized navigation tools on its website that lead to a wealth of information. Visitors can Learn More about LBBC. They can Stay Informed through news, message boards, and other resources. They can Participate in events and programs. And they can Support LBBC through volunteer efforts and financial donations.

LBBC was founded in 1991 by a radiation oncologist who focused exclusively on meeting the needs of women post-treatment. She ran the organization out of the third floor of her home using volunteers. Few resources existed for women affected by breast cancer at the time, and so she tried to fill the void. In 1986, an executive director came on board, increased the LBBC budget from $100,000 to $1.8 million per year, expanded all programs and services, and worked to secure LBBC as a solid, dependable resource for all women, of all stages of breast cancer and in all phases of treatment and recovery. And now, in 2006, that is exactly what it is.

Five Rivers Winery is partnering with distributors in more than a dozen states to raise funds to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For every bottle of wine sold during the month of October, one dollar will be donated to the foundation. Five Rivers produces Central Coast wines from California. The labels are adorned with whimsical goddess images.

The company feels that the imagery works well with the fundraising drive, which will be promoted as an effort to "Save a Goddess". Five Rivers says that any winery can support a good cause and provide attractive labels but they feel they also deserve attention for the quality of their wines. Priced around ten dollars, the wines of Five Rivers provide a lot of bang for their buck.

There is a lot of information that says alcohol can increase our risk of cancer, so providing a website that produces wine might seem a bit odd for the cancer blog. I am a breast cancer survivor and I happen to love wine. After my diagnoses I thought about giving it up..well, for a second or two maybe! Then I came to my senses. I don't know what caused my breast cancer at such a young age but I still want to enjoy life and enjoy wine.

These days more and more pink products show up on the market. At the website called think before you pink you can find an array of items, some listed here, that are being sold in 2006. You can find out where your donations are going. The website also gives tips on asking questions before purchasing pink merchandise you might think is going toward breast cancer organizations. Some companies might want to cash in on breast cancer awareness month and can fool customers into thinking the money is going for a good cause. Here are some products and the donations that are being made to breast cancer organizations.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) was founded in 1824 in Charleston. MUSC started a Blood and Marrow Transplant Program (BMT) in 1987 and has performed its 700th transplant for patients with benign and malignant hematological disorders.

MUSC continues its excellence after 80 years in education, research, and patient care. They have the only unrelated-donors program in the state and it is the only location in the state for pediatric cord blood transplants.

Those who wish to donate bone marrow, call 1-800-Marrow-2. Bone marrow donations save many lives. A match for a patient in need is so important. The better the match the better the patient has the chance of having a successful bone marrow transplant.

This past week saw the launch of a first-ever partnership between Ford and ABC's The View. As part of Ford's Warriors in Pink initiative -- a campaign to get women everywhere to join the battle against breast cancer -- the co-hosts of The View during the month of October will feature Warriors sharing their personal stories of support and commitment in the fight against breast cancer.

On September 12, The View's call out for Warriors began online at abc.com
(keyword: theview) where viewers are asked to submit stories about the breast cancer Warriors in their lives. Then each week in October -- Breast Cancer Awareness Month -- a different Warrior will be selected to appear on the show.

Also part of the show will be an audience give-away, featuring merchandise from Ford's Warrior collection. Beginning October 2, viewers will have the chance to purchase a limited edition The View/Warrior coffee mug -- the same mug The View co-hosts will sip from to remind audience members about the importance of breast cancer awareness and early detection. All proceeds will go directly to the Komen Foundation. And on October 29, co-host Rosie O'Donnell -- who lost her mother to breast cancer and is herself a Warrior -- will attend the Race for the Cure event in Princeton, New Jersey.

Ford's Warriors in Pink campaign raises funds for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation through the sale of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. One hundred percent of the net proceeds benefit the Komen Foundation. Over the past 12 years, Ford has contributed $87 million in gifts and donations to this life-saving venture.
Warriors in Pink merchandise is available not just during the month of October but year-round at www.fordcares.com.