What on earth has Rob Lowe got to do with breast cancer and jeans? Well, he is a part of an emerging trend of men (including actor Dustin Hoffman and designer Ralph Lauren) involved in raising money for breast cancer. This year, Lowe, star of the Emmy award winning television drama, The West Wing, was the first male spokesperson for the Lee Denim Day. This annual fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation raises money for the battle to eradicate breast cancer.
No longer deemed simply a woman's concern, men are aligning with their wives, sister or mothers in the battle to save the forty-one thousand women who die from the disease in each year. Lowe's life was touch by breast cancer when his grandmother contracted breast cancer, living 20 years with the disease. He credits his grandfather with being a wonderful support to her, saying, "Now, years later, I think every man should approach this disease with the same concern and dignity."
In several speaking engagements as Lee Denim Day spokesperson, Lowe asked men to be supportive of the women in their life and urge them to perform a monthly breast exam. This simple request could be the key to saving a loved one's life. He cited the fact that nearly 85 percent of women with breast cancer survive more than five years.
One hundred percent of the proceeds raised by this event goes to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Komen was taken by breast cancer at the early age of 36, and her dying wish was to help others with the disease to receive the necessary aid and information before it's too late. Her sister, Nancy Brinker, started the Foundation with the mission to increase people's awareness of the disease, fund research, sponsor treatment and promote screening.
The Lee Denim Day makes it easy for anyone in the work force to raise money for the Komen Foundation. Employees simply pay five dollars to wear denim to work on the designated Lee Denim Day. Each participating employee receives a pink ribbon pin, the universal symbol for breast cancer awareness, which acts as a sign of their empathy for those with the disease. The campaign has been a success: in 1999, nearly 17,000 companies and 1.5 million individuals participated to raise over $5.8 million dollars.
This year, in keeping with our mission to make a difference in people’s lives, OneWorldLive participated in the Lee Denim Day on October 6th, 2000 and raised nearly five hundred dollars!
If you missed the opportunity to become a part of Lee Denim Day, it's never too late to make a donation. Send your donations to:
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Lee National Denim Day
PO Box 650629
Dallas, TX 75265
