Bucketfuls of Blessings

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and KFC.

When my Mom died in July 2007, I had a choice to make. I could roll over and play dead, or I could get in gear and make a difference.

I chose the latter. I chose to keep walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™. I chose to do everything in my power to help find a cure for breast cancer. Before I have a mammogram that comes back as "suspicious." Before my precious daughters are old enough to know what a mammogram is.

This Spring, I've had the opportunity to interact with an entire community of women who want to do just that -- they want to make a difference.

We are all bound by a common thread -- breast cancer. We've lost mothers, daughters, sisters and grandmothers. We've loved on the same as they went through treatment. And we are working toward a CURE, so that others won't have to live in fear of this disease.

The vast majority of us have never met -- but we are bound by that common thread. And even though we're scattered across much of the United States -- and several other countries -- we've used that common bond and the talents God has given us to do something remarkable. We're making pink quilts to raise funds for the 3-Day. To date, we've made 34 pink quilts.

As we share our talents and our stories, we can't help but talk about how our lives have been touched by breast cancer. Kathy is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Mindi lost her friend and mentor, Staci McAuley. Cissa lost her cousin Kathy. Rhonda is currently fighting this disease. Dolores' mother and mother-in-law are both survivors. Marsha nursed her sister Elva through treatment. Denna's quilt is dedicated to her Mom. The list goes on and on....

But you know what? It's a list of women who not only realize the need to find a CURE -- soon. It's a list of women who have hope and faith that will happen. Breast cancer has touched their lives, but it hasn't knocked them down.

Did you know that one in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime? Or that breast cancer is the leading cause of death among U.S. women ages 40-59? With statistics like those, even if breast cancer hasn't touched your life yet, chances are it will.

Finding a Cure won't come cheap. Our 3-Day team, Team Tiara, has raised $300,000 in the last four years -- and we're shooting for the $500,000 mark this year. What we've contributed is just a drop in the bucket, though. To date, Komen has invested nearly $1.5 billion in breast cancer research and community programs.

In 2009 alone, Komen made grants to more than 1,900 community organizations totaling more than $93 million. Those grants allowed more than 260,000 women to receive a potentially life-saving mammogram. Komen is making a difference.

And guess what? KFC is Joining the Cause with their Buckets for the Cure™ program. You'll find these special pink buckets at participating KFC restaurants throughout the U.S.

You know what's really cool?? The KFC Pink Buckets will feature the names of breast cancer survivors and those who have died. For every Pink Bucket, KFC makes a 50 cent contribution to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The Pink buckets will be available in KFC restaurants through May 23rd.

I'm thinking this is going to raise a bucketful of money for the CURE, aren't you??? KFC thinks so, too. Their goal is to "Join the Cause" and make THE SINGLE LARGEST DONATION EVER in the fight against breast cancer.

I love it when people want to make a difference. And you know what else? I love Comment Love! How do you make a difference in the lives of others???

(Hint: You'd better answer! BlogHer will donate $1 for every comment on the KFC/ Komen blog posts -- up to $1000 for the entire program! Don't pass up this opportunity to make a difference! So on that note: How DO you make a difference??)

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