JOIN THE BATTLE AGAINST CANCER ON NATIONAL COFFEE DAY

Countless families have lost loved ones to cancer.  On National Coffee Day (Friday, September 29, 2017) the simple routine of purchasing a daily cup of coffee can contribute to assisting those battling this terrible disease.  Caribou Coffee is donating 10% of purchases up to $250,000 on National Coffee Day, as well as throughout the entire month of October, to CancerCare®, a nonprofit organization that provides support, education and financial assistance to those affected by cancer.

Caribou Coffee understands the struggles and heartache of cancer having lost an important member of its corporate team to the disease.  Caribou's original Roastmaster Amy Erickson who originally established the coffee shop's standards and practices that are still used by its employees.  For the last 22 years to honor Amy's memory, Caribou has been selling Amy's Blend Light and Dark Roasts and a variety of other Amy's Collection merchandise to help raise money to help people fight cancer. 10% from the sale of Amy's Collection items are also donated to CancerCare throughout the year.

Founded in 1992, Caribou Coffee is the second largest company-operated premium coffeehouse in the United States with more than 258 company-owned stores and 62 Coffee & Bagels stores in partnership with Einstein Bros. Bagels, 133 domestic license locations in 19 states and 280 international franchise stores in 12 countries. Caribou Coffee provides high quality, handcrafted beverages and food options to fuel life's adventures, both big and small. Known for a commitment to sustainability, the Company was the first major U.S. coffeehouse to serve 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified™ coffees and espresso. Caribou Coffee products can also be found in grocery stores, mass retailers, club stores, foodservice providers, hotels, entertainment venues and online. To learn more about Caribou Coffee, visit CaribouCoffee.com.

Major League Baseball Customized Fathers Day Uniforms Support Prostate Cancer Awareness & Research

I had to take a second glance and ask the other people in the room with me if there was something wrong with the TV while watching the Detroit Tigers game on Fathers Day as the team's uniforms seemed different.  In fact, they were.  For the first time ever, Major League Baseball (MLB) was having their teams wear customized uniforms and caps for Fathers Day with a "baby blue" theme to them.  While I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the uniforms that sport the Old English D and appreciate keeping a classic look to the outfits, in my opinion these Fathers Day uniforms were very sharp!

For the last several years, MLB has had its teams don pink uniforms on Mothers Day to show support for breast cancer survivors and promote awareness on the topic.  The reproductions of these official pink Mothers Day uniforms and caps that were made available for purchase to fans have had their MLB licensing royalties donated to the non-profits Susan G. Komen and Stand Up to Cancer.  This year the initiative was expanded to include Fathers Day.

The focus of the Fathers Day MLB promotion was to raise awareness, and some money, for prostate cancer prevention.  According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime with 1 in 39 men dying from the disease.  Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths for men residing within the United States behind only lung cancer.  Fortunately, if discovered early and treated many men can survive prostate cancer.  CLICK HERE to learn more about prostate cancer from the American Cancer Society.

As with the Mothers Day specialty uniforms, these unique Fathers Day ones will have their MLB licensing royalties donated to charity as well go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Stand Up to Cancer.  If you like these replica jerseys and caps don't wait to long to grab one as they are meant to be collectible items produced in limited supplies.  I'm not a fan of the flat brimmed snapback caps that seem to be all the rage lately so I'm glad New Era also produced a more traditional Fathers Day version of the ball cap for dads like me who appreciate the vintage look.

Check out all of the Fathers Day looks that were worn around Major League Baseball by all the teams for their June 19th games:




Major League Baseball teams will also be wearing special patriotic themed uniforms on the Fourth of July.  MLB's licensing royalties from these replica Fourth of July caps and jerseys will be donated to the the veterans' support charity Welcome Back Veterans.

So what to think of these special themed uniforms for sporting teams? Love them, hate them or just don't care? 

PSA by Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds encourages people to "touch themselves" on Valentine's Day

Deadpool the movie about a wise-cracking, foul mouthed mercenary with a love for chimichangas from the Marvel comic book universe who has mutant powers that provide him with accelerated healing through enhanced cell regeneration so that he is never permanently injured, but which also has the side-effect of causing him to suffer from psychosis and mental instability, arrives in theaters across the United States on February 12, 2016.  While not as well known with mainstream audiences as  pop cult icons such as the Avengers and Spider Man, Deadpool has become one of Marvel's most popular characters with teen and adult comic book readers.  An interesting aspect of the comic book, which is also being incorporated into the film by Ryan Reynolds who is portraying Deadpool, is that the character has an awareness that he is a fictional character, breaking the so-called fourth wall of media, and often communicates directly to audiences with humorous quips that have bestowed upon him the nickname "the merc with a mouth."  While this film will most likely be an action-packed, joke-filled adventure that will appeal to Deadpool's comic book fans due to obscene behavior, sexual content, and violence this is not a movie to take children to go see.  I let my son sit on the movie's promotional display for a picture but that is as close as he is going to get to Deadpool.  That being said as a big comic book fan, I'll probably be picking up the movie when it is out on DVD to watch myself after the kids have gone to bed one night.

To promote Valentine's Day weekend debut of the movie, Ryan Reynolds has released a true-to-character PSA filled with Deadpoolish smart ass bravado and sexual innuendo encouraging men to "touch themselves."  Actually though there is an important message here (actually complete with diagrams)  as Reynold's promotes awareness of testicular cancer, which primarily impacts the young men who are the key audience for the film, and urging us guys to do self exams because early identification is crucial for treatment.  So whether or not you plan on seeing this movie, this Deadpool video does have some important details making it really worth a view for boys and men between the ages of 15 and 35 years old.



Of course not all comic book fans are men, and Deadpool didn't want to leave out the lovely ladies this Valentine's Day.  So here's a PSA on breast cancer from Deadpool (complete with charts and graphs) on how to do a self exam because early diagnosis can greatly improve a person's chances in combating the disease:



While Deadpool may be a bit silly, he is addressing a very serious topic. So go ahead and touch yourself this Valentine's Day! Your doctor would want you to do it, your family would want it ...and Deadpool would want it too!

R2-KT Bunny Ears Patch Supports Easter Seals

My daughter likes to add buttons, charms and patches to her backpack throughout the school year to personalize and make it her own unique thing.  One of the neat things we've discovered to add to it are Star Wars inspired patches of a little pink droid called R2-KT that come out around holidays and special events meant to keep a little girl's memory alive and support various charities.  The most recent patch features artwork by Dave Lieu illustrating R2-KT wearing bunny ears and all proceeds  support Easter Seals.  Each patch is $7.00 and includes free shipping.  You can order patches and pay for them via paypal to r2kt@r2kt.com

There is a special story behind R2-KT.  In 2005 a little girl named Katie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Katie loved Star Wars (like her father Ablin - the founder of the 501st Legion Star Wars fan club) and loved the color pink. When her health declined to the point she couldn't get out of bed, she said she wished she had a droid to watch over her like R2-D2 watched over a sleeping Padme in the Star Wars movie Attack of the Clones.  Word of Katie's illness spread throughout the Star Wars fan community and another club of fans that makes authentic recreations of droids from the Star Wars movies called The R2 Builders knew this was a job for them, and in mere months they constructed a custom R2 unit all painted in pink and dubbed it  R2-KT. It rolled, it blinked, it even talked: Katie had a droid to watch over her! And she kept KT by her bedside through her final days.  Katie passed away peacefully in her sleep on August 9, 2005.

Katie's legacy lives on in her pink companion. R2-KT now tours the world, spreading the joy to Star Wars fans and a message of hope for kids who suffer childhood illnesses. R2-KT attends fan conventions, visits sick children in hospitals, appears in parades, inspires young girls that Star Wars has a place for them, and helps raise funds for a wide range of charities. In 2007 Hasbro produced an R2-KT action figure, which raised $100,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2008 Dave Filoni of Lucasfilm featured the droid in a cameo role in the Clone Wars animated feature film, making her a canon member of the Star Wars universe! In 2013 KT appeared in the Star Wars Weekends parade in Disney World, then traveled to be a guest of honor at Celebration Europe II in Germany. R2-KT has become a symbol of everything Star Wars fandom has come to represent: spreading the magic of hope.

 For more information about R2-KT visit  www.r2kt.com