October 2017

y Aaron Krause
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
Pickups for
Breast Cancer
Josh Barrock, left,
Kevin Consoli, Kevin
Varniel, and Wayne Hewitt.
Chances are, you have items you
no longer use. But you can put
them to great use by donating
them to a local organization – and help
find a cure for breast cancer in the
process.
Pickups for Breast Cancer is a Ft.
Lauderdale-area based service of the
Miami-based Florida Breast Cancer
Foundation, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to “ending breast cancer
through advocacy, education and
research,” according to its website
at floridabreastcancer.org.
People call Pickups for Breast Cancer to
schedule pickups of donations. Those
donating obtain a tax write-off since the
Florida Breast Cancer Foundation is a
nonprofit organization.
One hundred percent of
the proceeds from the
sale of donated items
goes to the Florida Breast
Cancer Foundation. The
FBCF has allocated more
than $5 million in research
and grants, presented to
organizations such as The
University of Miami and The
University of Central Florida.
“It’s very rewarding
to be contributing
to groundbreaking
research at the
grassroots level,” said
Michael Arena, director
of merchandise for Pickups for
Breast Cancer.
He said the service uses thirteen 20-foot
trucks to haul household items and three
26-foot trucks for furniture.
Pickups for Breast Cancer, which is
staffed by nine office workers, receives
400 calls a day. Sixteen truck drivers
stand ready to pick up items free
of charge. Arena said the service
coordinates about 300 pickups a day.
Each day, there are more than a dozen
truckloads of merchandise from local
areas, including Parkland.
Addys Guerra, digital marketing specialist
for Pickups for Breast Cancer, said the
busiest time of year for donations is
around the holiday season. October is
also a busy time, since Breast Cancer
Awareness Month falls during that time.
The times before a school year begins
and ends are also busy.
“We want to work on getting
donations year-round,” Guerra
said. “Obviously every day is an
opportunity. Every day counts.”
Guerra said she got involved with the
service because she knew she wanted
to work in the nonprofit field and “this is a
great cause.”
Arena said he got involved because
“science and research were very near
and dear to my heart.” He added that
he’s lost many family members to cancer.
According to the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, breast
cancer is the second-highest cause of
death among white, black, Asian/Pacific
Islander, and American Indian/Alaska
Native women.
In 2014, the most recent year for which
numbers are available, 236,968 women
and 2,141 men in the U.S. received
a breast cancer diagnosis. More than
41,000 women and 465 men in the
U.S. died from breast cancer that
year. “Breast cancer in men is a rare
disease,” according to information posted
on breastcancer.org. “Less than
1 percent of all breast cancers occur
in men.”
Still, “it’s important to understand the
risk factors for male breast cancer –
particularly because men are not routinely
screened for the disease and don’t
think about the possibility that they’ll
get it,” according to the website. “As a
result, breast cancer tends to be more
advanced in men than in women when it
is first detected.”
More information on the topic is available
at breastcancer.org/symptoms.types/-
male_bc/risk. P
For more information about the
Florida Breast Cancer Foundation,
visit floridabreast.org.
If you wish to donate items
and arrange for pick-up, log
onto pickupsforbreastcancer.org.
You can also call 954-962-5038 or
toll-free 1-888-492-4483.
the PARKLANDER 29