I recently had the honor of visiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which (if I’m being totally honest) I didn’t know much about beyond Jennifer Aniston appearing on commercials. I assumed that it was a children’s charity, and that’s great, but it doesn’t concern me.I couldn’t have been more wrong. St. Jude is not a charity, it is a trailblazing, cutting-edge research hospital that is literally curing children’s cancer (among other catastrophic diseases). If you have any children in your life (your own kids, nieces/nephews, neighbors, etc.) then the amazing work at St. Jude does concern you because if (heaven forbid) any kid you know is diagnosed with a disease, this is where you want him or her to go.The science, research and treatments going on at St. Jude are unparalleled. For instance, right now they are working on a genome project, which is mapping the genes of pediadtric tumors so they can better understand how tumors grow, and determine which children are more likely to relapse after treatment. With this knowledge they are able to personalize the treatment to each child, thus increasing his or her chance for success.
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Together with Lancôme, you can help support St. Jude’s amazing work.Mark your calendar for October 21, which is “Genes Day”—on this day, Lancôme will donate $7 from the sale of every bottle of Génefique Youth Activiating Concentrate to St. Jude.Génefique Youth Activiating Concentrate is an anti-aging powerhouse and the result of 10 years of research. The impressive claim is that skin has better tone, texture and luminosity in just seven days of using the product.Before you think that your $7 won’t make a difference, consider this: It takes $1.7 million per day to run St. Jude, and 75 percent of the funding comes from public donations. The average donation is just $30, meaning that every little bit truly does help.The money goes to more than just research. The people at St. Jude do everything in their power to make sure that the children, teens and their families have the most fun, comfortable experience while they are there.St. Jude provides gorgeous housing facilities for families, delicious, gourmet food, and fun activities every day of the week, often with celebrities like the Jonas brothers stopping by.One such activity is the yearly prom for teens who are missing their school prom because of their illnesses. It’s a splashy, fun event where they get dressed up and (thanks to Lancôme) the girls get their makeup professionally done. Talk about a mood booster!But here’s what will totally blow your mind: No family has to pay for any of this. No child is ever turned away, and the word “bill” never comes up. St. Jude even organizes and pays for travel expenses, even if the family is coming from China.QUIZ: How Healthy Do You Feel?That’s why they need your money! Because they are saving kids’ lives and making sure the families aren’t stressed about money or housing while they do it.If you’re not sure if you even want Génefique, stop by any Lancôme counter during the month of October and pick up a deluxe sample to try, and then if you end up liking it, head back or go online to buy the full size on Genes Day.If you don’t want to wait until October 21 to buy your bottle, Dillard’s is donating the $7 with every purchase from October 2 through October 23.Now get out there and save some kids!
