One month ago, I received a call from my cousin who left a message as, “give me a call when you get this message”. You know that call, in that tone, for certain it is not going to be good news. When we finally connected, he said the words “Karen has breast cancer”(my other cousin).

A disease that has killed not only her mother but also grandmother before the age of 45, it was undoubtedly alarming to hear. With a good report from pathology showing stage I, she thankfully is doing ok after having surgery. Chemotherapy will be the next step. It is surely clear to me that after over 30 years from her mother’s death, we need to “Run Breast Cancer Out of Town”, the subtitle to the September 13th Susan G Komen NYC Race for the Cure 5k.

Komen for the Cure as well as many non-for-profit charities can be found on Twitter, helping organizations gain not only substantial donations but also raising awareness and supporting the community. Ashton Kutchner’s victory over CNN battling to reach 1 million followers, lead to his high profile donation of 10,000 mosquito nets to help prevent malaria deaths in Africa. Hugh Jackman’s “tell me in 140 characters or less why I should donate to your charity of choice” told the world that “Charity Water” helps bring clean water to developing countries and “Operation of Hope”, provides surgical procedures to children in developing countries with facial deformities. He couldn’t decide on one in particular, so he split the 100k donation giving to both charities.

As the “Summer for Social Good” comes to an end, I share with you my story as well as a list of other charities that I support. What charities are you supporting and why? Please feel free to add to the list in the comment section, help spread the word and help your community.

Livestrong (Lance Armstrong Foundation for Cancer)
@livestrong
Proud of their strong and engaged community, the twitter account lets you know of latest blogs, twitpics from events and offers support messages from the enormous community. They will certainly retweet your message like this one from this Sunday Morning:

RT @lorenarojas just landed 4 the @livestrong Cancer Summit! Watch out Cancer this week you get weaker!

You can even get your Livestrong Band to wrap around your avatar to show your support.

Komen for the Cure:
@komenforthecure
The global leader dedicated to fighting breast cancer. Join me/support me Running Breast Cancer Out of Town

Thanks to Lululemon Athletica for their support in supplying me with athletic wear for the Race for the Cure 5k

Operation Smile:
@operationsmile
I learned about Operation Smile at a Pre-Conference Reception for the May 2009 TWTRCON conference. The organization helps children who have cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities and has a presence in 51 countries. Twitter updates include event listings, blog postings and general news about the organization.

Summer for Social Good by Mashable:
@socialgood
Four Critical Causes, Four Charities, One World
Tickets are still available for this Friday’s Social Good Conference in NYC, I will be there. If you cannot attend, they are also accepting donations. The fund supports Livestrong, Oxfam America (supporting the hungry in America), The Humane Society and WWF(raising global awareness to ensure a sustainable future on earth). Tweet to support! More details here.

Soles 4 Souls:
@soles4souls
After putting in way too many miles from training and running the NYC ½ Marathon, I went to my favorite local store “Runners Edge” in Farmingdale NY to buy a new pair of sneaks. Right there by the new sneakers was a box to donate your “soles for souls”, giving to those who desperately need footwear. Donation sites and events are listed here on their website.

Russell Refuge:
Fan on Facebook
Lastly a quick mention to Russell Refuge and their social media efforts. I adopted my sweet Jakey from this organization a couple of months ago. Russell Refuge accepts Jack Russells when they have no where else to go and helps place them in proper loving homes. Although they do not have a Twitter account as of yet, they have a fan page on Facebook.