It's Genes Day! Thank You for Your Support. Read Below for Patricia's Account of her St. Jude Visit

Happy Genes Day everyone! Thanks to all of you who bought Genifique today or stopped by one of our counters for a sample. (Or maybe you plan to. It's still early on the West Coast!) I think we'll definitely be donating more than $100,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (We pledged a minimum donation of $100,000.) We'll let you know the exact amount as soon as we find out.



The Genes Day video above features a few of our spokespeople and the lovely Tory Kirby from Makeup.com. We had fun making the video with Sandy, Daria, Arlenis and Tory. It's not so easy reading off a cue card or walking across Fifth Avenue while talking, smiling and dodging taxis! We could have had a very funny bloopers video. I'm glad I was on the other side, with the camera crew.



As promised, here is the post from my colleague Patricia Reynoso about her visit to St. Jude the other week. We spoke on the phone after she returned and she said, "The first thing I did when I got home was hug my children." So thank you again to everyone who buyed, tried or helped us spread the word. xoxo



PATRICIA'S VISIT

A few weeks ago, during one of the rainiest days of the year, my colleagues and I were bound for Memphis, Tennessee, the home of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We had been discussing this legendary institution for weeks back at the Lancôme office, in preparation for our first-ever Genes Day, and I was excited to see it with my own eyes.



We landed safely in sunny Memphis and were greeted by our lovely host, Jeri Morrison of ALSAC, the fundraising arm for St. Jude. As we stood in the lobby of the main hospital building, I was awed by the sheer size of this sprawling, open space. Everywhere my eyes landed, I spotted child-centric touches. Colorful murals covered every wall and many of the desks were at child-level, so that kids don’t feel intimidated as they check in for the first time. Art, some created by the children and some donated by local artists, were displayed proudly. Even the cloud-shaped ceiling tiles offered a respite, allowing a child another moment of peace as they were wheeled on by.



My colleagues and I followed Jeri through the facility and each stop was more eye-opening than the last. I was expecting more of a hospital-like ambiance—even down to the smell—but instead it felt like an inviting community. The hallways were teeming with medical personnel and families. St. Jude believes that patients and their families should live as normally as possible while being treated, hence features like the school, chapel and the teen center. We were only allowed to peek into the patient areas but got the full tour of Target House, which certain families can call home for as long as four years. Jeri pointed out little, but important, details, such as the blue translator phones that ensure that every patient, of every nationality, can communicate with the medical staff in their language. That one detail made my heart skip. It made me think of my father, who passed from lung cancer years ago, and who would’ve loved the translator phone with a Spanish-speaking operator on the other end.



I had many other heart-skipping moments. With every child that I saw milling about, I thought of my twins, Brandon and Grace. Aside from a two-week stay in the intensive care unit when they were born, their father and I have been blessed with their perfect health. So far. And that’s what got me. That at any moment, life could take a twist and we could find ourselves at the receiving end of this amazing care.

How St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is Helping Children in the U.S. and Beyond

So tomorrow is Genes Day! If you haven't heard, the Lancome U.S. team is doing a big one-day fundraiser to benefit the research and treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. We've pledged to donate a minimum of $100,000 and we hope to raise a lot more than that. We're raising the money by donating $7 from the sale of every bottle of Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate sold tomorrow at our U.S. counters and on lancome-usa.com. The whole Lancome team is involved, from our spokesmodels to every beauty advisor at our counters. (I hope you've seen the YouTube videos with our spokesmodels announcing Genes Day.)



St. Jude is a well-known charity, but we did a Q&A with them so those of you not familiar with this amazing organization can learn more. In a nutshell, St. Jude provides free care for children with cancer and other catastrophic illnesses. The people of St. Jude are an incredible group with a very important mission. Two members of the St. Jude team were in New York yesterday and paid us a surprise visit. They even brought us cupcakes from Magnolia. (Perhaps they'd been reading The Lancome Blog and know what cupcake fanatics we are. But a big thank you. We needed the sugar rush! We're thrilled to be working with you.)



If you've ever had a child in your life with a serious illness, you know how meaningful a group like St. Jude is. For those of you outside the U.S., please read on to learn how St. Jude is even benefitting children who live beyond the borders of America.



If you have any questions about St. Jude, let me know and I'll get them answered.



Q&A

How was St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital founded?

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital owes its existence to a promise made by Danny Thomas. As a struggling entertainer in search of answers, Danny turned to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes. Danny prayed, “Show me my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.” That simple promise and his later success as a television star led Danny to found St. Jude, which opened in 1962.



What is your mission today?

Our mission is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder, Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.



How important is research to St. Jude?

As a research institution, St. Jude has a unique mission to generate the knowledge that will save the lives of children in communities everywhere who are stricken with these deadly diseases. The research and care pioneered by St. Jude is freely shared with doctors all over the world so that all children will have access to our groundbreaking research and lifesaving treatments.



How does a child become a St. Jude patient?

Parents wishing to have their child considered for treatment at St. Jude must have the child’s physician call the hospital at 1-866-2STJUDE (278-5833). Patients are accepted based on their eligibility to enroll in an open clinical research study. Our acceptance policy ensures that patients who meet our eligibility requirements will be accepted at St. Jude, regardless of race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.



How many children do you care for each year?

On average, 5,700 active patients visit the hospital each year, most of whom are treated on an outpatient basis.



How are Danny’s children involved with the St. Jude mission today?

Marlo Thomas proudly serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and hosts A Place of Hope, an hour-long television special that documents the lifesaving work of St. Jude. Marlo and her brother and sister, Terre Thomas and Tony Thomas, all serve on the ALSAC/St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors. Marlo, Terre and Tony attend events around the country to promote St. Jude with corporations, individual donors, organizations and other celebrities. In 2004, Marlo, Terre and Tony created Thanks and Giving, a national campaign that encourages holiday shoppers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.”



Can you describe the Memphis campus to us?

St. Jude is a welcoming place, a place where children can be children even as they struggle to get well. That’s why you’ll find bright, colorful murals throughout the hospital. And our waiting rooms are stocked with toys and arts and crafts materials. St. Jude has one cafeteria, Kay Kafe, where doctors and researchers dine alongside patient families as a reminder of the reason for their work. At St. Jude, 2.5 million square feet of space is dedicated to finding cures and saving children.



Has St. Jude expanded beyond Memphis?

Through the St. Jude Domestic Affiliate Program, St. Jude is able to extend care and benefits to more children, increase the number of children on St. Jude protocols and provide clinical, academic and financial support to our affiliates. Affiliate clinics are located in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana; Hunstville, Alabama; Johnson City, Tennessee.; Peoria, Illinois.; and Springfield, Missouri. In addition, through our International Outreach Program, St. Jude is able to export our expertise in treating childhood cancer and other deadly diseases to our partner sites in 15 countries.



We understand that you have had some incredible breakthroughs and success stories. Can you share some of these with us?

St. Jude is one of the world’s premier pediatric cancer research centers. St. Jude has developed protocols that have helped push survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent to 80 percent overall. St. Jude has achieved a 94 percent survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, up from a 4 percent survival rate when the hospital opened in 1962. And, it was St. Jude’s groundbreaking development in the treatment of ALL that has revolutionized leukemia therapy worldwide.



You are known for maintaining a level of normalcy for the children and their families? How do you achieve that and why?

At St. Jude, know that we aren’t just treating a disease; we’re treating a child. Most of our patients are treated as outpatients so that they can leave the hospital every night to spend time with their families. The financial stress of having a sick child can be overwhelming, but families never receive a bill from St. Jude. We also cover the cost of food, lodging and transportation to St. Jude. We offer family resources ranging from parent support groups to planned activities for families to arts and crafts for patients.



Where does the funding for St. Jude come from?

The operating cost of St. Jude is nearly $1.5 million a day, which is primarily covered by public contributions.



For our customers buying Génifique on Lancôme Genes Day, how will their $7 benefit St. Jude?

Funds raised by this program will support the groundbreaking research and world-class care that takes place at St. Jude every day.



Our average individual donation in 2010 is $30. An average course of radiotherapy treatment for brain tumor patients can cost up to $90,000 or more. Every dollar donated to St. Jude helps make a difference in the fight against childhood cancer.



Is there anything else that you would like the Lancôme family to know about St. Jude?

St. Jude is a national resource with a global impact. Not only are all research findings freely shared, but St. Jude plays a critical leadership role in groundbreaking studies on childhood cancer, sickle cell disease and infectious diseases. These efforts are instrumental to improving care for children around the world. We’ve treated children from all 50 states, and our doctors provide formal consultations to treating physicians free of charge. In that way, a donation to St. Jude benefits children in communities everywhere.

Who Can Tell Me About Foursquare? Also, More About Genes Day and Our First Video in Spanish!

As many of you know, the Lancome U.S. team is doing a big one-day fundraiser called Genes Day for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on this Friday. We'll be donating $7 from every bottle of Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate that we sell at any counter or on lancome.com. We've pledged to donate $100,000, but we'd like to raise much more!



As part of all the Genes Day activity, we're asking anyone of you on Foursquare to check-in this Friday when you stop at a Lancome counter. Are any of you on Foursquare? It's the one thing I don't do. I tweet, I text, I Facebook, I Flickr, I Skype (therefore I am, right?), but I don't Foursquare. If any of you can tell me why you like it and what it's all about, I'd be very appreciative. My goal is to master Foursquare by lunchtime tomorrow.



Also, we have another Genes Day video on Facebook. (Did you watch the one starring Tory from Makeup.com?) This video stars our fabulous spokesmodel Arlenis and is in Spanish with English subtitles! If TT, Marie, or any of our other Spanish-speaking friends are reading this, let us know what you think.



Check back tomorrow for more Genes Day news. We're very excited to be working with a charity as important as St. Jude. It reminds me how appreciate I should be about my own health, that of my five nephews, my godchildren and my friends' children.

Mark Your Calendars! We Need Your Help.

Did you hear that Lancome has a great one-day charity fundraiser in the works for Friday, Oct. 22nd. One week away! This is taking place in the U.S. only. (Sorry to our international friends.) It's called Genes Day and we're donating $7 from the sale of every bottle of Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.



We have a lot of Genes Day posts planned for next week. We'll be talking about St. Jude, the amazing charity that provides FREE care for children with cancer and other catastrophic illnesses. Patricia on the PR team (we call her PR) went to Memphis, Tennessee, last week to see first hand the good work that St. Jude does. She came straight home and hugged her beautiful twins (who turn 10 this weekend. Happy birthday, you two!) PR will be writing a first-person report for TLB. We'll also have a Q&A with the St. Jude team, information on how St. Jude was founded, what kind of work they do and more.



We'll of course be talking about the award-winning Genifique serum. I had no idea that Genifique has so many famous fans until I started working on this project, but I'll let you know who uses it and how.



A few Lancome friends will be doing special videos for us and we'll share those next week too. In the meantime, we have a video from our good friend Tory Kirby of Makeup.com. (Have you checked out Makeup.com lately? Make sure to do so if you haven't. Tory's a great writer and knows so much about the beauty biz and makeup artistry.) Take a look at her video above to learn more about Genes Day.



If you have questions, let me know. Mark Oct. 22nd on your calendars, in your computer, on your BlackBerry, wherever. We've promised St. Jude that we'll donate $100,000 from the one-day event! Help us double or triple that amount.



Have a great weekend.