Bling My Bra EBay Breast Cancer Charity Auction Names Two Ambrassadors as Bidding Begins

Online, September 26, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Annual eBay breast cancer charity auction Bling My Bra has announced the addition of two Ambrassadors to the all-volunteer fundraiser, which features handcrafted one-of-a-kind themed art bras created by individuals, companies, and celebrities.

Janice Davis of Knox, Indiana, and Samantha Goolden Belcastro of Avalon Park in Orlando, Florida, are credited with greatly increasing the outreach of this year's event. The third annual Bling My Bra campaign launches this week on eBay at blingmybrastore.com and will continue through October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the global leader in breast cancer awareness and research, through eBay Giving Works.

Bling My Bra AmbrassadorJanice Davis lost her mother, several close friends, and a friend's daughter to breast cancer. When she heard about Bling My Bra from an acquaintance, she decided to get involved.

She began by holding a Bling My Bra workshop in August at the Knox, IN, Public Library. Seventeen women gathered to craft original art bras hand decorated with fabric and paint, sequins and feathers, faux pearls and beads, and even a Beanie Baby. More than three dozen bras were created during this initial event and more have since been completed, bringing the total to 41.

The uniquely blinged bras now adorn the front windows of a local boutique as contenders in the first Bling My Bra Contest, also organized by Davis. A local Ford dealership has donated the first prize of three nights and two days in a city of your choice, while Davis hopes to obtain donations of mammograms from the local hospital to award to the runners-up. The contest runs until October 29, after which the art bras will go up for bid on eBay. Davis also has designed a hot-pink T-shirt that says, "Ask Me About Bling My Bra."

"I'm sick of breast cancer," she said. "Every woman I know has been affected by it, either directly or indirectly. Bling My Bra gives us a way we can all come together to make a difference."

Ambrassador and eBayer Samantha Goolden Belcastro learned of Bling My Bra earlier this month when she spotted a flyer about the charity auction campaign during eBay: On Location in Orlando, FL., her hometown. She contacted members of the Board of Directors and and asked how she could contribute. Now she is hosting Bling My Bra parties in her community and also tapping her celebrity contacts in hopes of enlisting their support in creating, commissioning, or signing bras.

"I was really touched by breast cancer when my grandmother was diagnosed with it in 2005," she said. "Ever since then, I have wanted to help others and let them know there is hope. When I picked up the Bling My Bra brochure, I knew this was a way I could make a difference hands on."

Women working together to make a difference is exactly what eBay PowerSeller Beth Cherkowsky envisioned when she founded Bling My Bra in 2009. The first year's auctions netted nearly $3,000, while last year's sales brought in more than $6,000. This year's goal is $10,000.

Bidding for Bling My Bra 2011's eBay Giving Works charity auctions begins this week and continues through October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Interested bidders can find Bling My Bra's handcrafted original art bras on eBay at blingmybrastore.com or by searching ebay.com using keywords "bling my bra."

For more information on Bling My Bra,, including how to create and submit a bra, go to blingmybra.com. Find Bling My Bra on Facebook at facebook.com/blingmybra and on Twitter as @BlingMyBra, hash tag #blingmybra.