Blue is the new Pink

What did you do last month (October)? Did you participate in a walk/run to raise funds to fight breast cancer? Buy products adorned with pink ribbons that promised donations to the cause? Perhaps (like us) you remembered a family member or friend who lost her life to breast cancer, or maybe you are battling it yourself.

What are you doing this month (November)? While we were participating in a very good cause last month, almost 2,500 men died as a result of prostate cancer, and about 19,400 were newly diagnosed. Unfortunately, many of us don't talk about prostate cancer. It reminds me of the era as I was growing up -- not only was breast cancer never mentioned, it was also mostly taboo to even use the word "breast." We're still in that sort of "unmentionable" status when it comes to prostate cancer and the all-too-frequent side-effects of some of its treatments (incontinence and E.D. - erectile dysfunction). We might joke about these matters, but for the most part we don't really talk about them.

Charlie (a 5-year survivor of prostate cancer) and Diane are proud to be participating once again in Movember, a global fundraising campaign during November of each year to "change the face of men's health." The Movember Foundation supports organizations such as LIVESTRONG Foundation and the Prostate Cancer Foundation in working toward awareness and understanding of the health risks men face, providing treatment and care needed, and accelerate discoveries that lead to interception of lethal disease.

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Join the Wingers in battling prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health issues for men during November/Movember. Throughout the month, we will donate:

$5 per paperback sold through The Winger Bookstore

and

50¢ per e-book sold through Amazon.com

to Movember for sales of the following titles:

Two Shadows - the inspirational story of one man's triumph over adversity (memoir by Charlie Winger)
Faces (novel by Diane Winger)
Duplicity (novel by Diane Winger)
Rockfall (novel by Diane Winger)

We also welcome donations directly to Movember Foundation. Here's a link to our team's fundraising page:  http://mosista.co/WingerBooks

Thanks for your support!

P.S. As a reward for reading all the way to the end, be sure to use this special link for extra low prices on these 4 books:  http://wingerbookstore.com/Movember2014
Of course, our pledge to donate to Movember still applies!

The numbers are in...

Last month we pledged support to Big City Mountaineers, promising to donate 50¢ per ebook sold and $5.00 per paperback sold during the month. With the help of a big sale on several of our ebooks, we've tallied 147 ebook sales and 6 paperback sales from June, for a total pledge of $103.50.

We bumped that amount up a bit and donated $125.00. Here's what they say about what a donation to their organization can accomplish for a teenager in their program:

Your support will go directly to a life-changing experience for a BCM teen. 

A $10 gift covers the cost of a S'mores night under the stars for one team!

A $25 gift buys a map and a compass to help teens find their way to a new perspective!

A $35 gift equals a trip's worth of gas to get a van full of BCM teens to the expedition site!

A $50 gift provides fishing permits for an entire expedition group so they can catch a fish for the first time!

A $75 gift provides a bear canister so we can leave no trace on our expeditions and keep wild animals wild!

If you'd like to help this fine organization, you can donate here.

Help complete the Ouray Perimeter Trail

Make a donation, receive a free book

Book signing at the Ouray Visitor Center on
Saturday, July 19, 2014
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The most popular trail in the Ouray region is only 75 percent complete, but plans are underway to complete the unique loop route. Local authors Charlie and Diane Winger, volunteers with the Ouray Trail Group, hope to help the fundraising effort to make the finished trail a reality.

In 2006 the Ouray Trail Group began construction of a new trail that, when complete, will circle Ouray following cliff bands, scree slopes, and forested areas, but be accessible to hikers of nearly all ages and abilities. The finished trail will access four waterfalls, cross six drainages and offer unmatched perspectives of the surrounding mountains. The partially-completed loop trail attracted some 40,000 hikers last year, making it the most popular trail in the region.

Completing the next section of the trail will require constructing a bridge on the steep Oak Creek Canyon on Ouray's west side and will entail costs well beyond the non-profit group’s usual map and book sale receipts. As part of the effort to raise $50,000 to cover the costs of extending the trail, the Wingers are donating books as incentives for donations to the 501(c)(3) organization.

On Saturday, July 19, 2014, the Wingers will be on hand at the Ouray Visitor Center from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to autograph books. Visitors who donate $15 or more toward the Perimeter Trail project will receive a gift of one book of their choice by the authors. A donation of $40 or more qualifies the donor to receive a gift of any three books (mix or match the titles). All proceeds go to the Ouray Trail Group to be applied to this trail project.


The titles available are: Two Shadows – the inspirational story of one man’s triumph over adversity (memoir by Charlie Winger); Faces (novel by Diane Winger); Rockfall (novel by Diane Winger); and Duplicity (novel by Diane Winger). The novels are suspense/adventure stories set in Colorado and include outdoor activities such as rock climbing, hiking, and backcountry skiing; Charlie Winger’s memoir features over thirty-five years of his mountaineering adventures and his unlikely and remarkable early background. The Wingers are also co-authors of several outdoor recreational guidebooks.

“The Perimeter Trail is my personal favorite in the area. I’d love to see it completed and hope we can do our part to help make that happen,” Diane Winger explained. Charlie Winger, who spends countless volunteer hours each summer helping to preserve and maintain over 80 trails within the Ouray Trail Group’s area,  concurred. “We get so much enjoyment from the trails and our mountain environment. This is a way of giving back.”

Click here for more details about the Perimeter Trail project.

Adventurous Colorado Author Supports At-Risk Youth

Diane Winger donates to Big City Mountaineers

Diane Winger, author of three novels set in Colorado and featuring outdoor adventures such as rock climbing, hiking, and backcountry skiing, is donating part of the proceeds of book sales during the month of June, 2014 to Big City Mountaineers.

Big City Mountaineers takes under-served urban youth into the wilderness to learn skills that improve their lives through increased likelihood of staying in school and reduced violence and drug use. Their curriculum improves integrity, self-esteem, responsibility, decision-making abilities and communication skills in close to 1,000 youth annually.

Winger’s novels, Faces, Duplicity, and Rockfall, are all inspired by her own love of outdoor recreational activities and her 25 years of experience in hiking, climbing, and cross-country skiing. She is also the co-author, with her husband Charlie Winger, of several guidebooks.

Winger has pledged to donate $5 for each paperback copy of her novels sold during June and 50¢ for each Kindle copy. Her books are available in both formats through Amazon.com, and in paperback from her company’s online bookstore, WingerBookstore.com. She will autograph books purchased directly from her website.

“Outdoor activities have played a central part in my life and my experiences have helped me grow and succeed in other aspects of both my personal and professional life. I hope my books inspire others to get outside and experience the natural world around us,” Winger explained. “I commend Big City Mountaineers for their work in transforming how young people relate to others and how they feel about themselves.”

No Mo' Prostate Cancer!

MOvember (the month previous known as November) begins tomorrow, and we've jumped in to offer a challenge. Once again, The Winger Bookstore is participating in fundraising to help wipe out prostate cancer and other men's diseases.

Here's the deal.

If you donate $25 or more to our Movember fundraising team during November, we'll send you a free voucher for the Kindle version of Two Shadows, Charlie's inspiring memoir. Chapter 22 is particularly relevant. It recalls the frightening days and weeks of receiving his diagnosis of prostate cancer, our search for the best steps for us to take, and how that turned out. Obviously, the wonderful news is that Charlie has been cancer-free now for 4 years. Not all men are that fortunate.

Movember is a global charity which aims to "change the face of men's health." A "mo" is slang for a mustache in Australia, where the organization began in 2003. To raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer, as well as mental health challenges, men ("Mo Bros") often grow a mustache during November while raising funds. Women ("Mo Sistas") also participate, finding creative ways to fundraise. Learn more about Movember here.

Funds raised in the U.S. are split among the Prostate Cancer Foundation, LIVESTRONG, and the Movember Foundation programs. Here's more about the programs which are funded.

Ready to help with a donation? Thank you! Please click here to go to our Movember fundraising page. Again, if you donate $25 or more to our team, you'll get a free Two Shadows e-book voucher as part of our personal thanks.