Southampton - From big burley pro football players wearing pink cleats and chin straps to pink Hampton Jitney buses to Main Street in Southampton bathed in pink ribbons, one would have to be from Mars not to know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Every year almost a quarter of a million American women are diagnosed with breast cancer, they are our wives and mothers, sisters and daughters, grandmothers and friends. It is a disease that is highly treatable when detected early, so yes indeed, awareness is the key to a cure!

Pink ribbons have been wrapped around trees along Main Street in Southampton in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

There are events throughout the month from national organizations like the American Cancer Society to events by local support groups like Ellen's Run. Many local businesses from supermarket chains to small independent retailers join in the campaign by offering discounts or holding in-store events in support of this vital cause. Such is the case for the Tanger Organization which has two major outlets on Long Island, the East End's own Tanger Outlet in Riverhead and their dazzling new center in Deer Park, The Arches.

A few weeks ago Tanger kicked off their month long support for breast cancer awareness with an event at The Arches that featured former NYC Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel who appeared in support of Tanger's annual Pink Style program that has raised over $7 million in support of breast cancer research since its inception.

With over a 1,000 shoppers as her audience Frankel took the stage and entertained the crowd with gossip, dished on her Bravo show's upcoming season and did impressions of her former Real Housewives cast-mates to the delight of all. As a bonus for fans, Frankel's husband, Jason Hoppy joined her on stage for a kiss and then walked the mall on his own, greeting shoppers and taking photos. Before joining her husband for some shopping of her own, Frankel greeted a long line of fans, signing copies of her book "The Skinny Girl Dish" and graciously posing for photos.

Also in attendance was fellow author and fashion expert Charla Krupp and Tanger Outlets president Steve Tanger. Click here to read an interview with Steve Tanger http://www.hamptons.com/News/Top-Stories/10977/Steve-Tanger-Outlet-Innovator.html.

You can shop, save and help find a cure at the Tanger Outlets by purchasing a $1 Pink Style gift card, which will give you a 25 percent discount on any single item purchase at participating retailers at the outlets. You can also purchase a Pink Style tee shirt with proceeds from both the shirt and the gift card going to support breast cancer research. The program runs through October 25 and you can buy as many discount gift cards as you like.

For more information regarding Breast Cancer Awareness Month go to www.nbcam.org.