The idea of "bringing chocolate to the chocolate lovers and hope to leukemia and lymphoma patients" took off after Zemack met two sisters, who were raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, at a chocolate-tasting party she organized last May.

Sisters Mariah and Merisa Titlow will participate in the Dublin Marathon to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training in honor of a closed friend who Mariah lost to the disease.

After meeting at the chocolate party, Zemack and the Titlow sisters joined efforts to launch "Chocolate... for a Change," which will be Zemack's first chocolate-tasting benefit.

"There is power in chocolate," said Zemack, 25, a Framingham native. "We want to bring hope around it. I'm on the chocolate end, and Mariah and Merisa are on the charity end."

The chocolate-tasting party will take place at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston Nov 5 between 7 and 9 p.m., and everybody is invited.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and for that price, those on hand will indulge in chocolate truffles, pastries, desserts and other chocolate creations presented by Boston's best chocolate makers.

Among participants are Cambridge's Burdick's, Godiva, Choco Choco House, Teuscher Chocolates, Radius Restaurant, Lindt Chocolates, and The Belgian Truffle House. Zemack, who throws chocolate parties, teaches chocolate classes and runs "The Tasty Show," a Web site devoted to chocolate, will also participate with her specialty, chocolate truffles and boxes made of chocolate.

Zemack hopes the event will draw around 300 people and raise between $8,000 and $10,000. The money will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training, which raises funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.

According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, every five minutes, someone in the United States learns that he or she has leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma - that's nearly 300 people a day. More than 106,000 people across the nation will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma this year, and more than 60,000 will die from the diseases.

Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow (in the case of leukemia and myeloma) or in lymphatic tissues (in the case of lymphoma). An estimated 640,000 Americans live with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

The society's mission is to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma through research, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Zemack feels good about offering chocolate lovers a great excuse to indulge in their passion and help a good cause.

"We want to get to people through chocolate," said Zemack, who majored in English and Art History. "Chocolate is a glorious means to a meaningful end."

Scientists have said that antioxidants present in chocolate are good for people's health, but one does not need to be a scientist to know that chocolate tastes good, and that helping others makes people feel good. Zemack said that those on hand at the Nov. 5 chocolate-tasting party will have a chance to feel good about themselves.

The event will feature different types of chocolate confections for sale, as well as a raffle offering gift certificates to Boston's restaurants."