One of the first things many people think of when they hear the American Cancer Society is its signature event, Relay For Life. At Relay events across the globe, communities, survivors, caregivers and families come together for a 12- to 24-hour event to honor cancer survivors, remember loved ones and fight back against a disease that too many of us have experienced. The fight back portion of the event is where advocacy plays a major role. When I talk about advocacy, I'm talking about the work we do to affect policy and legislative change to help eliminate death and suffering from cancer. ACS CAN and its volunteers encourage candidates and lawmakers to fund research and provide access to quality health care, prevention, early detection and treatment so we can all fight back. Advocacy was first incorporated into Relay For Life in 2002. In the years since, the Relay community has helped to recruit hundreds of thousands of action takers, doubled the number of ACS CAN members and engaged other volunteers. In small town Relay events across the country, inspiring survivors and advocates are introducing communities to the world of cancer advocacy. It was particularly moving to hear about Alford Holt and Donna Hall from Gem County, Idaho. Alf and Donna have been involved in Relay For Life since 2010 when Alf was diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer. This year was the first year the husband and wife duo took on the role of advocacy chairs, and they have not only embraced the mission of ACS CAN, but have become Idaho's top membership recruiters. I heard from our Idaho staff that as of July 20, Alf and his group have recruited 205 ACS CAN members and are well on their way to reaching their goal of 300 by this weekend's event. Thanks to Donna and Alford, in a county of 16,500 with the highest cancer diagnosis and death rates in the state, everyone is talking about ACS CAN, wanting to fight back and make their voice heard on cancer issues. Across the country, another small town Relay event is giving Gem County a run for its money. In Western Berks, Pa., the integration of advocacy into the community's Relay For Life event has become an integral part of what the event is trying to accomplish. One staff member said, It has become a point of pride and distinction for the event. They set ambitious goals, and in 2010 the Western Berks Relay event became the first in the country to collect 100 ACS CAN memberships at the kickoff event. The official goal for 2014 is 220 memberships, but I've heard that the volunteers are reaching for 250. Their Relay has been the top in the nation for a number of years in recruiting ACS CAN volunteers, but they're excited that Gem County has the same passion and is competing for the #1 spot. Because of the hard work of the ACS CAN volunteers, members of the Western Berks community are not only raising money and walking around a track to fight back against cancer, they are using the power of their collective voices to ensure our message is heard loud and clear in the halls of government. Volunteers like Alford, Donna and the folks in Western Berks are fighting back by demanding that cancer is a national priority for all of our elected officials. Whether it's through your local Relay event or on your own, you too can join the movement.
Mariah Forster Olson, an ACS CAN Ambassador Constituent Team Lead (ACT Lead), traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to share her story as a childhood cancer survivor and to advocate on behalf of other patients and survivors during the 2019 Childhood Cancer Action Days.