Conquering Cancer Initiatives for Fall
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Chances are, you or someone you know will be touched by breast cancer. Approximately 211,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States in 2005, and an estimated 40,870 deaths will occur. It is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer in women. After lung cancer, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women.
Gender and age are the most important risk factors. As a woman ages, so does her risk of developing breast cancer. Seventy-seven percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are 50 and older. Early detection saves lives and increases treatment options. The five-year survival rate for localized breast cancer (cancer that has not spread to lymph nodes or other locations outside the breast) has increased from 80 percent in the 1950s to 98 percent today.
What you can do on your campus and in your community:
Making Strides Against Breast CancerŪ. Form a team and participate in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Log on to www.cancer.org to find the event closest to you. Since 1993, Making Strides has been the American Cancer Society's premier event to raise awareness and dollars to fight this disease. Last year, 400,000 people raised more than $30 million through Making Strides in more than 100 cities across the country.
Tell A Friend. Participate in the Tell A Friend program or start one on your campus. Trained volunteer callers contact five women they know to encourage mammography screening and early detection. Findings from a recent survey emphasize the significance of programs such as Tell A Friend. Nearly 70 percent of the women questioned in the survey indicated that they are greatly or somewhat influenced by others' opinions when it comes to breast cancer and other health care concerns.
Hold workshops & seminars. Pick breast cancer topics and share information.
Create pink ribbons. Distribute them to students, staff and faculty or sell to raise money for breast cancer research.
Hold a Pink Ribbon Dance. Honor breast cancer survivors on campus and in your community. With their permission, place their pictures and biographies around your campus to promote the event.
Wear Pink Day. Chapter members wear pink and distribute information on breast cancer prevention and awareness.
29th Annual Great American SmokeoutŪ
November 17, 2005
Smoking remains the most preventable cause of death in our society. In the United States, smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths, including 30 percent of all cancer deaths. While the prevalence of smoking has decreased in recent years, lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States. In 2005, lung cancer will result in an estimated 163,510 deaths - 87 percent of which will be caused by smoking.
Nonsmokers are also impacted by cigarette smoke as each year about 3,000 nonsmoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing secondhand smoke. Quitting smoking, or never smoking at all, is the best way to prevent lung cancer.
The American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, now in its 29th year, takes place on the third Thursday of November to challenge people to stop using tobacco for one day and to raise awareness of the many effective ways to quit for good.
What you can do on your campus and in your community:
Supporting Smokers Who Want to Quit. The American Cancer Society offers telephone access to support information (800. ACS.2345) and local community-based resources, and trained tobacco cessation specialists are available 24 hours a day online at www.cancer.org.
Sign a Pledge. Have smokers sign a pledge to remain smoke-free for the entire day.
Going Cold Turkey. Distribute turkey sandwiches in exchange for packs of cigarettes.
Distribute "Quit Kits." Provide information on lung cancer and second-hand smoke and gum to smokers.
Portable Display. Create a display on the dangers of tobacco use and share with elementary, middle, and high school students in your community to encourage them to remain smoke-free.
Partner with other organizations. Get together with other campus organizations and the American Cancer Society and encourage your campus or your city to become smoke-free.
For more ideas on the International Service Program, contact Director of Programs Jennifer Stanford at 601.984.3532.