Gearing up for Colon Cancer Awareness Month

Since 2009 the Colon Cancer Coalition has raised over $1.8 million through Get Your Rear in Gear events held in March alone.

MINNEAPOLIS (February 28, 2014) —- The Colon Cancer Coalition is preparing for a jam-packed Colon Cancer Awareness Month in March. Events include ten run/walk events, a survivor/caregiver story series, awareness events, messaging campaigns in several cities across the country, and continuous celebrations with our partner organizations.

The Get Your Rear in Gear run/walk series is the nation’s leading event series raising money for colon cancer awareness. Ten Get Your Rear in Gear events are planned in March in six states across the country with more than 40 throughout 2014. Awareness month events include:

• Raleigh, N.C., Sat., March 1
• Savannah, Ga., Sat., March 1 (licensed event)
• Charlotte, N.C., Sat., March 8
• Winston-Salem, N.C., Sat., March 8
• Asheville, N.C., Sat., March 22 (new host city)
• Hickory, N.C., Sat., March 22
• Baton Rouge, La., Sat., March 22
• Philadelphia, Penn., Sun., March 23
• Mercer Island, Wash., Sun., March 23 (part of the Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon)
• Austin, Texas, Sun., March 30

Since 2009, the Coalition has raised over $1.8 million through Get Your Rear in Gear events held during Colon Cancer Awareness Month alone. This money has been is invested back into the host communities for colon cancer education, prevention, and screening. A complete list of Get Your Rear in Gear events and funded programs can be found at ColonCancerCoalition.org.

FACES OF BLUE

In addition to the races, Get Your Rear in Gear is hosting a special March web and social media campaign featuring the “Faces of Blue.” The Faces of Blue tells a different story of colon cancer survivors, caregivers and others affected by this disease each day throughout the month of March.  Visit the Colon Cancer Coalition / Get Your Rear in Gear on Facebook throughout during March to read each new story.

AWARENESS ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

The Colon Cancer Coalition firmly believes that colon cancer awareness should happen 12 months a year, not just in March, but several activities and partnerships are planned in this month to take advantage of the added attention paid to the disease during these 31 days.

• Month-long awareness billboard campaign in Kansas City and Wichita, Kan.
• Month-long Love Your Butt campaign in Charlotte, N.C. partnering with Chris4Life
• Tuesday, March 11, Building Blue Bridges event in Minneapolis with the Minnesota Cancer Alliance
• Thursday, March 13, Iowa Governor signing Proclamation with the Colon Cancer Foundation of Iowa (formerly David’s Fight)
• Monday, March 17, Attending NCCRT’s press conference at the National Press Club on in Washington
• Tuesday, March 18, Joining Fight Colorectal Cancer and the Colon Cancer Alliance for a Capitol Hill briefing