This fall, the Colon Cancer Coalition hosted 13 Get Your Rear in Gear events across the country, from a scenic apple orchard in New Hampshire to the Saint Paul skyline view in our home state of Minnesota, and ended in a baseball field in Houston, Texas!
Indianapolis, IN (15th Anniversary) – Sept. 7
Concord, NH (10th Anniversary) – Sept. 7
Little Rock, AR – Sept. 14
Boston, MA – Sept. 21
Milwaukee, WI – Sept. 21
Seattle, WA – Sept. 21
Columbus, OH (10th Anniversary) – Sept. 28
Fort Collins, CO – Sept. 28
National Capitol (MD/VA) – Sept. 28
Grand Rapids, MI – Oct. 5
New York City, NY (15th Anniversary) – Oct. 20
Twin Cities, MN (20th Anniversary) – Oct. 20
Houston, TX – Nov. 10
In our last newsletter, we talked about all of the exciting anniversaries this fall had to look forward to! And while it was so special to celebrate 10, 15, and even 20 years with five of our fall events – the 20th anniversary going to our home state of Minnesota – our other eight fall events had an equal amount to look forward to and celebrate!
Get Your Rear in Gear – Arkansas came BACK for their first event with us after a few years away. “Get Your Rear in Gear means community. It means education, support, and awareness,” shares Local Event Director, Shameka Simmons. Shameka didn’t know much about colon cancer until her mother was diagnosed with it six years ago. “I knew that if this cancer type was unfamiliar to me, others would need to be educated and made aware as well,” says Shameka. “Seeing the effects of cancer close up, and through someone you love, is tough.” But Get Your Rear in Gear – Arkansas made sure that no one was alone on event day, and they raised money to bring awareness and resources to the colon cancer community in Arkansas!
Get Your Rear in Gear – Boston 2024
Despite the weather at Get Your Rear in Gear – Boston, they had an incredible turnout. Local Event Director, Brian Shelly, was honored with a proclamation from the mayor of Boston acknowledging his work in the community and his remarkable efforts to bring colon cancer awareness to the Boston area! We also had two incredible young female survivors share their stories, Lauren Doherty and Jennifer Corey; who spoke of hope, resilience, and the importance of screening and self-advocacy. We’re excited to celebrate 15 years of Get Your Rear in Gear – Boston in 2025!
Get Your Rear in Gear – Milwaukee will also celebrate its 15th Anniversary in 2025! This year’s event held over 500 participants who enjoyed the great weather at Hart Park. We’d like to thank the teams who continue to show up and grow this race, as well as our amazing local sponsors; Froedtert Health, Crawford Evaluation Group, and Ascension.
Get Your Rear in Gear – Seattle 2024
Get Your Rear in Gear – Seattle also had beautiful weather at Downtown Park in Redmond, WA. We even had a guest appearance from our Get Your Rear in Gear – Austin Local Event Director, Ann Storey, who won first place as a survivor in her division! And Get Your Rear in Gear – Fort Collins had their first-ever event in the Fort Collins area after moving from Denver, CO. Just like Seattle, Get Your Rear in Gear – Fort Collins had wonderful weather, as well as a great atmosphere with food trucks and a moving celebration of our Colorado community. Get Your Rear in Gear – Seattle and Fort Collins may be small, but the heart of their communities is mighty!
Get Your Rear in Gear – National Capitol also enjoyed some great weather in their first year, combining Get Your Rear in Gear – Alexandria and Get Your Rear in Gear – Baltimore together. Cheryl Alston and Wendy Paxton are now co-Local Event Directors for the National Capitol. As colon cancer survivors, both Cheryl and Wendy understand the importance of communities coming together to honor patients and survivors in the local area and spread life-saving information and awareness to the surrounding communities! We also had a wonderful survivor speaker, Ruby Tyler!
Dr. Chelsea Boet (left) & Danielle DeWitt (right)
Continuing our good-weather streak, Get Your Rear in Gear – Grand Rapids had great weather in the beautiful Millenium Park, where this event has historically been located. Survivor Angie Williamson was our survivor speaker, and the event is put on each year by our Local Event Directors, Danielle DeWitt and Spencer Vereecken. Dr. Chelsea Boet originally started the Get Your Rear in Gear – Grand Rapids race the year after her stage IV colon cancer diagnosis in 2018, and she asked Danielle to take over the event after she passed away. Both Danielle and Spencer are proud to keep Chelsea’s memory alive, support patients and families, and continue to advocate for others!
Get Your Rear in Gear – Houston 2024
And last, but certainly not least, our 2024 event season ended with Get Your Rear in Gear – Houston. Despite the drizzly weather, there was still a great turnout! There were lots of vendors, a fun photo booth, a game truck, and line dancing! Led by Local Event Director Allison Rosen, Get Your Rear in Gear – Houston has continued to bring the Houston community together while raising funds and awareness for colon cancer. Allison has dedicated her life to using her voice and platform to educate, advocate, and continuously learn how best to represent the collective colorectal cancer community– driven by her own colorectal cancer diagnosis at age 32.
We wouldn’t have been capable of putting on these events without the help and support of local volunteers, LEDs, survivors, and caregivers. As well as the generosity of our presenting sponsors: Olympus Corporation of the Americas for Get Your Rear in Gear – Boston and Get Your Rear in Gear – Seattle, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center and Zangmeister Cancer Center for Get Your Rear in Gear – Columbus, Centers for Gastroenterology, Northern Colorado Endoscopy Center, Harmony Surgery Center, and Skyline Endoscopy Center for Get Your Rear in Gear – Fort Collins, Covey Love for Get Your Rear in Gear – New York, MNGI Digestive Health for Get Your Rear in Gear – Twin Cities, and St. Luke’s Health Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center for Get Your Rear in Gear – Houston!