Making a BIG Difference
Most of us know at least one person who has died of some kind of cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths, killing more people than breast cancer. Nearly 54,000 people will be diagnosed next year with pancreatic cancer. 74% will die within their first year. Nancy works tirelessly with many volunteers trying to change that.
Perhaps you’ve seen a lot of purple on your facebook this month. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Nancy posts regularly announcing different opportunities to become aware, volunteer, or contribute. She’s the Advocacy Chairman for the Atlanta Affiliate where the signature fundraiser, Purple Stride, was held November 12.
Not all states have an affiliate. The Pancreatic Cancer Network helps affiliate members get started by providing training and organization. Even without an affiliate chapter, groups can form teams in honor of, or in memory of, someone. Register the team on line at Pancan.org, help raise money for research, and walk or run the Purple Stride.
There are many things volunteers can do for Pancreatic Cancer Network, and much of it can be done from your home. Send emails, make facebook posts, get sponsors, write to legislators, and get donations, or work on newsletters. Advocates also travel to Washington, D.C., where they receive more training, visit Capitol Hill, and talk to legislators encouraging them to make Pancreatic Cancer Research a priority. They meet with NIH and NCI. Last year 600 advocates, including Nancy, put on their purple and made themselves known on Capitol Hill.
Have you been looking for a way to make a difference, to help make life better for others in our country? Perhaps you are at home with small children, or retired and looking for a new kind of work, or shut in for other reasons. You can make a difference from home. Perhaps you’re a runner, jogger, or walker; you could register to walk or run. Build a team and raise some money for a good cause. Maybe you are an activist in need of a cause. Here’s a cause that needs you.
Start with the website pancan.org. Check out all the tabs. See if this might be something you can do. Then, like Nancy, you will be doing great things.