Thank you to the more than 3.5 million people who participate in Relay For Life events!

Cancer does not discriminate. Wade Brockway, a student at Oklahoma University, would attest to it. As a 20-year-old, Wade was stunned when the doctors informed him he had stage III lymphoma.

“I read a lot about my cancer when I was diagnosed,” he adds. “I knew the particular regimen I was given had been thoroughly researched thanks in part to funding from the American Cancer Society.”

Six months after his diagnosis and successful treatment, Wade stepped back onto OU’s campus with a quest to fight back against the disease. He was determined to get involved with the Society’s Relay For Life and immediately worked to form three teams. “I wanted to fight back for myself and those like me,” he says. “Fighting back is more than just raising money. It is developing a community of hope and support. That community allowed me to get better.”

Thank you to the more than 3.5 million people who participate in Relay For Life events around the US and those that participate in the 19 countries internationally! When we walk together, we are bigger than cancer!

National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration to recognize and thank America’s volunteers!

National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration to recognize and thank America’s volunteers and call public attention to all they do to improve communities nationwide. During National Volunteer Week, the American Cancer Society recognizes and celebrates the efforts of its more than three million volunteers nationwide that are making a difference for people facing cancer. This year’s celebration will be held April 15 through April 21, 2012.  Check back each day this week to view new featured stories of volunteerism. Visit morebirthdays.com/volunteer to share your story of how you make a difference in the fight against cancer!

When Joann Aguirre of Hawaii was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer in 2008 she didn’t know where to turn. Her oncologist suggested she call the Society. “They stepped up to the plate in such a big way,” says JoAnn. “A whole world of resources and information opened up to me.”

After treatment, JoAnn felt the need to get involved in helping others find the Society’s lifeline. She decided to volunteer as a stakeholder for the Society’s esteemed peer review process in the research and training program. In this volunteer role, she helps decide which of more than 1,600 research applications received each year are worthy of funding.

“After seeing the caliber of proposals the Society reviews for funding, I realized the importance of raising money,” she says. ” I can see the passion behind the proposals and realize these researchers are desperately trying to find a cure for you and me.”

During National Volunteer Week, the Society wants to thank each and every one of its volunteers nationwide for helping lead the fight against cancer. Together, we are making a difference by helping people stay well, helping people facing cancer get well, investing in research to find cures, and fighting back through legislation. To learn more about how you can get involved, visit cancer.org/volunteer.

Leave a Comment, let us know what is your most memorable volunteer moment?

THANK YOU! The Society would not exist without volunteers like you!

When you attempt to describe the American Cancer Society’s more than 3 million volunteers, the word passion comes immediately to mind. The truth of the matter is that the Society would not exist without volunteers like you, who are working relentlessly to save more lives from cancer.

Throughout the organization’s 98-year history, volunteers have put the Society first and have done whatever it takes to help ensure the disease is powerless to steal another year of anyone’s life. As we get closer to the Society’s centennial birthday, it’s more important than ever to celebrate those surviving cancer or still fighting the disease every day, and to finally defeat it in memory of those who have lost their battle. From helping people everywhere stay well and get well to finding cures through research and fighting back in the halls of Congress, the Society can continue its great work to save more lives thanks to the service and leadership of steadfast volunteers who passionately believe in celebrating more birthdays through people in action.

As part of National Volunteer Week, we want to personally thank every volunteer who gives their time, their expertise, and their resources to bring hope to those touched by cancer. The work you do not only gives hope to those battling the disease and their loved ones, but it also empowers the nearly 12 million cancer survivors living in the United States today. And it is the collective power of friends and volunteers working to fight cancer on all fronts that keeps that hope alive and growing. From leading Relay For Life® events in more than 5,100 communities, to providing free lodging to cancer patients in treatment, to working with lawmakers to make cancer a national and local legislative priority, Society volunteers are fundamental to the progress we are making to create a world with more birthdays. And it is your support that enables the Society to offer information, day-to-day help, and emotional support to people facing cancer and their loved ones 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Thank you for fighting cancer in your community and beyond. Your support truly makes a lasting and tangible difference for people affected by cancer worldwide. Check back each day this week as we highlight some of our outstanding volunteers.  Click here to visit morebirthdays.com/volunteer to share your story of how you make a difference in the fight against cancer!

Visit our volunteer wall at morebirthdays.com/volunteer.

As part of National Volunteer Week, we want to personally thank every volunteer who gives their time, their expertise, and their resources to bring hope to those touched by cancer. The work you do not only gives hope to those battling the disease and their loved ones, but it also empowers the nearly 12 million cancer survivors living in the United States today.  Check back next week to see how some of our volunteers are making a difference.

Visit our volunteer wall at morebirthdays.com/volunteer to share your story of how you make a difference in the fight against cancer!

Thank you to the Texas Medical Association for help with CPS-3 enrollment.

Jackie Bayly-Bryant (ACS) and Louis Goodman PhD (TMA)

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recognized the Texas Medical Association (TMA) and their staff for their support as a host enrollment site for the Cancer Prevention Study-3.

The two day enrollment, which was held in early March at the TMA building in downtown Austin, added 159 enrollees to the Society’s nationwide study.

If you missed this enrollment opportunity in Austin you have another chance to enroll. Through the partnership of Kealing Middle School and Greater Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church you can enroll on April 28 or 29.

Visit cps3hp.org or call 888-604-5888 to learn more.