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Taking Colorectal Cancer Awareness to your Local and State Governments
How else can you use your voice to spread the word about CRC? A great place to start is within your local and state governments. Elected officials - such as your governor, state representative, mayor, and city council president - are willing to help raise awareness of health issues. With your help, those community leaders who do not know about colorectal cancer can become educated and help in the effort to increase public awareness in their cities and states. The general public often must bring important issues to the attention of our government officials before they will take any action. This is why CCA is counting on you.
Proclamations and petitions
A great way to get your local and state officials involved is to unite your friends and family members in an effort to write letters asking community leaders to proclaim the month of March "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month" in your city, county, and state(see sample). A coalition of supporters can make much more of an impact than a single individual.
A second option is to prepare a petition. Once you have collected the signatures of all who support your initiatives, send them with the proclamation letter and a cover sheet listing your name and/or the name of your organization (or you can use CCA letterhead) to the appropriate elected officials. Mailing information can be found in the local phone book or by calling your city offices or local library.
Don't know who your local officials are or how to get in touch with them? No problem, type in your zip code below.
You may make a bigger impact by first faxing your cover letter and list of supporters and following up by sending the originals by mail. Then make personal telephone calls to the officials' offices. Be persistent!
The following is a sample proclamation letter:
| PROCLAMATION: |
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| National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month - March 2007 |
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This year more than 153,760 American men and women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and over 52,180 people will die from the disease - of this, (INSERT STATE DATA from chart enclosed in this kit) men and women were diagnosed in (YOUR STATE). Despite its high incidence, colorectal cancer is one of the most detectable and, if found early, most treatable forms of cancer. Over 90% of those diagnosed while the cancer is still localized survive more than five years. Currently, however, only 37% of colorectal cancers are detected while still localized. In recognition of these facts about CRC, I, (NAME AND TITLE, IF APPLICABLE), of (CITY, STATE) do hereby proclaim March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. |
Invite local politicians to CRC events
Follow up the proclamation letter with an invitation for specific officials and their spouses to attend any local events you may be hosting or attending for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Please remember to give the date, time, place, who is hosting and speaking at the event, your contact information, and a brief description of the event. Again, follow up with a phone call.
Make noise - these officials work for you
Remember that these are officials you have elected and they depend on the public for their votes into office. The more noise you make and the more people you have making noise, the more likely you are to get a response. Be your own advocate. It works.
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Cancer Alliance, Inc. 175 Ninth Avenue New York, NY 10011 Office: 212-627-7451 Toll Free Helpline: 1-877-422-2030 Fax: (866) 304-3075 © copyright 1999-2000, Colon Cancer Alliance. CCA is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation. EIN # 86-0947831 The information provided by the CCA on this website should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.
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