Cancer Crusaders - UCC News

September 30, 2004

Task Force established to promote new, national Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon symbol

PROVO , Utah — In the midst of Americans donning yellow ribbons to honor troops abroad, another ribbon has made its way into the national scene.
The Cancer Crusaders Organization (a.k.a. the Utah Cancer Crusaders), proud home of the new and official national ribbon symbol for Skin Cancer Awareness, has established a task force to encourage Americans to begin heeding the call for more proactive skin cancer prevention measures.

The Utah Skin Cancer Task Force, under the umbrella of the Cancer Crusaders Organization, shall serve as the official home of the national Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon, which was first introduced to the American Academy of Dermatology by Natalie Camille Johnson of Bountiful, Utah, in May 2003, and has since been adopted as the official symbol for Skin Cancer Awareness (much akin to how the pink ribbon has been embraced as the official symbol for Breast Cancer Awareness) by more than 118,000,000 individuals throughout the country. The Cancer Crusaders Organization, a registered 501 [c] [3] non-profit corporation aimed at providing specially-tailored cancer/health education for the young adult population, has launched the five -year Only Skin Deep? Skin Cancer Prevention Education Campaign, to enhance skin cancer/sun safety efforts throughout the globe.

“Skin cancer is not only the most common cancer in the world, it is the most preventable cancer in the world,” says Danielle White, founder and CEO of the Cancer Crusaders Organization, who kicked off the Only Skin Deep? Skin Cancer Prevention Education Campaign in May 2004. “Much of the cancer community directs attention to breast cancer, which is, indeed, an issue that needs great support. As a woman who lost her mother to breast cancer nearly 10 years ago, I am appreciative of the tenacity demonstrated by breast cancer activists. I am among those activists.” White continues, “[However] As a cancer-health educator, I also recognize the incredibly pressing need to give significant attention to not just cancer, in general, but to skin cancer because it is so common, because it is on the rise, and because it is preventable.”

Echoing White’s words is Margaret Merrill, a graduate student at BYU, who serves as the Organization’s program director over education. “We are hopeful that establishing a task force, under the direction of a non-profit organization, will draw the level of support needed to successfully introduce and incorporate our national Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon,” she says. “Gathering a group of community volunteers will really make a difference in the cause of skin cancer awareness and prevention.”

More than 1.3-million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society. The ACS expects skin cancer incidence, and in turn, skin cancer-related deaths to rise in 2005, In Utah, where the risk for skin cancer is the highest in the nation, the mortality rate is an estimated 400 annually. A combination of higher elevation, a large number of fair/sensitive-skinned individuals and a reportedly low percentage of Utah residents using SPF 15+ sunscreens regularly, puts Utahns at an especially high risk for skin cancer, according to the Tom C. Matthews Jr. Familial Melanoma Research Clinic at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

“The sun here in Utah is more intense than other states,” says Dr. Sancy A. Leachman, director of the Melanoma Research Clinic. In fact, one will burn 77 times faster standing a top summit of Mt. Timpanogos than they would on a beach in Los Angeles, she says. “The risk for skin cancer is real, especially here in Utah with our high elevation.”

The first meeting of the Utah Skin Cancer Task Force will be Thursday March 24, 2005 @ 7:00 p.m. at the Small Business Development Center (500 W. 1200 S. Orem). For more information about the task force or about the Cancer Crusaders Organization, call the Executive Board of Directors us at 801.863.6351 or email info@cancercrusaders.org.

June 30, 2004

UCC to host state-wide Cancer Education Leadership Retreat

Pleasant Grove, UTAH—Attention all college students! Take time out from your summer vacationing and attend the first semi-annual Cancer Education Leadership Retreat!

The Utah Cancer Crusaders, headquarters of the Cancer Crusaders Organization, will be hosting its first semi-annual Cancer Education Leadership Retreat on Saturday July 17, 2004 at Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove at 12:00 p.m. This year’s theme is “Training the Trainer’ and will feature presentations from some of the best cancer doctors and leaders in the state.

“The purpose of this retreat is to provide basic cancer education for college students and to train them on how to educate their peers about cancer prevention,” said Jeremy Garcia who is the organization’s Service Coordinator for Student Organizations. “We’re laying out the framework to begin establishing cancer awareness clubs on each of the college campuses and create a network of civically-minded student leaders/”

The four-hour retreat will feature educational presentations, focus group networking and team building exercises, as well as provide tools to help students become effective cancer educators through managerial handbooks and curriculum development.

“While we’re working closely with several physicians at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, all of the handbook material and training has been developed by us,” Mike Jones, a student at BYU majoring in Biology and Spanish, who acts as the Service Coordinator for Health Organizations for UCC. “We have combined their expertise on cancer research, treatment, and information along with our experiences as college students and student leaders to make the training retreat be relevant and applicable to our target public.”

The Cancer Education Leadership Retreat is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in participating is welcome to attend. For more information, please call the UCC office at (801) 863-6351.
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June 1 , 2004

UCC reaches more than 1-million state-wide, nationally

Orem, UTAH—With every season comes new beginnings and this is definitely true for the Utah Cancer Crusaders Organization.

UCC, a non-profit service corporation, made a goal when it was officially incorporated on January 1, 2004, to reach a minimum of 1-million individuals both state-wide and nationally during “Skin Cancer Awareness Month” in May through use of the new national Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon. And UCC not only reached its goal, but exceeded it by reaching 115,601,012 through various educational conferences and publications, forming partnerships with other members of the cancer community, and public service announcements.

“It is remarkable how much a group of tenacious, enthusiastic individuals dedicated to a worthy cause can do in such a relatively short amount of time, and with very limited resources,” said UCC CEO Danielle White. “Because we are the home of the new national Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon and Utah’s risk for skin cancer is so high, we made a seemingly lofty goal but despite being a new non-profit business with limited resources, we made it happen!”

The Utah Cancer Crusaders Organization set the goal of reaching 1-million people by the end of Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May; because that is the number of new skin cancer-related cases develop each year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. UCC is in the midst of a state-wide campaign called Only Skin Deep? campaign to promote skin cancer prevention education and sun safety among the college-aged population. The campaign has been commended by both Provo City and Orem City Councils, as well as Governor Olene S. Walker.

“What we learn from evaluating the public relations statistics is that people seem to respond quite favorably to the new national Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon,” said the ribbons original designer Natalie Johnson, who also co-owns UCC. “We wanted a ribbon that would represent hope and empower people to combat skin cancer [because] skin cancer is so common, but preventable.”
The numbers were generated and calculated through analyzing the number of individuals who have seen the ribbon at various UCC sponsored events, news articles written about the ribbon and about the campaign, the current total of Skin Cancer Awareness pins and hats sales, number of letters written to supporters and partners, as well as the number of hits on Web-sites that have featured the ribbon since January 1, 2004 and on throughout June 1, 2004.

The new national Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon was first presented by Natalie Johnson, former Miss Utah, and current CFO of the Utah Cancer Crusaders Organization, to the American Academy of Dermatology in April 2003. The ribbon was inspired by her 21-year-old brother, Eric, who died of complications associated with a malignant melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The Utah Cancer Crusaders Organization, which is a cancer education facility primarily for the young adult population, chose to make skin cancer a prime focus this year as Utah’s risk for skin cancer is the highest of any other state in America. More than 400 Utahns died of a malignant melanoma last year, according to the American Cancer Society. It is projected that number will exceed 500 in 2005.

“We wanted to launch a state-wide campaign to not only familiarize fellow Utahns with the Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon with the hopes of creating a wide-spread incorporation of the ribbon much akin the pink Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon [but] also to tell them that skin cancer is the most common cancer but it is so preventable if we’re proactive—if we are smart about the sun we can potentially avoid a future cancer diagnosis,” White said. “Here in Utah, skin cancer really ought to be huge focus. We are encouraged by the recent television commercials and public service announcements out now for sun screen and sun safety; we are encouraged by the fact that others also recognize this great need, and hence, we look forward to the day where the ribbon is incorporated as a universally visual aid in all skin cancer prevention education efforts.”

UCC urges all Utahns to begin practicing more proactive sun safety, especially since Utah’s risk is so high.

For more information about the ribbon, and/or about UCC specifically, please contact their office at 863-6351 or email info@cancercrusaders.org
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Landon Tooke,
Utah Cancer Crusaders
(801) 863-6351

May 1, 2004

Utahn creates new national ribbon for Skin Cancer Awareness, Governor approves

PROVO, Utah—In the midst of Americans donning yellow ribbons to honor troops abroad, another ribbon has made its way into the national scene.
Natalie Camille Johnson of Bountiful, Utah has created the new national ribbon symbol for Skin Cancer Awareness. The American Academy of Dermatology has recognized the adoption of Johnson’s original design which features an orange ribbon with a sunburst in the center.
“I wanted a symbol that conveyed a sense of hope,” Johnson said. “With this new ribbon symbol. I hope to heighten the awareness of skin cancer nationally.”
After losing her 21-year-old brother Eric to complications from a malignant melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer—five years ago, Natalie has since devoted more than 6,000 hours of service to the cancer community. She also addressed more than 25,000 individuals throughout the state while serving as Miss Utah 2002.
“Natalie has been a dedicated and passionate spokeswoman for skin cancer prevention education,” said Teresa Wilson, a rural mail carrier in Utah County and has hosted Johnson at State Mail Union Conferences for skin cancer awareness seminars.
Johnson was featured last summer on Channel 2 “Good Things Utah,” and the Utah Cancer Action Network’s “Ask the Expert” where she used the ribbon to promote skin cancer prevention education.
“It’s pretty phenomenal that she has gone and done this,” Jan Heins of UCAN, said.
Since the ribbon was incorporated in May 2003, Johnson has teamed up with friend and business partner Danielle White in founding the Utah Cancer Crusaders Organization, a non-profit service corporation aimed at providing cancer education for Utah’s college-aged population. The ribbon has since been featured by Mary Kay Inc. skin care consultants’ national sales force, has been used by various colleges across the country such as Stanford University, and has been commended by President Bush. Additionally, the ribbon symbol is on tap as a fund-raising stamp to be issued by the US Postal Service in 2006.
“This is important work that [UCC] is doing,” said Dr. Sancy A. Leachman, director of the Tom C. Matthews Jr. Familial Melanoma Research Clinic at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. “This ribbon will really help promote Skin Cancer Awareness.”
In efforts to better introduce the new national Skin Cancer Awareness ribbon symbol, the Utah Cancer Crusaders Organization will be launching a four month long “Only Skin Deep?” campaign throughout the state before launching a national pilot program.
“Utah’s risk for skin cancer is the highest in the nation, yet it is the most preventable cancer,” said John Eagleston, UCC vice president. “More than 1-million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer every year, making it the most common cancer. Yet, more than 80% of skin cancers can be prevented if we’re more proactive about sun safety and protection.”
Recognizing this, Governor Walker has approved a declaration submitted by UCC that encourages all health organizations and educational facilities to officially incorporate and use the ribbon symbol for skin cancer-related causes. Governor Walker also declared approval of the Only Skin Deep? campaign that UCC will launch from May 1-through-September 1. The declaration will be presented at the State Capitol on May 26.
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