January 2012 • Vol. 3 American Cancer Society College To Community™

Young Professionals in Action

Young Professionals in Action

©2011, American Cancer Society, Inc. — 0076.95

What is the American Cancer Society College To Community Program?

By: Madison GriffinThe American Cancer Society® College To Community (C2C) program helps recent college alumni successfully transition from volunteering in collegiate events to being actively involved in community events for the American Cancer Society (ACS). Whether your favorite American Cancer Society program is Relay For Life®, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer®, the DetermiNation® endurance program, or something else, C2C provides recent college graduates with information about these opportunities. The College To Community program offers alumni the opportunity to use their voice to advocate for a healthier community, assist cancer patients going through treatment, and take advantage of networking opportunities within their local area.

What Does the College To Community Program Do for You?As a recent college graduate, you are beginning a new chap-ter in your life; moving to a new city, starting your career and finding your place in the community among other adventures. The C2C program can assist you with these transitions by helping you find ways to continue being a part of a cause you are passionate about. As a member of the C2C program, you can be involved in your new community and join a social network of professionals who share the same determination you do for helping the American Cancer Society in their mission to fight back against cancer.

How Does the C2C Program Help the American Cancer Society?The C2C program helps the American Cancer Society by keeping valuable volunteers involved after graduation in a variety of programs it has to offer. These volunteers help the ACS fight back against cancer while working toward our mission of finding a cure and creating a world with more birthdays. Take a moment to learn more about the College To Community program at www.Facebook.com/acsc2c and join our page. You can also visit www.RelayForLife.org/c2c to learn more and get connected with the College To Community pro-gram today!

From collegiate Relay participant or Colleges Against Cancer member to ACS volunteer opportunities in your new community.

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:• Affordable Care Act• Get Involved Beyond Relay• Volunteer Spotlight: Wade Brockway• Young Professionals Spotlight: Junior

Executive Board – Birmingham, AL

Get connected and follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/acsc2c

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Young Professionals in Action

Affordable Care Act & YOUng Professionals

By: Mia CannonThe American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM (ACS CAN) is celebrating 10 years of success. One of their most recent priorities was working on the Affordable Care Act of 2010, which had many helpful provisions for

cancer patients and their families, including restricting insurance companies from dropping patients’ coverage due to pre-existing conditions, requiring insurance plans to cover preventive screenings like mammograms, and allowing young professionals to stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26.

Before this landmark legislation, individual insurance companies were able to set different regulations for families covering this age group with medical insurance. Due to some policies that required full time enrollment in college, some cancer patients were dropped from their insurance policies during treatment because their illness prevented them from attending school. According to the Associated Press, some young professionals where dropped from their insurance coverage, such as “Elizabeth Wilson who was dropped from her parents medical coverage in the middle of receiving treatment for an inflamed pancreas” because she had reached the 23 year old age limit for the policy.

In the midst of a national unemployment rate for young professionals at 14 percent, the Affordable Care Act to date has allowed 1 million young professionals to be covered by medical insurance according to the government’s National Center for Health Statistics. In a job market where positions offering medical coverage, good wages, and other benefits are hard to come byfor everybody, young professionals are at a higher risk for not having medical coverage than any other group

of Americans. At this vulnerable time in their lives, young professional can provide medical coverage for themselves without spending every dime of their paycheck.

How Affordable Care Act Impacts Cancer:Patient Care• Does away with all co-pays for preventative services• Made Coverage available for patients participating in

clinical trails

Making Health Care More Affordable• Ended limits on care and benefits• Ended higher charges for people who are sick• Limited the amount patients must pay in out-of pocket

costs & deductibles

Making Health Care More Easily Available• Covers children with pre-existing conditions• Insurance plans cannot rescind, or stop coverage when

a patient gets sick• Allows young adults to stay on their parents coverage

until age 26

Making Health Care More Simple• Insurance companies required to share more

information• Grouping Health plans by level of coverage

ACS CAN has seen much success over the past ten years, but their work urging Congress to continue funding lifesaving cancer research and protecting laws like the Affordable Care Act of 2010, is far from over. Learn more about the Affordable Care Act and other ways to get involved with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network at www.acscan.org.

Young Professionals in Action

by Marie BieberYou participated in Relay For Life events or were a member of the Colleges Against Cancer program in college. You may have laughed during the event’s Opening Ceremony,

cried during the Luminaria Ceremony, and vowed to fight back against cancer – not just today, but every day. Now that you have graduated, what do you do? Volunteerism does not have to be something you just do in college to earn your service learning credits and build your resume. Volunteers of all ages keep amazing American Cancer Society programs running and provide incredible services to those affected by cancer. You can be a source of inspiration and hope to those survivors who inspire you. Sign up for a local Relay For Life event, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, or join the DetermiNation team. There are so many American Cancer Society programs that can suit your needs and interests. Also, don’t forget about the matching gifts program in your new job!

After you send your emails, consider, taking some time out to volunteer at some other ACS programs:

Hope Lodge®: Sometimes it is necessary to receive cancer treatments in another city. Worrying about where you’re going to sleep and paying for a hotel can make the treatment process even more daunting than it already is. Fortunately, the American Cancer Society has over 30 Hope Lodge facilities across the United States that provide lodging to patients and a caregiver, free of charge. Learn more at cancer.org/HopeLodge.

ACS CAN: Health insurance reform is a hot topic in politics right now and we need to make sure no matter what changes are made, the needs of cancer patients are a top priority to policy makers. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is the most powerful voice on public policy advocating to end cancer as we know it. To find out more and get in-volved, visit www.acscan.org.

Road To Recovery®: The Road to Recovery program is a vital service of the American Cancer Society which provides transportation to treatments for patients who cannot get there themselves. Volunteers can donate their time and cars in to bring patients to and from their destination. Volunteers can also serve as a driver coordinator to assist in scheduling rides. Visit www.cancer.org to learn how to become a volunteer driver.

Reach To Recovery® & Man To Man: The Reach To Recovery and Man To Man programs are sources of support to help those coping with breast cancer and prostate cancer, respectively. The Reach To Recovery and Man To Man programs have specially trained volunteers who are survivors themselves. Volunteers are there to listen, answer questions, and provide invaluable support to newly diagnosed cancer patients on the phone or in person during an incredibly scary time.

Cancer Survivors NetworkTM: Cancer Survivors Network is an online community which allows survivors a chance to connect with others, learn new information, and participate in discussion boards. If you are a survivor this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and share your trials and tribulations and most importantly your stories of hope.

Your Local Office: Remember, your local American Cancer Society office is always your best source of information for you can get involved in the fight in your community. Your office may be putting together galas, golf tournaments, or information sessions, all of which are going to need volunteer support to make happen. Find your local office by visiting www.cancer.org/Involved.

Get Involved Beyond Relay

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By: Mia Cannon

At a time when most 20 year olds are worriedabout summer vacations, Wade Brockway received the life altering diagnosis of stage-III diffuse large cell lymphoma on June 8, 2009.Although, Wade’s treatment started within a matter of days he still visited the American Cancer Society Web site, cancer.org, to learn

about the cancer that was afflicting him and to help him cope during this overwhelming time in his life. Soon after beating cancer, Wade accepted an offer to speak at the 2010 High Plains Division Relay For Life Summit. At Summit, Wade met a fellow Relay participant whose father had died from the exact same cancer 20 years before. At that moment he realized how far we have come in the fight against cancer thanks to the American Cancer Society and its volunteers, and how much work we still have left to do.

Wade returned to the University of Oklahoma to complete his accelerated undergrad/graduate program in accounting with a new passion for the Relay Nation. He led the efforts of his business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, to be involved in the campus Relay events. Over the past two years, their team has ranked in the top three fundraisers on campus. He also developed a

Relay Participant, Cancer Survivor, Advocate, Accountant: Wade Brockway

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Young Professionals in Action

college-wide service day focusing on volunteering at local elementary schools, and has served as a student ambassador for both the honors & business colleges.

The spirit in Wade that helped him overcome cancer has turned into a burning fire for the American Cancer Society and Relay For Life. Wade has traveled all around the country, speaking at Team Captain meetings, at the High Plains Division Summit, and National Leadership Summit. He even went to Washington D.C, along with 570 other volunteers, to remind Congress that “Cancer Never Sleeps.” Wade also serves on the High Plains Division Youth & Young Adult Workgroup to help high school & collegiate Relay For Life events become the best they can be, and on the national College To Community Advisory Workgroup to help college graduates continue their commitment to eradicating cancer in their next phases of life.

Wade will graduate next year with a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting and a master’s of accountancy with a specialization in tax and energy. Upon graduation he will move back home to Fort Worth, Texas where he will be a Tax Associate for KPMG LLP. Wherever life takes him, he will always carry the passion for curing cancer, the great social network that is the American Cancer Society Relay For Life program, and a mandate to share his life with others.

Young Professionals in Action

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By: Emily Tier

You’ve left college and joined the “real world.” Do you want to leave the American Cancer Society, too? We didn’t think so! More than a dozen cities in the United States – and growing – have opportunities for young professionals to stay involved with the ACS while adjusting to the next phase of their lives. One example is the Junior Executive Board (JEB) in Birmingham, Alabama.

Since the group was founded in 2003, these 21 to 40-year-old young professionals have raised over $600,000 for the American Cancer Society to help people stay well, help people get well, to find cures, and to fight back against cancer! In the past two years alone, they’ve topped the $100,000 mark each year! Members make a minimum three-year commitment to the group, pledging to contribute at least 20 hours of service per year. You can also join as a volunteer by giving at least 6 hours!

Each year the JEB, which has grown to include over 60 members, holds eight general meetings and at least four mission and advocacy-focused events. Their other group activities include organizing the Conquer Cancer Run, the Black-Out Cancer fundraiser, the College

Young Professionals Spotlight: Junior Executive Board – Birmingham, AL

Football Kick-Off fund-raiser, and Tacky Christmas Cocktail parties. They also support the local Hope Lodge facility and the Road To Recovery program among others.

Groups like the JEB provide the opportunity for you to meet others who have similar passions for the mission of the American Cancer Society and who are going through the same transitions as you.

To learn about the opportunities for Young Professionals in your area, visit us at www.RelayForLife.org/c2c, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ACSC2C, or e-mail us at collegetocommunity@cancer.org. Don’t become alumni in the fight against cancer! Stay involved!