This July isn’t only the start of a fiscal new year for us; it also marks our organization’s 10-year anniversary. Founded by Nancy Roach in 2005, she started the organization with a laptop, printer, a handful of friends and a passion to make a difference in the world. Read the Beyond Blue article about Nancy starting the organization. She recruited fellow activist Judi Sohn who lost her father to colon cancer. Three years later our first president, Carlea Bauman, was hired and led the organization for the next seven years. The first staff members and advocates of Fight CRC built great relationships and countless memorable experiences that touched the lives of survivors and families across the country. We carry on the great work they started one decade ago.

Our Team

Over the last three years, we’ve continued to grow our “dream” team and make changes to keep up with our amazing volunteers and opportunities within the CRC community. We now employ eight full-time staff members, a Policy Strategist focused on the Hill and a Director of Health Promotion who shares a joint appointment at the University of Colorado.

We Love Our Volunteers

We’re proud to have active volunteers who are getting involved in advocacy, awareness and research in every state across the country. We have 10 volunteer leaders who serve on our Grassroots Advocacy Committee (GAC) and over 15 individuals who serve as research advocates (RATS). Members of our medical advisory board (MAB) are world-renowned experts in oncology, radiology, gastroenterology, palliative care and genetics. They keep us on the leading edge of research and medical information. Thanks to local communities and committees, like the one in Nashville this past year, our local and national awareness efforts are going strong! Our board is a constant source of support and vision.

Accomplishing Our Mission

It takes the time of each and every volunteer and staff member to accomplish our mission and ensure that the voices and passion come through everything we do. Our volunteer advocates are invaluable to us. This year across the organization we celebrated our most successful year yet with over $200,000 in online donations alone, over 100 attendees at Call-on Congress and over 57 million people reached through our #StrongArmSelfie campaign. We have successfully built a network of activists, patients, caregivers, families and thought leaders. We’re proud looking back and excited looking forward.

Where Do We Go From here?

So where do we go from here? Focusing on growth and making a substantive impact, our leadership recently revised our mission statement to reflect the heart of our organization and our vision for the future:

Fight Colorectal Cancer envisions victory over colon and rectal cancers. We raise our voice to empower and activate a community of patients, fighters and champions to push for better policies and to support research, education and awareness for all those touched by this disease.

We are strengthened by our mission and we are grounded in our core values. Our new mission statement provides us with direction, focus and energy. Core values express how we operate:

• AUTHENTICITY- empowering though genuine relationships and stories
• INNOVATION- an imperfect mix of forward-thinking, passionate and creative
• TRUST- fiscally sustainable, transparent and credible
• COMMUNITY-uniting people and organizations for social good
• IMPACT- fearlessly taking on bold initiatives to ensure measurable change

It’s not enough to have vision or a solid mission – how you fight is just as important. As we proceed toward our next 10 years as an organization, I am empowered by our overarching vision:

“Fight Colorectal Cancer envisions victory over colon and rectal cancers.”

That statement captures why we fight and it’s a reminder that our efforts today ensure a better future for colorectal cancer patients and their families tomorrow – and even ten years from now. Sincerely, Anjee Davis

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