Kambria, 11 years old, of Billings, Montana, is proof that you’re never too young to advocate. She’s become a passionate champion of colorectal cancer awareness, and what started as a spark – the idea to create and sell colorectal cancer keychains – turned into a crafty labor of love and a generous donation to Fight Colorectal Cancer.

“I wanted to create awareness,” said Kambria. “Awareness is key,” became Kambria’s clever marketing strategy. She knows how important it is to promote awareness and screening because five years ago, her Papa and best friend Dan Becker was diagnosed with stage III colorectal cancer, which within two years transitioned to stage IV. He has been fighting colorectal cancer for almost five years since having a colonoscopy at age 59. He went for a colonoscopy after developing signs and symptoms and an overall feeling that something wasn’t right. 

This year as March drew near, Kambria, with the help of her mom, Korry Thompson, submitted a proclamation to Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte to declare March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Kambria was thrilled to receive a signed, sealed copy of the state proclamation in the mail. 

Excited by creating awareness at the state level, Kambria then submitted proclamation requests to Billings, where she and her mom live, as well as Colstrip, where Dan had worked for years and still lives.

After securing three proclamations, Kambria mulled over “what more” she could do to raise awareness. That’s when “awareness is key” gave her the lightbulb moment to create keychains. 

With her mom’s help, Kambria obtained all the materials necessary to make keychains. She makes them from epoxy, mixes in blue mica powder, and sparkles: That’s the easy part! Then she pours the epoxy into molds where they remain to harden for 24 hours. Kambria adds a silver keyring and special inspirational tags because she loves “jazzing up” each keychain she sells. 

Within her first day of selling her colorectal cancer awareness keychains, Kambria and her mom realized they needed more than 24 molds to keep up with demand. Korry set up a Facebook page for Kambria’s keychains, and on day one, Kambria had 50 keychain sales!

“It was pretty satisfying to see the keychain orders on the first day. I’m Facebook famous for something positive,” said Kambria. She is passionate because her Papa has colorectal cancer, and she wants to create awareness and make a difference in the world. 

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As of March 30, 2022, Kambria sold 248 keychains. Kambria’s initial goal was $500. Almost immediately, she smashed that goal, and set her next goal of $1,000. Two weeks later, she elevated her goal to $2,500. To date, Kambria has raised more than $6,000 for Fight Colorectal Cancer. She raised $2,700 through keychain sales, and more than $3,500 through donations from Chase Hawks Memorial Association and St. Vincent’s Foundation to support her work. 

Kambria’s mom has been involved with Fight CRC, and both Kambria and her mom appreciate the work and mission of Fight CRC, which was why Kambria decided to donate her proceeds to Fight CRC.

Kambria’s message to kids is, “You can become an advocate at any age, and you are never too young to make a difference!” Her message to adults is, “Get screened. Screening is key.”

So far, Kambria’s keychains have made it to 25 of the 50 states, and Washington, D.C. Initially, her sales were all over the country rather than locally. People saw Kambria's "Fight CRC" Mission page and sent direct messages to order keychains.

Didn't have a chance to get your Colorectal Cancer Awareness keychain from Kambria? It's not too late!

Will she do this again next year? “Definitely! I definitely plan to do this next year!” 

Fight CRC is grateful for Kambria and Korry’s support, and we can’t wait to see what Kambria does next.

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