Fight CRC's Impact

Thanks to you, we continue living our mission by providing and distributing patient education and resources (online and in person), funding breakthrough research, and advocating for change.

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To our Community of Relentless Champions of Hope,

As the President of Fight Colorectal Cancer, I am proud to share our 2023 Impact Report. This highlights our collective achievements and your crucial role in our mission. Your dedication and advocacy have been vital in our fight against colorectal cancer.

In this report, you’ll see our shared progress:

RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS: Your support has fueled pivotal research in early detection and treatment, integrating the patient voice in our research advocacy.

ADVOCACY WINS: Your engagement has driven policy changes, ensuring coverage for follow-up colonoscopies and securing increased funding for colorectal cancer initiatives.

PATIENT SUPPORT & EDUCATION EXPANSION: Your contributions have broadened our patient support and educational resources, reaching millions online.

AWARENESS & OUTREACH SUCCESS: Thanks to your efforts, our awareness campaigns have educated more communities on prevention and early detection.

This report not only celebrates our successes but also showcases our future endeavors. We recognize the ongoing challenges for all community members -from the newly diagnosed who had to fight for screening to those who fell outside the recommended screening age – and whatever part of your journey you’re in, we’re fighting alongside as relentless champions of hope.

Your continued support is crucial as we strive toward a world where colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable, and beatable.

We are proud to walk alongside you in this fight. Together, we’re making significant progress on our Path to a Cure for colorectal cancer.

Yours in the fight,

ANJEE DAVIS, MPPA

President, Fight Colorectal Cancer

download the 2023 impact report

staff

board of directors

Funding Research

TEMPUS FELLOWSHIP

Our annual $150,000 investment in a three-year research fellowship at Tempus is transforming colorectal cancer treatment. Leveraging Al and precision medicine, the fellowship provides access to Tempus’ anonymized data and tools to uncover new insights and address research gaps. This initiative focuses on areas previously unexplored, aiming to enhance scientific knowledge and patient care. Our goal is to translate these breakthroughs into personalized, more effective treatments for colorectal cancer patients.

CGA-IGC EARLY CAREER AWARD

We’ve partnered with the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer (CGA-IGC) to fund Timothy Yen, MD from Loma Linda University in his innovative colorectal and hereditary gastrointestinal cancers research. Dr. Yen’s work, particularly on electronic health record interventions, aims to improve communication about familial colorectal cancer risks. His research is vital for advancing care and advocacy for patients with inherited colorectal cancer syndromes and early age onset colorectal cancer.

Fight CRC’s Research Advocacy Training Support (RATS) program aims to arm participants with the tools they need to sit at the table with researchers and give them insight into the patient perspective.

Research Advocacy

This year, our RATS program members sat on over 30 different boards and panels, including the Stand Up 2 Cancer Dream Team Advisory Council, Food and Drug Administration Council of Patients, Department of Defense Review Committees, and National Cancer Institute Colon and Rectal Task Forces and Committees.

These research advocates also spoke at several events and were published in several renowned research publications.

Champion Recognition

Phuong Gallagher, who leads our Research Advocacy Training and Support (RATS) Program, was honored with the prestigious 2023 Ellen L. Stovall Award for Innovation in Patient-Centered Cancer Care, specifically the Patient Advocate Award, by the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. Phuong is a distinguished national advocate who tirelessly collaborates with doctors, advocacy groups, and researchers, dedicating her efforts to enhancing awareness, fostering self advocacy, and advancing research in the field.

Cancer Grand Challenge

We are thrilled to announce that Fight CRC President Anjee Davis was selected to represent the United States on the Cancer Grand Challenges Advocacy Panel. This prestigious role involves participating in the review of $100 million in grant funding aimed at uniting global researchers in the fight against cancer. Anjee’s involvement underscores our commitment to global collaboration and innovation in cancer research.

Advocacy

We stand by the importance of collaboration in the fight against colorectal cancer. No one person or organization is going to find the cure.

Here are some of the ways Fight CRC has combined forces with others to create impact:

Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum White House Meeting
Congressional Colorectal Cancer Caucus Colorectal Cancer Briefing
Call-on Congress
United in Blue
Catalyst State-by-State Advocacy Program

Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum

This meeting was a milestone for the colorectal cancer community. Fight CRC President Anjee Davis, Survivor Phuong Gallagher, and Board Member Dr. Fola May discussed our achievements and ongoing challenges in combating colorectal cancer. Simone Ledward Boseman, caregiver and artist, shared a moving narrative highlighting the personal impact of the disease on families. These gatherings are essential, strengthening our shared commitment to fight colorectal cancer.

“We have to be a squeaky wheel. And we have to respond to the call to action that the president has put in front of us. We cannot be afraid to tackle the second leading cause of cancer deaths in our country and hold our leaders accountable for investing in this cancer because we have to be able to provide access to care for all.”
– Anjee Davis, Fight CRC President

Congressional Colorectal Cancer Caucus

On Capitol Hill, Fight CRC expanded the Congressional Colorectal Cancer Caucus, increasing its membership from five to 14.

Rep. Donald Payne, Jr., who lost his father to colorectal cancer in 2012, co-hosted a Colorectal Cancer Briefing in May 2023 with Fight CRC. We are grateful for Rep. Payne’s work as a congressional champion of hope in the fight against colorectal cancer.

Call-on Congress

Call-on Congress participants play a key role in driving policy change by directly engaging with legislators and influencing decisions that can improve colorectal cancer prevention, treatment, and funding at the national level.

As survivors, caregivers, and advocates unite, their voices become powerful agents of change. Their stories humanize the statistics, inspiring lawmakers to take action.

United in Blue Rally

Nearly 200 volunteers mobilized to place over 27,000 blue flags, representing the number of people under age so projected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2030, on the National Mall.

Together, relentless champions of hope gathered with other advocacy organizations, members of Congress, members of industry, and our medical and research community to shine a light on the urgency of making colorectal cancer a national priority. We also honored and remembered more than 700 colorectal cancer patients and loved ones with their names, photos, and messages projected on screen at the installation site.

Catalyst State-by-State Advocacy Program

New Jersey and New York governors signed into law a bill that required health insurers to cover colorectal cancer screenings recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and eliminate cost-sharing for required follow-up colonoscopies after an abnormal non-invasive screening test with the goal of improving screening rates across New Jersey and New York.

Relentlessly Demanding More

In November 2022, after a dedicated advocacy campaign from Fight CRC, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule to ensure that seniors will not face out-of-pocket costs for a colonoscopy after an abnormal noninvasive screening test. This built on similar policy changes at the state level, as well as guidance from the federal government requiring commercial health insurance plans to cover the follow-up colonoscopy as well.

Fight CRC took on UnitedHealthcare’s proposed colonoscopy authorization program, backed by over 1,000 advocate messages, and we successfully delayed its implementation. Our advocacy efforts are committed to influencing policies to ensure access to care for our community.

learn more about the catalyst program

Education

Resource Distribution

Throughout the year, we continue reaching patients and loved ones with our resources, both online and in hand. Here’s a snapshot our our reach.

Screening Education
15,077 Brochures distributed
50,000+ Quiz completions

Biomarker Education
813 Brochures distributed
573 Mini Magazines* distributed

Clinical Trial Education
791 Brochures distributed
2,000 Clinical Trial Finder clicks

Digital Resources
921 Provider searches
67,654 Resources viewed
55,433 Resources downloaded
1,000,000 Blog views

Beyond Blue magazine

Our biannual magazine, written for survivors, caregivers, and loved ones by a survivor, featured the topics of health justice (Spring) and survivorship (Fall): real-life issues that matter most to our community.

Volunteers, known as resource champions, distributed over 3,000 copies of Beyond Blue in their local communities, and more than 700 copies were ordered from our online store.

Community of Champions

Our private, online space is a collection of practical ideas, stories, and resources for people living with colorectal cancer and their families.

With more than 11,500 contributions in the last year – from likes to treatment questions to celebrating victories – it’s become our fastest-growing platform!

Your Guide in the Fight Meetups

These meetups are online gatherings open to anyone within the colorectal cancer community: patients, caregivers, loved ones, and medical professionals. Everyone is welcome. Wherever you are in the colorectal cancer continuum, we’re here to offer support.

This year, we increased the number of meetups from two to three per month, reaching 10-15 people per meetup (around 50 a month!). We also created meetup events within the Community of Champions, so everything you need can be found in one place.

Webinars

In FY23, we hosted eight webinars, reaching nearly 400 live viewers. We hosted experts and covered topics important to our community, including ASCO Recaps with Dr. Cathy Eng, how to be active with an ostomy, and oral health and colorectal cancer treatment.

The Colon Club

In early 2023, we announced our merger with The Colon Club, and the process was completed in July 2023. For many years, leaders of the two organizations have formed close relationships, and advocates in both groups have shared their stories and worked together to create change.

Looking ahead, we will maximize our impact and expand our reach in the early-age onset colorectal cancer community by joining forces to:

Build an even stronger, strategic network for early-age onset colorectal cancer survivors.
Find new and innovative ways to raise awareness.
Continue hosting Colon Camp to offer survivors support and advocacy training.
Train and mobilize young CRC survivors and caregivers to raise their voices locally and nationally.

The Colon Club will operate as a program of Fight Colorectal Cancer.

Awareness

Ambassador Program

The 2023 Fight CRC Ambassador program, featuring 13 survivors and two caregivers, is an essential initiative for healing and empowerment. By bringing them together at the Ambassador Retreat in Branson, Missouri, we provided a space for sharing personal stories, engaging in advocacy training, and creating art through ScART. This experience equips our ambassadors to return home energized, ready to activate their online and in-person networks, and effectively raise awareness about colorectal cancer in their communities.

The ambassadors’ efforts resonated nationwide, from organizing awareness events to collectively generating over $15,000 for the 2022 End of Year campaign.

Highlights include:

Dinah Martinez, the mother of Carol Rivera, who passed in November, hosted an awareness event at Santa Maria del Camino, the school where she teaches.
Denise Johnson partnered with Chocolate Sisters to raise awareness at the Wakanda Forever viewing premiere.
Michael Stern hosted a Dress in Blue Day with his city of Aventura colleagues.
Pam Allen held a Fight CRC awareness booth in her city of Elberton.
Michael Holtz surpassed his No-Shave November goal and dyed his beard blue in honor of the achievement.

Climb for a Cure

Climb for a Cure marked its seventh year in 2022. We honored survivors, loved ones, advocates, and caregivers nationwide. Climb for a Cure is an opportunity to heal and fight alongside a community of champions – it is a reminder that no one fights alone.

From across the country – and now globally, with #relentlessclimber Chad Schrack, one of the Climb for a Cure co-founders reaching new heights at Mount Kilimanjaro – Climb for a Cure celebrates continued tenacity, grit, and resilience of the entire colorectal cancer community.

We are a community of relentless champions who’ll never stop reaching new heights.

Community Events

Survivors, caregivers, and loved ones hosted events across the country year round to raise awareness and funds for the fight against colorectal cancer.

EVAN WHITE MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT

The friends of Evan White, a Fight CRC ambassador who passed away in 2021, host an annual bar crawl in his honor to fundraise for Fight CRC. Evan’s friends added a memorial golf tournament to reach even more members of their community. Hosted in the Dallas, Texas, area, the event was a huge success, raising over $11,000 !

Swing Fore the Cause

Ed and Darla Stratton, married for more than 35 years with two daughters, faced an incredible blow after Ed’s April 2019 colon cancer diagnosis. In September 2022, Darla and Ed hosted Swing Fore the Cause to raise awareness and funds for Fight CRC. Through their TopGolf event in Chesterfield, Missouri, the Strattons raised almost $40,000 for the fight to end colorectal cancer.

No-Shave November Shave-Off

After her husband Bob’s diagnosis in 2016, Marlene Ceragno searched for an organization where people could make donations in honor of his 60th birthday. She found Fight CRC.

For the past seven years, family, friends, and the people of North Bergen, New Jersey, and surrounding towns have remembered Bob’s story and continue to rally around him today.

No-Shave November culminated with Cergano’s annual Shave-Off event on November 29, 2022, raising awareness and more than $5,000 for Fight CRC for the fight against colorectal cancer.

Financials

Current Assets

Assets	2022	2022
Cash	1,197,636	2,153,409
Contribution Receivable	776,125	696,138
Investments	1,008,620	932,572
Prepaid Expenses	116,760	11,764
Total Current Assets	3,750,670	3,793,883

property & equipment

Cost	247,681	220,531
Less accumulated depreciation	-144,466	-91,856
Net property and equipment	103,215	128,675

Other Assets

Contributions receivable, long term	130,000	539,109
Operating lease right-of-use assets	433,703	–
Total Other Assets	563,703	539,109

Liabilities & net assets

Accounts Payable	186,370	134,990
Accrued Expenses	131,598	122,141
Current portion of operating lease liabilities	66,751	–
Total Current Liabilities	384,719	257,131
Long-term operating lease liabilities	372,378	–

net assets

Without donor restrictions	2,604,039	2,824,766
With donor restrictions	1,056,452	1,379,770
Total net assets	3,660,491	4,204,536
Total liabilities & Net assets	4,417,588	4,461,667

public support & revenues

	Without Donor Restrictions	With Donor Restrictions	2023 Total	2022 Total
Contributions & grants	2,409,524	17,874	2,427,398	2,411,106
Special events revenue	178,994	–	178,994	142,565
Less cost of direct benefit to donors	42,851	–	42,851	73,317
Net special events	136,143	–	136,143	69,248
Investment income (loss), net	143,963	–	143,963	(65,022)
Other income	394,704	–	394,704	38,116
Total public support & revenues	3,084,334	17,874	3,102,208	2,453,448
Net assets released from restrictions	341,192	(341,192)	–	–
Total	3,425,526	(323,318)	3,102,208	2,453,448

program Expenses

	Without Donor Restrictions	With Donor Restrictions	2023 Total	2022 Total
Volunteer	123,949	–	123,949	–
Awareness	877,810	–	877,810	715,030
Advocacy	891,065	–	891,065	875,232
Research	283,005	–	283,005	372,296
Education	877,523	–	877,523	600,278
Total	3,053,352	–	3,053,352	2,562,836

supporting services expenses

	Without Donor Restrictions	With Donor Restrictions	2023 Total	2022 Total
Management & general	380,968	–	380,968	217,309
Fundraising	211,933	–	211,933	177,158
Total Program Services	592,901	–	592,901	394,467
Total	3,646,253	–	3,646,253	2,957,303

other expenses

	Without Donor Restrictions	With Donor Restrictions	2023 Total	2022 Total
Loss on disposition of property & equip.	–	–	–	(15,786)
Decrease in net assets	(220,727)	(323,318)	(544,045)	(519,641)
net assets – beginning of year	2,824,766	1,379,770	4,204,536	4,724,177
net assets – end of year	2,604,039	1,056,452	3,660,491	4,204,536

990 Fiscal Year Filings

Previous Years’ Impact Reports

Our Annual Impact Report displays the powerful work of our advocates and the organization. We show the stories, faces, and numbers. We’ve seen remarkable growth over the years.