Join us for a weekend of PINK events!

Saturday 10am-2pm: The Ashwaubenon Fire Fighters will be showing off their Pink Boots at the food court entrance outside Bay Park Square Mall!

Saturday: Apricot Lane will be hosting their PINK fundraising event.  10% off everything in the store with 10% of the net proceeds coming back to BCFF! Come early… because the first 25 people will also get a free swag bag with purchase!

Sunday 6pm: Power of PINK is happening!  This is a yoga event like no other!  Come at 6 and give a $15 donation and you’ll be joining several amazing people as we do yoga for a cause!

Monday Tailgate Party: Join Under the Lights of Lambeau for their annual pink tale gate party!

The number of skin cancer diagnosis’s are on the rise for a variety of reason.  People are more aware and educated (E.G the work we do at the Breast Cancer Family Foundation), longer lifespans (the sun damage that leads to skin cancers generally accumulates over time), the ozone changes, clothing trends leaving more skin exposed than ever before, and of course tanning booths. Bottom line, we all need vitamin D from UV rays. After reaching our limit though, exposure to UV rays can actually be harmful to us buy breaking down our vitamin D. Adequate amounts of Vitamin D can be obtained safely and cheaply through food and dietary supplements without the risk associated with overexposure of UV Radiation. Wearing sunscreen  helps lower our risk for overexposure and lowers our cancer risk by nearly 40-50 percent and does not cause vitamin D deficiencies. Are you wearing your sun protection this weekend?

Everyone likes to view their generation as a positive contributor to society.  A generation that will leave a lasting impact on the world.  Just like you, I have hope for not only my generation, but our children’s generation.  The sobering fact is, for the first time in history, our children’s generation is not predicted to outlive their parents. This is a statement that simply cannot be ignored.  Why is this? What can we do to stop this from being a reality?

Let’s begin with the WHY.
For starters, life is so different for our youth today than it was when we were growing up.  Technology has invaded their lives and foods have significant amounts of chemicals and sugar pumped into them.  From a time and generation where family sat around a table eating food from the local farmer and veggies from the garden in their backyards to a time and generation where we drive around a building and grab food from outside a window to eat in our cars.  Things are simply DIFFERENT.

WHAT can we do about it?
Every generation has their challenges, but our current youth has a significant amount of challenges that they cannot beat alone.  We need to be stewards of good information for them so they can be equipped with the knowledge to fight this war and hopefully beat it.  At the Breast Cancer Family Foundation, we speak to middle school and high school students about cancer and the connection between their current lifestyle choices and cancer risk.  With cancer being the second leading cause of death in the United States, this is a topic that we simply cannot ignore! The solution starts with prevention.

While in the classroom, we have a small amount of time to share our mission and impact our students in a positive way that brings about change.  From defining what cancer is to understanding that 70% of our choices in life affect our health stories, this is a challenge worth taking on!  In the state of Wisconsin, students are only required to have one semester of health during their four years of high school.  For some, they complete this requirement while in 8th grade. As we go into the classrooms, we consistently hear from teachers the challenges they face with this requirement such as material (it’s always changing) and simply being able to impact the children at a time when they need the information the most!  At the Breast Cancer Family Foundation, we seek to bridge this gap.

Their FUTURE is in our hands.
Our children are demanding a better world for them.  It is our job to listen to this calling and be stewards of hope in this world.  While our mission at the Breast Cancer Family Foundation is cancer related, I like to think that our educators are impacting these students far beyond just cancer.  We talk about having a trusted adult in their lives, being involved in community through volunteerism, and knowing that they have influence over not only their peers, but adults in their lives. They are not just a “dumb” millennial generation, they are courageous and fearless future leaders!  When you redefine what that means for them, looking at how they can reduce their cancer risks through lifestyle choices becomes much clearer and more importantly, easier!

As adults, in a world calling for change, we have a large responsibility and obligation to our youth.  Please join us in our mission to encourage healthy cancer-free lifestyles for our community.  They need our help! Their futures are in our hands!

To learn more about our education program, click here! 

2017 was a great year!  This past year brought significant growth for our foundation as we set out and exceeded our goal to educate over 10,000 students in Northeast and Central Wisconsin.  We are passionate about cancer prevention and awareness education, which is why we continue to grow our goals each year. Thank you to the educators in our community who invite us into their classroom time and time again.  Your support of our mission speaks to our very hearts!

Beyond the classroom! Although classroom education is our primary program and passion, we also seek to educate the entire community! In 2017 we had the opportunity to present to over 1,000 adults at businesses and clubs!  With a focus on early detection and ways to reduce our risk, our hope is that we are changing the story on cancer locally.  Healthy living continues to be a growing trend!

Live our mission out loud!  We strongly believe in living our mission out loud for all to see.  Healthy living is an active mission and one that our entire team and board of directors take seriously.  Because of that, we continue to host two large events (Titletown Bike Tour in July and Pink Pumpkin 5k in October)  within the community that encourage families and friends to lead healthy cancer-free lifestyles.  Stay tuned for 2018 as we have some exciting additions coming for both events!

Together, with your help, we can change the ending to the story of cancer. It’s true that you can do everything right and still get cancer.  However, healthy living lowers your risk and enables you to fight (and possibly beat it) should you be diagnosed.   Each time we enter a classroom, we increase awareness and provide hope on changing the current trends.

THANK YOU for your support!  Thank you for your support of our mission in the community.  We could not move the needle of change without people like YOU.  From volunteering to financial giving, it all adds up and matters.  From our hearts to yours, THANK YOU!

Happy New Year!

As the weather begins to warm up and the sun is out more, I cannot help but be anxious about the thought of spending more time outdoors with my family.  May is always a month where I find myself looking for ways to refresh my routine and bring a new spring to my step.  Can you relate?  

May is also known as Melanoma Awareness Month.  Did you know that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States? With our skin being our largest organ, skin cancer is no joke! Please make sure that your using sunscreen, even on those cloudy days! 

At the Breast Cancer Family Foundation, we are closing in on the end of another great school year!  We are thankful for the many opportunities we had to influence our community. Our impact does not stop here though!  Summertime brings camps, day programs, summer school, and our personal favorite, the Titletown Bike Tour! Living a cancer-free healthy lifestyle is a year-round mission for us!  Please join us by getting involved in your community, signing up for an event, and by helping us end cancer with education!

Breast Cancer Family Foundation (BCFF), a local non-profit organization providing educational presentations on cancer awareness and prevention, is pleased to announce the appointment of Diane Gaywont as Executive Director.

“I am honored and thrilled to be taking on the leadership role of BCFF’s Executive Director.” said Gaywont. “My previous roles have supported and challenged me to be the person and leader I am today. I feel my career history, growth, and development—both personally and professionally—have been preparing me for this opportunity. I am looking forward to building onto the already great foundation that’s been established as we continue to be the top provider of cancer prevention education in the state of Wisconsin.”

Diane brings more than 10 years of leadership and project management experience and a passion for promoting health and wellness to BCFF. Prior to becoming Executive Director of BCFF, Gaywont held positions both in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, most recently as the Director of Operations at myTEAM TRIUMPH. Gaywont assumes the position with BCFF with valuable experience in leadership, organizational structure, marketing, community outreach, fundraising, and communication skills.

“It is with great pleasure that the Board of Directors of the BCFF welcomes and introduces Diane Gaywont on as the new Executive Director of the BCFF,” said Dr. Ed Lin, President of BCFF’s Board of Directors. “The Board of the BCFF feels very fortunate to be able to bring on an Executive Director with Diane’s knowledge and experience from the non-profit sector. In addition, her strong leadership and organizational skills and, most importantly, her passion to want to help others will be a great addition to help the BCFF continue to move forward with the goal of educating the children in our communities to live a healthy and cancer-free lifestyles.”

Gaywont graduated from St. Norbert College with a B.A in Psychology and Sociology. She has a strong commitment to her community and passion for volunteerism. Diane resides in Green Bay with her husband, Shawn, and two children, Ayden and Madison.

Spring is here which means warmer weather is right around the corner!  Here at BCFF we are looking forward getting outside and soaking up some vitamin D!

Spring is a great time of year to have fresh starts and new beginnings, especially in relationship to our lifestyle choices. How does changing habits like diet and exercise affect your risk for cancer? Much more than you might think. Research has shown that poor diet and not being active are 2 key factors that can increase a person’s cancer risk. The good news is that you do something about this.  TODAY is a great day to be the change you hope to see not only in yourself, but your family members and friends.

As you begin the month of April we encourage you to seek out community events that help you reach your goals!  Titletown Bike Tour is a great place to start as we offer distances from a family friendly 15K all the way up to a full century ride!  If bike riding is not for you, consider joining us in October for our 10th annual Pink Pumpkin Walk!  This is an event that brings our mission to life in a way that you have never seen before.  From survivor stories to the pumpkin patch, there is something for everyone to enjoy! No matter what goals you choose, make sure to share your goals with friends and family to help keep you accountable.  Having a positive support system is key to making lifestyle changes!

Together, we got this!