On behalf of everyone at Beat Cancer Family Foundation, I’d like to wish you a 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫!

2019 was a 𝗕𝗜𝗚 year for BCFF – We celebrated our 20th anniversary as a foundation in July, developed and implemented our Vaping and E-cigarette programing, introduced elementary cancer education, and reached over 16,000 students with our message around cancer prevention, early detection, and the importance of being body aware. To better articulate our message, in December we announced our recent name change to Beat Cancer Family Foundation. I am 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 proud of all that we achieved in what was an epic year for our organization.

Rest assured, 2020 will be another important year for our foundation as we amplify our message of education on all cancers through our classroom programing, updated name, social media channels, monthly newsletters, and our overall community offerings. Every month you can look forward to education on a specific cancer awareness for that month. Make no mistake; 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. In fact, you will continue to see our signature event, the Pink Pumpkin Walk/Run in the fall and our month long celebration in October. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Our New Year’s wish is that you join our journey by learning, educating, and making 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛𝗬 changes over the upcoming year. The truth is, we can do everything right and still get a cancer diagnosis. By leading a healthy lifestyle, getting your cancer screenings, and knowing the signs and symptoms to look for, you can position yourself to fight cancer to the best of your ability; and in some cases, beat it! 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲!

~Diane Gaywont

Executive Director | Beat Cancer Family Foundation

Big Announcement! We are very excited to announce that the Breast Cancer Family Foundation is renaming to Beat Cancer Family Foundation (BCFF). BCFF was founded by Kris Labutzke in 1999 after experiencing the effects of breast cancer first hand.  Over the years, BCFF has developed into being a primary resource for cancer prevention and education in our community. Today, our programing reaches over 18,000 students and adults annually with an educational focus on awareness of all cancers, early detection, prevention strategies, and the importance of being body aware.  This name change allows us to better articulate our important mission.   More than just a new name. It’s an opportunity for us to better communicate the scope of our mission and clearly share education around all types of cancer in an informative way. Our new name will now become a monthly call to action by having the word “Family” change color based on the focus of awareness for that month. Starting in January, you will receive focused education on different types of cancer through our social media channels, monthly newsletters, and in the classroom when we present to students. We are still the same organization. Although our name has changed, our mission has not! We will continue to educate the youth and adults in the community about the connection between cancer and lifestyle choices. Education is at the core of everything we do!! Thank you for being an active part of our mission in the community over the past years and we look forward to working with you in the future! 2020 will be an excellent year!

Everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer, and with each person’s experience there is a story.  Our hope is that it is a story of triumph, but we also know that is not always the case.  In either scenario, we can all agree that cancer takes the lives of TOO many people each year.  

There is hope.  Applying proven prevention and early detection strategies could prevent nearly half of all cancer deaths.  At the Breast Cancer Family Foundation, we are committed to educating our community on prevention choices that we can do now to lower our risk of cancer.  Although there is not a sure way to prevent cancer, by changing habits that are under our control, we can position ourselves to fight cancer should we ever hear those words.

In January 2019 it was announced that cancer deaths are down by 25% in the United States.  {WOW!} This is an incredible statistic and is a result of multiple factors such as the decrease in tobacco smoking, early detection and treatment, and overall awareness around being body aware.  Yes, we are making a difference!

So how did we get here?

Kris Labutzke founded the Breast Cancer Family Foundation (BCFF) in 1999 after being touched by cancer not only as a survivor, but also as a caregiver. She created the foundation with an initial focus on helping women, families, caregivers, and survivors of breast cancer.   It was from this vision and 20 years of community involvement that the Breast Cancer Family Foundation has evolved into what it is today!

• 1999 Breast Cancer Family Foundation was formed
• 2001 BCFF added a school-based program to educate middle school and high school students about cancer prevention.  Although not known at the time, this would later become the focus and a foundational aspect of the organization.  EDUCATION!
• 2007 Dr. Lora Warner of Planning and Evaluation Associated conducted a community study and confirmed that BCFF was the only provider of school-based education programs on cancer.  She is quoted by saying that “this is a distinct area of strength for the Breast Cancer Family Foundation and a strong contribution to the community.”
• 2008 BCFF hosted their first annual Pink Pumpkin Run as a way to honor Breast Cancer Survivors and to raise funds for their programs.
• 2014 BCFF expanded their school-based programing to Central Wisconsin through the support of Team Schierl Companies.
• 2019 BCFF will be implementing their very first elementary grade school programing to help strengthen the foundation for our youth around how to lead a cancer-free healthy lifestyle!

To date, over 113,000 students have heard our mission in the classroom!  This is a number that at one point was simply a dream.  But, as of the end of the recent school year, it has been a dream come TRUE.  Every time we enter a classroom we have an opportunity to make a difference in their lives.

We cannot always measure habit changes.

But we can see the impact on their faces.

When we hear from a mother whose cancer was caught early because of our card with screening information that went home… WE ARE MAKING AN IMPACT!

When we tell a child that they can hug their grandma who has cancer because it’s not contagious… WE ARE MAKING AN IMPACT!

When we share stories about early detection and simple ways our youth can lead cancer-free lifestyles… WE ARE MAKING AN IMPACT!

As we come to the close of our birthday month, I want to leave you with a call to action to JOIN US!  Join us in this fight against cancer.  We CAN make a difference and we CAN impact the ending to the story of cancer.

How can I get involved?

• SUPPORT our education programing by becoming a monthly or one time donor. 
• VOLUNTEER at one of our events.  We are always looking for volunteers to help support our fundraising events in the community.  We know that your time is valuable and we are always honored when you choose to spend it with us!  From Titletown Bike Tour in July to our multiple Pink Pumpkin Runs in October, there is something for everyone to get involved!
• CPE (Cancer Prevention Education) AMBASSADORS of our mission are key to spreading awareness of our foundation.  Being a CPE Ambassador means being a mission sharing community member around cancer awareness and education.  This may be someone who helps connect us to resources or someone who has been invited to join our Board of Directors. 

No matter where you are in life, there is a way to be a part of our movement in the community.  We know that cancer is not easy, and neither is our fight.  More than ever before, our youth is craving a new kind healthy and it does not include cancer.  Together, with your help, we can help make this happen!

We’ve accomplished a lot in 20 years.  I cannot wait to see what the next 20 years brings!  Happy Birthday BCFF!

To learn more about our mission and ways to get involved, visit www.bcff.org

~Diane Gaywont | Executive Director