American Cancer Society

Nearly everyone involved with the American Cancer Society has been touched by cancer—either as a survivor themselves or through a friend or family member, according to Robin Brown, the San Diego chapter’s director of marketing and communications. This is especially true of the society’s extensive volunteer community. “Volunteers come to us through a cancer experience,” he says, adding that they are motivated to help in any way of their own. “Not everyone can be a Ph.D. and do research in a lab, but all of us can do something.”

There are certainly a lot of “somethings” that need to be done in order to keep the organization running. After all, the American Cancer Society has a big mission to fulfill. In short, the nationwide community-based organization hopes to both eliminate cancer as a major health problem and diminish suffering from cancer.

The society has a number of initiatives in place to help with that mission. On the research front, it is the largest source of private, nonprofit cancer research funds in the United States, second only to the federal government. In fact, since 1946, the American Cancer Society has invested about $3 billion in cancer research.

Educational efforts include teaching the public about cancer risks, early detection methods and prevention. The society’s advocacy efforts work to strengthen our nation’s laws, regulations and programs in many ways, from increasing federal funding for cancer research to improving access to information and treatment.

The society also offers support and service programs that cover a wide range of patient needs—from connecting patients with other survivors to providing patients a place to stay when treatment facilities are far from home.

In each case, volunteers are essential. In fact, many programs, such as Man to Man, which helps men cope with prostate cancer, and Reach to Recovery, which helps people cope with breast cancer, would not run without the help of volunteers. For the Man to Man program, volunteers organize monthly meetings to discuss topics such as treatments, side effects and coping. The San Diego chapter also offers one-on-one visits with prostate cancer survivors. Similarly, Reach to Recovery connects volunteer breast cancer survivors with current breast cancer patients.

With so many needs, there is a place for everyone. As Brown points out, some volunteers want to be behind the scenes, while others prefer providing hands-on help to patients. Either way, he says, “there’s always a need for [more] volunteers.”

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