ACS Mission Statement
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community- based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.

Organization
The American Cancer Society, Inc., consists of a national Society, with chartered Divisions throughout the country and more than 3,400 local Units.

The National American Cancer Society
The national Society is responsible for overall planning and coordination of public and professional education; providing technical help and materials to Divisions and Units; and administering programs of research, medical grants, and clinical fellowships. The National Board of Directors includes representatives from the Divisions and from the general public.

Volunteers
More than two million volunteers carry out the Society's mission of eliminating cancer and improving quality of life for those facing the disease. These dedicated volunteers donate their time and talents to further cancer research; educate the public about early detection and prevention; advocate for responsible cancer legislation in the local, state, and federal governments; and serve cancer patients and their families to help make the cancer experience a little easier.

How the American Cancer Society Fights Cancer

Research
The aim of the Society's research program is to determine the causes of cancer and to support efforts to prevent and cure the disease. The American Cancer Society is the largest source of private, nonprofit cancer research funds in the US, second only to the federal government in total dollars spent.

Beginning in 1946 with $1 million, the Society’s research program has invested $2.5 billion in cancer research. The Society has funded 38 Nobel Prize winners early in their careers.

The research program focuses primarily on peer-reviewed projects initiated by beginning investigators working in leading medical and scientific institutions across the country. The research program consists of three components: extramural grants, intramural epidemiology and surveillance research, and the intramural behavioral research center.

Education
Knowing the facts about cancer can save lives. With both prevention and early detection information, people can take an active role in how cancer affects them.

Primary cancer prevention means taking the necessary precautions to prevent the occurrence of cancer. Prevention programs are designed to help adults and children make healthy lifestyle choices that continue throughout life. The Society's programs focus primarily on:

• Tobacco control
• Relationship between diet and physical activity and cancer
• Comprehensive school health education
• Skin cancer reduction
• Regular medical checkups and recommended cancer screenings

In addition to taking proactive steps to help prevent the disease, it’s important to know how cancer is found and what screening options are available and appropriate. Finding cancer in the earliest stage possible gives the patient the greatest chance of survival. For this reason, the Society seeks to provide the public and health care professionals with the latest cancer resources to help them make informed decisions. Through national conferences and workshops, audiovisual and print publications, a Web site (www.cancer.org), and the National Cancer Information Center (1-800-ACS-2345), the Society works hard to reach everyone with this lifesaving information.

Patient Services
Because cancer takes a toll on the person diagnosed as well as family and friends, the American Cancer Society offers support and service programs to try to lessen the impact. These programs cover a wide range of needs – from connecting patients with survivors to providing a place to stay when treatment facilities are far from home.

Advocacy
Cancer is a medical, social, psychological, and economic issue, and it’s also a political issue. Policymakers at all levels of government make decisions every day that impact the lives of nearly nine million cancer survivors, their families, and all potential cancer patients. The Society's advocacy efforts strive to influence public policies at all levels, with special emphasis on laws or regulations relating to:

• The use, sale, distribution, marketing, and advertising of tobacco products, particularly to youth
• Improved access for all Americans, particularly poor and underserved Americans, to a range of health care services for the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer
• Increased federal funding and incentives for private sponsorship of cancer research to prevent and cure cancer
• The rights of cancer survivors

American Cancer Society advocacy volunteers, as part of a community-based grassroots network, drive this successful initiative. This network also includes other collaborators who have influenced or supported laws and regulations furthering the fight against cancer.

The men of Alpha Epsilon Pi are proud to be associated with the American Cancer Society through their bi-annual Rock-A-Thon event which has raised more then $120,000 during their last 4 Rock-A-Thon events.