American Cancer Society, Contra Costa
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives from cancer, and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.
Description:
Your local American Cancer Society office in Pleasant Hill serves the entire county of Contra Costa. We are open 9am-5pm on weekdays, except holidays. Walk-ins are welcome.
At our office, we offer cancer information and free programs to support cancer patients and their caregivers in a variety of ways. We are also able to fit patients for wigs, hats and scarves which are donated and offered for free to patients.
Our office houses several staff committed to fundraising, community education, and staff support. We work with medical professionals, researchers, local businesses and community organizations, as well as volunteers of all ages to cooperatively fight cancer in Contra Costa County. We are part of the California Division of the American Cancer Society, a nation-wide organization whose impact can be seen even internationally. We believe that having cancer is hard, and finding help shouldn't be.
History:
The American Cancer Society was founded in 1913 as the American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC) by 15 prominent physicians and business leaders in New York City. It was one of the most remarkable moments in the history of public health.
In those early days, cancer was rarely mentioned in public. The disease was steeped in a climate of fear and denial. Cancer claimed 75,000 lives a year in the United States alone. The Society's founders knew they had to raise public awareness if progress was to be made. The number of doctors, nurses, patients and family members who had to be reached was overwhelming. Despite the enormity of their task, the founders and their colleagues set about writing articles for popular magazines and professional journals, publishing Campaign Notes (a monthly bulletin of cancer information), and recruiting physicians throughout the country to help educate the public.
In 1936, Marjorie G. Illig, an ASCC field representative and chair of the General Federation of Women's Clubs Committee on Public Health, made an extraordinary suggestion. She proposed creating a legion of new volunteers whose sole purpose was to wage war on cancer. The Women's Field Army, as this organization came to be called, was an enormous success. Its recruits donned khaki uniforms, complete with insignia of rank and achievement, and canvassed the streets to raise money and help educate the public. Clarence Little, the ASCC's managing director at the time, wrote that "In 1935 there were 15,000 people active in cancer control throughout the United States. At the close of 1938, there were ten times that number." More than anything else, it was the Women's Field Army that moved the Society to the forefront of voluntary health organizations.
In 1945, the ASCC was reorganized as the American Cancer Society. It was the beginning of a new era for the organization and, in many ways, for the country as a whole. World War II was over, the single greatest threat to modern democracy had been defeated, and the nation could at last focus on the enemy at home. Many believed it was time for another bold move. In 1946, Mary Lasker and her colleagues met this challenge by raising more than $4 million for the Society - $1 million of which was used to establish the Society's research program.
Over the years, scientists supported by the American Cancer Society have established the link between cancer and smoking; demonstrated the effectiveness of the Pap smear; developed cancer fighting drugs and biological response modifiers such as interferon; dramatically increased the cure rate for childhood leukemia; proved the safety and effectiveness of mammography; and much, much more. All told, the Society has committed over $3 billion to research, funding 42 Nobel Prize winners.
Another historical point of interest is the use of the sword as a symbol for the American Cancer Society. The sword had its origin in a nationwide poster contest in 1928 sponsored by the national society, then called American Society for the Control of Cancer. George E. Durant of Brooklyn, who won the contest, explained that he selected the sword to express the crusading spirit of the cancer control movement. The twin-serpent caduceus, which forms the handle of the sword emphasizes the medical and scientific nature of the Society's program. Classically, twined serpents represent healing of the sick and creativity of the healthy. Since 1928, the American Cancer Society has used the sword as its symbol as it continues to champion the causes of cancer prevention, eliminating suffering from cancer, and saving lives.
Contact person: Vilma Chaffo-Dorantes, Office Manager, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (925) 927-5016
Address:
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1885 Oak Park Blvd.Pleasant Hill, CA 94523(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.cancer.org
Directions:
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Please call for specific directions from your location.
Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Pleasant Hill BART,
Walk distance (in minutes): 20
Nearest Bus Stop: County Connection Lines 102 and 109, 2 minute walk |
| Last updated on August 6, 2009 |
