Today We Host Another Micro Twitterthon

For every new follower of @abolishcancer today, @Broelovindivas will donate $1 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help fight cancer. (up to $500). @abolishcancer starts the day with 50,270 followers.

@abolishcancer started Twitterthons in November of 2009 with the hopes of raising $ and awareness in the fight against cancer. Little did we realize that 16 months later, we would have raised $49,000 for various cancer charities by simply tweeting and following on Twitter. While most of our Twitterthon sponsorships exceed $2,000 we decided to dedicate the month of February to smaller “micro” Twitterthons to allow more people to be involved. Today concludes our micro Twitterthons with the support from @Broelovindivas.

About today's sponsor

Here is how today’s sponsor best describes their site…..

“The Broelovindivas site is in support of the Brady and Chloe pairing from Days of Our Lives. One of their big storylines was the leukemia storyline, where Chloe had cancer. There are many of us that support this pairing and the cause of finding a cure for leukemia. So many of us Broe fans have seen, unfortunately, firsthand what this can do. In a way, we look for the hero (Brady) in our own lives. We want to help this cause because of our devotion to their story, the fans that support them and lost the battle with cancer and leukemia, for Nadia Bjorlin's (Chloe's portrayer) own personal cause, and those still fighting this horrible disease. We hope what we raise during this twitterthon will help find a cure.”

We appreciate @Broelovindivas sponsorship today and the opportunity to raise more awareness and support to end this disease. Contact us at abolishcancer if you would like to partner. Abolishcancer.info@gmail.com

“Power of the People, To UNITE, To @abolishcancer”

Many Thanks!

We are so grateful for our sponsor yesterday @FireHouseAgency in their support of @ChildrensTheOne Hospital in our Twitterthon to benefit @1Million4Anna.

You, our Twitter followers, helped us raise 500 new followers which = $500 to help fight cancer. Since we started our Twitter movement 15 months ago you have helped us raise $49,000 for various cancer charities ALL BY TWEETING & FOLLOWING!

This is not just a web site..... it's a MOVEMENT. A movement to end cancer.

Contact us at abolishcancer.info@gmail.com to partner.

"Power of the People, To UNITE, to @abolishcancer"

Today’s Twitterthon Supports 1 Million Prayers For Anna

As part of our “micro” Twitterthons, @abolishcancer is excited to host another Twitterthon to help raise $ and awareness to fight cancer. Today’s sponsor is @FireHouseAgency who will be supporting @ChildrensTheOne Hospital in honor of Anna Basso. (@1MillionAnna)

For every new follower today of @abolishcancer, $1 is donated to the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas in honor of Anna and all children battling cancer. (Up to $500.) Today we start with 49,775 followers.

Today’s Charity

Below is a brief history of Anna and her movement as described by one of their supporters….

“When 17-year-old Anna Basso was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, inaction was never an option. As doctors at Children’s Medical Center did everything they could to help Anna, Mark Hall, her neighbor and founder of Firehouse Agency, began to think of other ways to help her. The idea came to him almost instantly; if one prayer can help, what can 1 million accomplish? Almost overnight, Firehouse focused all of the agencies resources to make this dream a reality. With a goal of 1 million prayers, the website, http://1millionprayers.com, was started to encourage Anna as she battles Ewing Sarcoma. Participants are asked to sign up or “promise” to pray everyday at 12:12 PM.

Why 12:12? It’s two fold really. First, 12:12 is a direct reference to Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” It’s a call to love in all circumstances, especially in trials. So we pray at 12:12 as a reminder of our joyful hope in the Lord and His healing power, our patience knowing that God is sovereign and in control even in times of trial, and that collectively we will be unwavering in our commitment to lift up Anna and her cancer to the Lord.

So what’s the second reason? We pray at the same time to show our solidarity. Matthew 18:20 says, “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” We ask for people to pray at the same time as a symbol that we have “come together” in His name.

Anna continues her battle, and we continue to pray, with over 650,000 prayers and counting. As we approach the 1-year anniversary of launching this initiative on April 22, 2011, we hope to reach our goal of 1 million prayers for Anna. This Twitterthon aims to continue to raise that prayer count and honor those helping to abolish cancer at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.”

About Our Sponsor

Firehouse Agency is a collection of creative problem solvers who believe that every challenge, big or small, deserves a big idea. This has resulted in an impressive track record of getting (and keeping) brands on the path to success. From radical strategic overhaul to nuanced communication and tactics, we're experts in uncovering meaningful consumer insights and translating them into ideas that make a difference.

Background

@abolishcancer was formed in November 2009 by Darah Bonham who combined his interest in social media and charitable work to create a site that supported cancer charities. Darah created the “twitterthon” which not only raised funds for cancer charities but also created awareness through the extensive tweeting that occurs through one of their sponsored events. Twitterthons combine celebrity support, a generous sponsor, and thousands of tweeters and followers that support cancer charities in their work. Since @abolishcancer started in November of 2009, over $48,000 has been raised for various cancer charities, all BY TWEETING.

@abolishcancer has been fortunate to partner with some great celebrity support for our twitterthons with individuals such as Shannon Tweed, Dina Manzo, Michael Smith, Erin Andrews, Kendra Andrews, Jeri Ryan and Alyssa Milano. It proves that so many are passionate about the need to abolish cancer no matter their age, race, income or gender. We feel at @abolishcancer that social media is providing a platform for a global community to unite in the fight to end cancer.

Resources

Sign up to pray: http://1millionprayers.com

CaringBridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/annabasso

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=371688425882

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/1million4anna

Children’s Medical Center: http://www.childrens.com/

Sponsor: http://www.firehouseagency.com

Sponsor’s Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/firehouseagency

We are thankful to @FirehouseAgency for their support for Anna and all those “in the fight” to abolish this disease.

“Power of the People, To Unite, To @abolishcancer”

Major Awareness Campaign Soon To Be Launched

Over the next couple of weeks a huge, global awareness campaign will be launched. This campaign will unite cancer charities and people from all over the world in a show of support to help abolish this disease.

While we can't quite "unveil" the campaign just yet, we are working with a number of high profile and local comedians to team up with our movement. You can help us by connecting with more comedians to get on board. We are looking for both "headliners" and up-and coming comedians to get involved.

If interested, have them contact us at bonham.darah@gmail.com for more details. Stay tuned...

"Power of the People, To Unite, To @abolishcancer"

Comedians Needed For Upcoming Awareness Campaign

We have a major global awareness campaign set for the upcoming months and are looking for comedians to get involved. While we can't divulge the exact campaign specifics yet, we can tell you that it will be a HUGE awareness campaign that will benefit ALL cancer charities.

We have started to reach out to many of the men and women across the globe that make us laugh with the hopes of them coming on board our movement. Our first comedian, Sarah Colonna, just committed and we are looking for more.

Please contact us at bonham.darah@gmail.com for us to share our ideas. Trust us, it's going to be GREAT!

"Power of the People, To UNITE In The Fight, To @abolishcancer"

An AMAZING Day of Tweeting to Abolish Childhood Cancer

Just over 24 hours ago we kicked off our Twitterthon with @THON hoping to raise a great deal of awareness and $ for this great student-led philanthropic organization based out of Penn State University. What we received in return far exceeded our expectations.

If you are familiar with our Twitterthons, you realize that we get sponsors to donate $1 for every new follower we receive that all goes (100%) to a particular cancer charity or organization on a given day. We worked previously with @THON last January (see previous post) and knew that Friday's Twitterthon would have an incredible amount of support. And it did......

• 4,000 followers in less than 8 hours= $4,000 donated to @THON
• over 6,500 new followers of @abolishcancer
• over 1,000 web site hits of AC linking THON story
• record setting 8 hours to complete Twitterthon
• 600 new followers in first 4 hours, over 3,000 in the next four~from 11a.m. to 2:30p.m.
• thousands of tweets and retweets throughout the day
• numerous celebrity tweets of support

While the statistics of yesterday's Twitterthon were impressive, nothing can describe the passion and energy for which everyone tweeted and retweeted our partnership with @THON. As early as 6a.m. we began to tweet about seeking followers and immediately our community of supporters began to assist. We knew that @THON would bring an army of Penn State University students and alum on board in a tweeting frenzy and they did not disappoint. The Penn State community was buzzing.

Not only did the @THON contingent embrace the campaign but a unique synergy occurred as @abolishcancer followers connected with PSU students in support of a common cause. In the end, the money is always important, but what was more important, as exemplified in yesterday's Twitterthon, was the collaborative effort by cancer fighters across the globe to raise awareness in the fight vs childhood cancer.

All along, this has been our motto, "Power of the People, to UNITE, in the Fight to AbolishCancer!" We believe that the great things that cancer fighting groups like @THON are achieving shouldn't be in isolation from all of the other groups, organizations, and people who are fighting cancer in their own separate ways. Social media has provided a means for all of us to join forces and connect~ a true "global community".

We are also grateful for our celebrity followers and tweeters who helped our awareness campaign yesterday. The following is a brief list of those who helped spread the word~ as indicated by their Twitter handles...

@DinaManzo

@TheChristinaKim

@AlyssaMilano

@Trojan81

@JohnLloydTaylor

@NdotSmitty

@TaylorTwellman

@Chris_Gorham

@Wingoz

@CharlieDavies9

@NickyHilton

@Maholm28

@lisaGastineau

@Bexmader

@JVReemer21

@Roryalbanese

@mruff221

@SimonHelberg

@MollyMesnick

@LauraKatzenberg

@OfficialDogNews

@JasonRitter

We are certain we missed some influential tweeters (our apologies) but yesterday's tweets were coming at a furious pace and often hard to keep up with. Our many thanks to all those influential supporters of our movement and their support for @THON.

We would also like to thank all of the @THON Captains and organizers for helping to secure yesterday's sponsor, Real Christian Business Associates, especially @PatHowley and @JonyLaura for their support.

What's Next?

Our Twitterthons will continue and we are always looking to partner with cancer charities and donors willing to get involved. We also have an exciting announcement coming up soon for an April campaign that includes a new celebrity spokesperson for our movement. We are growing as an organization and looking for financial partners as we expand the abolishcancer movement. If interested, shoot us an email at bonham.darah@gmail.com.

"Power of the People, To Unite In The Fight, To @abolishcancer"

Today's TwitterTHON Supports the Great Work of @THON....#FTK

(We wanted to thank ALL of our supporters today for their endless tweeting and support of our Twitterthon and the great work of @THON. Our Twitterthon ended around 2:30 eastern time with 4,000 followers = $4,000 given to @THON to fight pediatric cancer. Today is evidence that social media can bring a global community together to unite and eventually abolish cancer. )


It is only fitting that on World Cancer Day, we support a cause that is near and dear to our heart…..@THON. It was just over a year ago that @abolishcancer was just starting as an organization. Last January a Penn State University junior decided to sponsor one of our Twitterthons. Eighteen hours and 1,734 followers later….a "movement" was born.

@PatHowley’s sponsorship captured the attention of celebrities and a huge extended @THON family. We realized after this event the power of people to connect for a common cause, in this case, to eradicate childhood cancer.

Thirteen months later it’s only fitting that we once again sponsor a Twitterthon to raise awareness and $ to support our great friends at @THON. With the help of the dedicated team of PSU @THON Captains we have once again secured a sponsor for today’s Twitterthon through the help of Real Christian Business Associates.

Today, for every new follower of @abolishcancer, $1 will be donated to @THON to help fight pediatric cancer (up to $3,500)

About @THON

The Penn State Dance Marathon, affectionately known as THON, is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. THON is a yearlong fundraising effort, culminating in a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon. The mission of the Penn State Dance Marathon is to conquer pediatric cancer by providing outstanding emotional and financial support to the children, families, researchers and staff of The Four Diamonds Fund.

The partnership between THON and The Four Diamonds Fund began in 1977. Throughout the past 33 years, THON has donated more than $69 million to The Fund. Thanks to the support and dedication of THON, no child diagnosed with cancer at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital has ever been turned away by The Four Diamonds Fund. The Fund offsets the cost of treatment that a family’s health insurance does not cover as a well as non-medical costs, including food, specialists, a music therapist, a nutritionist, nurses, a psychologist and researchers, in addition to other hospital staff including child life specialists and social workers.

Charles and Irma Millard founded The Four Diamonds Fund in 1972 after they lost their 14-year-old son, Christopher to cancer. The Fund’s name comes from a story Christopher wrote, The Four Diamonds. Christopher believed that the four “diamonds’-courage, wisdom, honesty and strength-were necessary traits to overcome cancer. Today, the mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer pediatric cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support and innovative research.

Since The Fund was established, survival rates for some cancers have increased to 90 percent due to continuous support of pediatric cancer research. Each year, THON is the largest donor to The Four Diamonds Fund, raising more than $7.83 million in 2010. This year, THON will take place from February 18^th-20^th at the Bryce Jordan Center.

You can help support the wonderful work of THON by donating at www.THON.org.

Today's TwitterTHON

We start the day with 43,630 followers with the hopes of gaining 3,500 new members of our movement which will equal $3,500 to support @THON. We, at @abolishcancer, believe in the "Power of the People" to unite for the common cause of ending cancer. We believe there is strength in numbers and combining forces with the THON community gets us that much closer to one day finding a cure......#ForTheKids!

Thank You

Many thanks to all for the last two days of our "micro" Twitterthons which helped raise an additional $1,000 in the fight to abolish cancer. All total we have now raised $44,500 for cancer charities by Tweeting & Following over the past year.

Our special thanks to everyone for their tweeting and following. A big Shout Out goes to @AMarkowitz33 and @HeatherVSJ (on Twitter) for their $500 sponsorships.

Exciting things are happening..... Cancer, we're coming after you!

"Power of the People, To Unite, To @abolishcancer"

Another Twitterthon For A Great Cause

Yesterday started our "Sponsor A Day in February" campaign where we push to support a different cancer fighting charity or organization during the month.

Wednesday, February 2nd, our "Micro" Twitterthons continue...... Today for the next 500 followers of @abolishcancer, @HeatherVSJ agrees to donate $1 to the Brigham and Women's Hospital International Mesothelioma Program to help fight cancer. @abolishcancer starts the day with 42,750 followers.

Heather Von St James @HeatherVSJ is our sponsor today and is supporting the International Mesothelioma Program for good reason. Heather is a cancer SURVIVOR. On February 2nd, 2006, 5 years ago today, Heather had her lung removed at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Her story touches your heart as she explains going through the procedures to fight the cancer and the impact on her family. (watch her testimonial here). We are so amazed at the courage of cancer fighters such as Heather who are willing to tell their story to others, many of whom are facing similar battles.

Heather appropriately tags today's Twitterthon as #LungLeavingDay. The International Mesothelioma Program provides a great deal of support and quality medical care and Heather wants to ensure that more people are knowledgeable of the work that they do. At the Brigham and Women's Hospital/ Harvard Medical School, approximately 2,000 new patients are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer each year. With over 300 consultations each year and more than 180 patients, the International Mesothelioma Program is the largest program of its kind in the world. Follow their great work at www.IMPMESO.org

We are so inspired by Heather's story and hope that you will help spread the word through our Twitterthon today. Our many thanks to Heather for her support.

History of the Twitterthon

We created the Twitterthon to allow people to raise $ and awareness for their favorite cancer charity by tweeting and following. Over the last 15 months we have raised over $44,000 through Twitterthons with 100% going towards the cancer charity. Most of the sponsorships of our Twitterthons have a minimum of a $2,500 donation.

While our goal is to have a "sponsor each day" for our Twitterthons, we realize that a $2,500 donation is a hefty price tag for most people. So for the month of February only, we are providing opportunities for "micro" Twitterthons where the minimum donation is $500. Our goal is a $500 sponsor a day (20 workdays in the month) to accumulate $10,000 once February is over, with ALL proceeds going to cancer charities by TWEETING & FOLLOWING. How easy is that?

We have the following commitments (charities being sponsored) to this point

Feb 1 Susan G. Komen by sponsor @AMarkowitz33~ $500 raised!

Feb 2 International Mesothelioma Program @HeatherVSJ

Feb 4 ***Surprise Announcement

Feb 8 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Feb 18 Dallas Children's Medical Center

Five down, 15 to go. Help us achieve our goal for a "Sponsor A Day in the Month of February". If you are interested in sponsoring, email us at bonham.darah@gmail.com. Help spread our movement......

"Power of the People, To Unite, To @abolishcancer"

Today the Micro Twitterthons Begin

Today, February 1st starts our first day of "Micro" Twitterthons. Today for the next 500 followers of @abolishcancer, @AMarkowitz33 agrees to donate $1 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help fight breast cancer. @abolishcancer starts the day with 42,200 followers.

Aaron Markowitz and his wife made the decision to sponsor a Twitterthon because their family has been closely affected by cancer. Both his wife's mother, Janice Sitter and her aunt, Cynthia Ciotti were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004-05. While their treatments were successful, and they have been cancer free for over 5 years, they realize the fight is never over and it could come back at any time.

Aaron and his wife are dedicating their sponsorship to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the names of those in the family who have been impacted by breast cancer. We thank Aaron and his wife for sponsoring today's Twitterthon to help raise more awareness in the fight to end cancer.

History of the Twitterthon

We created the Twitterthon to allow people to raise $ and awareness for their favorite cancer charity by tweeting and following. Over the last 15 months we have raised over $43,500 through Twitterthons with 100% going towards the cancer charity. Most of the sponsorships of our Twitterthons have a minimum of a $2,500 donation.

While our goal is to have a "sponsor each day" for our Twitterthons, we realize that a $2,500 donation is a hefty price tag for most people. So for the month of February only, we are providing opportunities for "micro" Twitterthons where the minimum donation is $500. Our goal is a $500 sponsor a day (20 workdays in the month) to accumulate $10,000 once February is over, with ALL proceeds going to cancer charities by TWEETING & FOLLOWING. How easy is that?

We have the following commitments (charities being sponsored) to this point

Feb 1 Susan G. Komen by sponsor @AMarkowitz33

Feb 2 International Mesothelioma Program

Feb 4 ***Surprise Announcement

Feb 8 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Feb 18 Dallas Children's Medical Center

Five down, 15 to go. Help us achieve our goal for a "Sponsor A Day in the Month of February". February 3 is the next available. If you are interested in sponsoring, email us at bonham.darah@gmail.com. Help spread our movement......

"Power of the People, To Unite, To @abolishcancer"

A Sponsor A Day in the Month of February

We created the Twitterthon to allow people to raise $ and awareness for their favorite cancer charity by tweeting and following. Over the last 15 months we have raised over $43,000 through Twitterthons with 100% going towards the cancer charity. Most of the sponsorships of our Twitterthons have a minimum of a $2,500 donation.

While our goal is to have a "sponsor each day" for our Twitterthons, we realize that a $2,500 donation is a hefty price tag for most people. So for the month of February only, we are providing opportunities for "micro" Twitterthons where the minimum donation is $500. Our goal is a $500 sponsor a day (20 workdays in the month) to accumulate $10,000 once February is over, with ALL proceeds going to cancer charities by TWEETING & FOLLOWING. How sweet, and easy, is that?

We have the following commitments (charities being sponsored) to this point

Feb 1 Komen For The Cure

Feb 2 International Mesothelioma Program

Feb 4 ***Surprise Announcement

Feb 8 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Feb 18 Dallas Children's Medical Center

Five down, 15 to go. Help us achieve our goal for a "Sponsor A Day in the Month of February". February 3 is the next available. If you are interested in sponsoring, email us at bonham.darah@gmail.com. Help spread our movement......

"Power of the People, To Unite, To @abolishcancer"

What Will It Take To Abolish Cancer?

The old saying is that you can’t see the forest for the trees. That analogy can be used when describing the battle to end cancer. Every day a new story emerges from our Twitter feed of someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer. These personal stories continue to reinforce the immediacy of finding better detection practices, treatment options, and a cure. We continue to be amazed at the number of cancer charities, organizations, fundraisers, and simple grassroots neighborhood movements that are occurring across the globe to battle this dreadful disease.

This brings us to the “forest and trees” analogy. Without a doubt, there are more and more people, organizations, charities, and the like, fighting to raise money and awareness to tackle cancer. The question, however, that we have to ask ourselves is,

“Are we working in isolation, or are we benefiting from a collaborative effort to abolish cancer?”

Unfortunately, it seems that many of the great things we are doing in the fight are in the “trees” and in isolation from one another. We need to take a step back to see what we can do collaboratively to make a larger impact (in the forest). We are not naive to the understanding that some of the fundraising goals by cancer groups overlap the “consumer base” of each other’s efforts. Organizations need to raise money for both their mission and their organization. The last several years have seen declining dollars in donations for many charities and many groups have become more aggressive to get their piece of the pie.

Our @abolishcancer movement is not designed to step on toes or cut into fundraising or funding streams. Our purpose is to unite all in the fight. Fighting cancer boils down to funding and awareness. Uniting a global community to raise awareness will have major implications in the war on cancer and will actually lead to more funding in the long run.

The following question needs to be asked…. “Are organizations comfortable in being a part of the TEAM that abolishes cancer, or is it more important to get the credit for ending cancer?” We don’t need an answer, we simply ask all those enlisted in the fight to take a moment to reflect on the ultimate goal. Our movement is gaining momentum but can only fully be realized if we have all on board.

Let’s be clear….one day we WILL abolish cancer and you are ALL doing amazing things to work towards this goal. It won’t be easy, it won’t be cheap, and it won’t be overnight. As Aristotle once said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” We hope to see you on the team.

“Power of the People, To Unite, To @abolishcancer”

Spotlight Your Cancer Charity

As part of our mission to unite all cancer charities and organizations in the fight to abolish cancer, we frequently SPOTLIGHT a cancer charity or organization on our site. We aim to provide as much publicity and awareness for all those "in the fight" as possible.

If you know of a cancer group that is doing some amazing things to abolish cancer send us the following information to bonham.darah@gmail.com

• Name of the charity or organization
• Brief summary of who they are and what they do
• Email, web and Twitter addresses and links
• Any additional information that captures their work.

While we can't guarantee SPOTLIGHTS for every entry, we will do our best to try and feature, over time, all those who are submitted. Our abolishcancer movement continues to gain momentum thanks to our 40,000 plus followers and supporters. Let's continue to grow this revolution.

"Power of the People, To Unite, to @abolishcancer"

Take the Vow....A United Front To Abolish Cancer

Someone asked us recently...."What specific cancer charity to you support?" Our response....."ALL OF THEM!"

While the answer seemed to puzzle the questioner, the methodology is fairly simple.....We will accomplish more as a united front, then we will in isolation. This is the basic premise of our site, our movement=> we support ALL cancer charities, organizations, mom & pop fund raisers, cancer survivors, cancer fighters, and those fighting for a cure.

This is what makes our movement critical to finding an end to cancer. Uniting all cancer fighting groups for the purpose of a cure is long overdue. We aren't suggesting that this hasn't been done or isn't currently existing within other organizations. We realize, however, that far too many great organizations need support and could become even more powerful working together.

Our movement started with Twitterthons, and continues to raise $ and awareness for cancer charities in this fashion. (Over $43,000 raised so far by Tweeting and Following). We also see a community coming together, on Twitter no less, to share stories and assist each other in the fight.

We have some exciting plans "in the works" for the future to help raise even more awareness but in the meantime we count on you, our followers, to spread the word, to spread the movement. There is power in numbers and the more we enlist the more we can grow our united front. While we refrain from referring to this as a war, the reality is that we need a large army to be on the same page to continue to make change happen.

Not lost on the power of large numbers is the power of the individual. We think each of our followers, whether it be a charity, celebrity, or small town teenager, have the ability to make change. The @abolishcancer movement is an example of one person's passion to make positive change in the battle to end cancer.

We vow that every day we will tweet, connect, raise a $, or somehow do something positive to unite more in our movement to end cancer. We ask that you take the same vow, enlist a friend or neighbor, and watch a movement grow into a cancer fighting machine.

Contact us at bonham.darah@gmail.com to partner.

"Power of the People, Through Twitter, To @abolishcancer"

Raising Childhood Cancer Awareness....On A Global Stage

In September of 2010, Christine Barbour @PiedPiperinKC, from Kansas City, came up with the idea of a campaign to raise more awareness to battle childhood cancer. Childhood cancer was not a remote disease Christine was unfamiliar with, rather it was a disease that hit close to home. Christine's good friend Deliece Hofen @Bradenshope has a young 6 year old boy, Braden, who has relapsing, Stage 4 neuroblastoma for which there is no known cure.

Christine was all too familiar with the struggles of her friend's family dealing with cancer as she watched Deliece and her husband make doctor and hospital trips time after time. What made this struggle even greater was that Deliece was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer last winter. Read Braden & her mom's story here

The difference in diagnosis and treatment between Deliece and her son Braden was striking. Deliece was witness to the progressive treatment of breast cancer but dismayed at the differences in the diagnosis and treatment of her son.

Christine's idea was born

How do you raise more awareness for childhood cancer to reach the same level that breast cancer has in this country? Ask the person who has the largest stage to support the cause.... @Oprah. A campaign began and led to over 50,000 people on FaceBook (see link here) "liking" the plea to get Oprah to do a show on childhood cancer.

As many of you know, this is the last year that Oprah will be doing her show and we are certain that the planning for the remaining shows will soon be wrapping up. The hope is that Oprah producers, and Oprah, will notice the push to raise awareness and answer the call. Heck, if Betty White can get on SNL through a campaign on FaceBook why can't the voice of children be heard on a similar global stage?

The video below was created by Christine (@PiedPiperinKC) and a creative young lady named, Lauren, who is a high school student that's PASSIONATE about bringing awareness to childhood cancer. The idea behind it is a last push for awareness . . . for Braden.....for all children.....for a CURE!

"Power of the People, Through Twitter, to @abolishcancer"

Tweeting To Abolish Cancer

Since we began 14 months ago, you've helped us raise over $43,000 for various cancer charities by Tweeting and following. These monies are raised by our Twitterthons. A Twitterthon is when a sponsor (donor) agrees to pay $1 for every new follower that @abolishcancer receives in a given day to a cancer charity of their choice. Most Twitterthons average between $2,000-$3,000. This money is guaranteed up front by the sponsor who then pays the charity directly within 72 hours after the conclusion of the event.

We are also offering a special "micro" Twitterthon for the month of February, allowing a sponsor to host a Twitterthon in the amount of $500 for a charity of their choice. Our goal is to get a sponsor each workday (20 in the month) to equal $10,000 donated to charity by following us on Twitter.

The beauty of the Twitterthon is that the charity receives 100% of the proceeds (@abolishcancer only gets followers) and the charity AND sponsor get tweeted about hundreds and thousands of times throughout the course of the day. We also have over 125 influential followers and celebrities that follow and support our work.

We believe that you are helping form a community of fighters that are supporting a MOVEMENT to abolish cancer. We are always looking for ways to partner. If interested, contact us at bonham.darah@gmail.com.

"Power of the People, Through Twitter, to @abolishcancer"

SPOTLIGHT Cancer Charity of the Day- The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

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Today we highlight the work of the Pancreatic Cancer action Network, often referred to as PanCAN. In the United States alone, over 43,000 cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed each year. PanCAN provides an array of support to help with this difficult disease. PanCAN has funded over 7.1 million dollars in research grants to assist in the fight.

As their mission, described below, states on their web site http://www.pancan.org/ PanCAN provides comprehensive support for those facing pancreatic cancer.

“The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a nationwide network of people dedicated to working together to advance research, support patients and create hope for those affected by pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization raises money for direct private funding of research—and advocates for more aggressive federal research funding of medical breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network fills the void of information and options by giving patients and caregivers reliable, personalized information they need to make informed decisions. The organization helps support individuals and communities all across the country work together to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. We create a sense of hope and community so no one has to face pancreatic cancer alone. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a nationwide network of people dedicated to working together to advance research, support patients and create hope for those affected by pancreatic cancer”

We encourage you to help support great non-profits like the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in the fight to abolish cancer. PanCAN can also be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PanCAN

Need Help Fighting Cervical Cancer

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of this recognition we are seeking a sponsor for a Twitterthon in January to raise awareness & $ to fight this disease. In the United States alone, 11,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and over 4,000 die.

A Twitterthon can help raise not only funds for a particular cancer charity devoted to fighting cervical cancer but also a tremendous amount of awareness through our tweets and retweets. We have an influential designer who will be our partner in the Twitterthon but we need a sponsor.

What does it take to be a sponsor?

A sponsor agrees to pay $1 for every new follower that @abolishcancer receives over a course of a day. All the monies go directly to the cancer charity (@abolishcancer receives no funds). The beauty of a Twitterthon is that not only does the cancer charity get a $1 for every new follower but the hundreds and thousands of tweets, many by celebrities, that spread the word and awareness on Twitter. This is better than any ad in a newspaper or billboard road sign.

We need a minimum $2,000 commitment from a sponsor for the Twitterthon to occur. The sponsor also gets the benefit of being tweeted about all day long as well. Since @abolishcancer began 14 months ago, we have helped raise over $43,000 for various cancer charities BY TWEETING & FOLLOWING.

If you are interested in partnering with @abolishcancer, shoot us an email at bonham.darah@gmail.com. We also have a special “micro” Twitterthon month coming up in February. For each workday in February we are asking for a $500 sponsor to support a cancer charity of their choice. So far we have 5 commitments with 15 left to go.

Please spread the word….

“Power of the People, Through Twitter, to @abolishcancer”

Our SPOTLIGHT Cancer Charity of the Day..... Sunrise Day Camp

Sunrise is a nonprofit day camp dedicated to children with cancer and their siblings. The kids and their siblings go completely free of charge. It is located in Wheatley Heights, NY (a small town on Long Island). This summer will be their 6th summer since opening. It began with only 75 campers enrolled, and has grown enormously since. Last summer, they had over 400 kids enrolled.

Sunrise has many fundraisers and has had some celebrities attend their annual Walk to Help the Sun Rise event in June. Some of the celebrities include: Disney Channels Alyson Stoner; a contestant from America's Next Top Model; a professional wrestler; the NY Islanders mascot; various Broadway stars; and a top 10 contestant from So You Think You Can Dance.

Here is Alyson Stoner featured from a previous camp experience….

The camp is funded through generous donations, and fundraisers. On average, it costs approximately $6,000 per camper to attend camp for the full 8 weeks. Each year, they enroll more campers, and therefore need to find other sponsors to help fund the camp. Last summer, they also launched Sunrise Israel, which was a huge success.

For more information on Sunrise Day Camp in NY, you can visit www.sunrisedaycamp.org

For more information on Sunrise Day Camp in Israel, you can visit www.sunriseisrael.org.il

About @abolishcancer

@abolishcancer is not just a Twitter account but a grassroots movement to raise money and awareness to end cancer. We don't support one specific cancer charity or type of cancer..... our mission is to ABOLISH them all.

We created "Twitterthons" which allow a sponsor to donate $1 for every new follower we receive in a given day to a cancer charity of their choice. Since we began 14 months ago we have raised over $43,000- all by tweeting and following.

We have great plans for our global @abolishcancer movement. If you would like to get involved, email us at bonham.darah@gmail.com

"Power of the People, Through Twitter, to @abolishcancer"

Spotlight Cancer Charity of the Day..... Friends Like Us

Several months ago we came across the amazing work of Friends Like Us (@friendslikeus on Twitter and www.friendslikeus.org). Friends Like Us is a nonprofit childhood cancer charity based out of Ohio. It was founded by Mark and Deloris Bailey who were going through treatments for their son's leukemia.

From their web site, they describe how teddy bears provide comfort and support for children fighting cancer.

"Friends Like Us is focused on helping children devastated by childhood cancer with their Chemo Bear program called "Getting Better Together". They provide a child diagnosed with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, a customized Chemo Bear with many interactable accessories and a children's cancer

book (free of charge). The bears help to visually teach kids about their cancer treatments ahead of them, as well as help them deal with fear and anxiety through their many years of chemotherapy and surgeries. The duration time for chemotherapy for children with

cancer is approximately 2 years for girls and 3 years for boys (a lot isn't it?). These children are the heart of Friends Like Us and it's their purpose to reach out and make a difference right now in each of them and their families.

No parent should ever have to hear the words "it's cancer". Friends Like Us strives to spread awareness of pediatric cancers in hopes of one day to find a cure. That's why Friends Like Us has made contributions to cancer organizations such as Alex's Lemonade and St. Baldricks to support Childhood Cancer Research."

We applaud the Bailey family for doing so much to help others and providing a "bear" of inspiration for so many kids across the country. We encourage you to follow their work on-line to see how you can help.

About @abolishcancer

@abolishcancer is not just a Twitter account but a grassroots movement to raise money and awareness to end cancer. We don't support one specific cancer charity or type of cancer..... our mission is to ABOLISH them all.

We created "Twitterthons" which allow a sponsor to donate $1 for every new follower we receive in a given day to a cancer charity of their choice. Since we began 14 months ago we have raised over $43,000- all by tweeting and following.

We have great plans for our global @abolishcancer movement. IF you would like to get involved, email us at bonham.darah@gmail.com

"Power of the People, Through Twitter, to @abolishcancer"

Spotlight Cancer Charity of the Day….. Project LadyBug

We were fortunate last September to support the efforts of @ProjectLadyBug in a Twitterthon. Our sponsor @delprado, ended up donating $10,000 towards the charity which stands today as our highest total for a Twitterthon to date. Today we highlight Project LadyBug as our Spotlight Cancer Charity of the Day.

Project LadyBug’s mission is to enrich the lives of children with life threatening conditions. Check out their web site at www.projectladybug.org. The Fund strives to help families face the financial and the emotional hardships during their child's treatment to help meet the needs of seriously ill and less fortunate patients.

Dina Manzo is the founder of Project LadyBug. You may recognize Dina as the former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star. (You can find Dina at @dinamanzo on Twitter or on her web site at http://www.dinamanzo.com/index.html)

Today, however, Dina focuses her energy for her Project LadyBug Foundation. The Project LadyBug Fund strives to improve the quality of life for these children and families during treatment, and improve outcomes for these patients.

@ProjectLadyBug is an example of one of the numerous charities doing their part to support families and children who are fighting cancer and other illnesses. If you know of an organization to spotlight on our site, email us at bonham.darah@gmail.com

"Power of the People, Through Twitter, to @abolishcancer"

SPOTLIGHT Cancer Charity of the Day….. Returns for Leukemia

While recycling is an important part of our everyday life, a Canadian group has seen it as an opportunity to raise funds and awareness to abolish cancer.

The Beer Store and United Food Commercial Workers local 12R24 have, for the past several years, organized and run what is probably the largest bottle drive event in the world to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. The name of this charity event is "Returns for Leukemia". You can find out more about it at http://bottledrive.ca/

All through May, customers may donate at the cash registers of any location of The Beer Store (we have 440 stores across Ontario), and on May "2-4" weekend (this year, probably May 28th-May 29th, 2011) all 440 stores collect empties to support the cause. The deposit value of these empties, and all cash donations, go to the LLSC. In 2010, they raised 1.065 million dollars.

It’s great to see the clever and creative ways that people and organizations come up with to help do their part in the fight to abolish cancer. Please follow the work of “Returns for Leukemia” and give them a Shout Out for their work.

About @abolishcancer
@abolishcancer was created in November 2009 as a Twitter feed to raise money and awareness to fight and end cancer. Over the course of our existence, we have raised over $43,000 for various cancer charities on Twitter through our Twitterthons. A Twitterthon is when a sponsor agrees to pay $1 for every new follower that @abolishcancer gets in a given day, to a cancer charity of their choice. 100% of the pledges go towards the cancer charity.

We feel that not only funds are important in this fight but so too is the awareness, not only for the great cancer charities in existence but for those who are fighting cancer on a day to day basis.

If you are interested in possible partnerships with @abolishcancer, email us at bonham.darah@gmail.com

"Power of the People, Through Twitter, to @abolishcancer"