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Be a Blue Buddy

A Good Idea

Description

Diagnosed with late Stage 3 colorectal cancer at age 38, Grace De La Rosa has made it her personal mission to raise awareness about the disease. 2014 marks her 9th year as a colon cancer survivor and first year of raising public awareness in her community. These efforts are collectively called "Be a Blue Buddy." Through public speaking and sharing current events related to colorectal cancer, Be a Blue Buddy is a personal call to action to help educate the community about the importance of colorectal cancer screening and early detection.

Grace also volunteers her services to local colorectal cancer patients for support throughout their treatment.

Goal / Mission

The mission of the Be a Blue Buddy campaign is to educate the community about colorectal cancer, to raise awareness about the importance of screening and early detection, to give hope to newly diagnosed patients, and to save lives.

Impact

Be a Blue Buddy has helped raise awareness and create a dialogue for colorectal cancer. Grace De La Rosa began Be a Blue Buddy in 2014 and has reached several thousand people in her community and nationwide.

Results / Accomplishments

As an educational, inspirational, and motivational guest speaker, Grace has spoken for organizations including the Department of Labor & Energy and the East Arlington Rotary Club. Grace has publicized Be a Blue Buddy through outlets such as WJXT TV, Florida Times Union, Mayo Clinic, Facebook, and her personal website. The campaign was successful in obtaining proclamations from Florida Governor Rick Scott and Mayor Alvin Brown in support of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and Dress in Blue Day.

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
Grace De La Rosa
904-386-3634
gracedelarosacancer@gmail.com
http://gracedelarosa.com/cancerjournal.html
Topics
Health / Cancer
Location
Jacksonville, FL
For more details
http://gracedelarosa.com/beabluebuddy.html
Target Audience
Adults, Women, Men, Older Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Submitted By
Grace De La Rosa

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A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.