American Cancer Society

Partnerships > American Cancer Society

Kathleen Turman

National American Cancer Society Director

Note: All Toolkits will be available in the Members Only Section.

Greetings from the National Director of the American Cancer Society

Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and its auxiliaries are consistently at the forefront of issues that affect everyone, particularly when it comes to our health. Communities of color have continually been shown to have a disproportionate status when it comes to health, especially as it relates cancer. This is true due to a variety of reasons, including a lack of access to care, resources, and testing. Through our committed partnership with the American Cancer Society, it is Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s vision to enhance the awareness, promote health equity, discourage disparity, and find ways to provide the resources and tools to support our communities.

It is our utmost concern to shine light on the cultural, ideological, educational, physical, and socio-economic disparities that prevent our communities from having health equity. It also our mission to identify those causes to even the playing field and have our communities feeling as motivated and empowered to make their health a priority even when others do not.

Our Sorority commits to several areas of focus with the American Cancer Society, including:

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Relay for Life
Hope Lodge
Real Men Wear Pink
Holding Cancer Related Workshops and Community Events
Co-Branding and Awareness to Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Throughout our partnership, we have dedicated ourselves to raising awareness and fundraising for those causes that impact not only our communities, but our everyday lives. Among us, there are cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and those that have a passion for stopping cancer in its track. We proudly raise funds and support the American Cancer Society in in its efforts to lead the fight for a world without cancer. Thanks to the money raised by our dedicated chapters and auxiliaries, the American Cancer Society is helping to save more lives from cancer by funding groundbreaking cancer research to better understand, prevent, find, and treat the disease; providing free, comprehensive information and support to those touched by cancer when and where they need it; and helping people take steps to reduce their cancer risk or find it early when it may be easier to treat.

In addition, the organization realizes the impact of COVID-19 on those affected by cancer. Cancer has not stopped, and millions of people have been affected by not having access to doctor appointments, treatment, and other services such as the Hope Lodge®. Typically, Hope Lodges provide free lodging and support services for cancer patients and their caregivers that must travel for treatment. When COVID-19 hit, these lodges had to be closed and were transformed into a respite for frontline workers who needed a place to stay when treating patients. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Sorority created the Raising Hope: Hope Lodge COVID19- Response Fund. We have since raised thousands of dollars to which will allow Zeta to do its part to assist with the cleanup and safety of the lodges once they are opened back up to patients and support other cancer related services.

We remain proud and committed to the American Cancer Society and its endeavors. Both of our organizations have unique competencies through which to address cancer related issues and through our relationship, we can capitalize upon the individual strengths of each organization to promote mutual goals through multiple communication channels. We hope that the information provided here will give the needed resources and information for chapters and auxiliaries to move forward with understanding our partnership with the American Cancer Society more fully; better educate and inform you to be cancer ambassadors in your own lives and communities.

Team Members:

Kathleen Turman, Director, Eastern Region, zpbnationalACScoordinator@gmail.com

Knesha Rose-Davison, Southern Region, ZPBSouthernPartnerships@gmail.com

Tracy Durham, Atlantic Region, arcancerprevcoor@gmail.com

Devita Stallings, Midwestern Region, Devita.stallings@gmail.com

Crysta Meekins, Great Lakes Region, Meekins.crysta@gmail.com

Letisha Perry, Eastern Region, letisha.perry@gmail.com

Resources

Mission

It our mission to even the playing field and have our communities feeling as motivated and empowered to make their health a priority even when others do not.

Vision

Through our committed partnership with the American Cancer Society, it is Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s vision to enhance the awareness, promote health equity, discourage disparity, and find ways to provide the resources and tools to support our communities.