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Hope through grace hosts annual walk a thon to stamp out colon cancer
Walk Generates Awareness and Funds to Help Educate and Prevent Colon Cancer
Houston (March 3, 2011) - Hope Through Grace, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending colorectal cancer, will host the organization's Sixth Annual Walk-A-Thon – On the Move to Stamp Out Colon Cancer. On March 26, participants and fundraisers will meet at Tom Bass Park, 15108 Cullen Blvd. in Houston to raise money to fight this preventable disease.
Last year, Hope Through Grace had more than 250 community members register for the event. This year, the organization hopes to see 400 registrants and has a goal of raising $20,000.
"A diagnosis of colon cancer is not a death sentence – I'm living proof of that," said Grace L. Butler, Ph.D. and founder of Hope Through Grace. "But preventive education and early detection are key to successful treatment. Our goal is to build awareness in our community that in many cases, colon cancer is preventable. Additionally, for those who are medically underserved and in need of a colonoscopy, we provide the means to make that happen."
Colon cancer is the number one cancer killer of men and women who are non-smokers; however it is also one of the most preventable types of the disease. Through fundraising efforts like the annual walk-a-thon, Hope Through Grace provides education and resources about cancer prevention and detection to the medically underserved, uninsured and underinsured. In addition to providing this service to the community, Hope Through Grace covers the cost of baseline colonoscopy screenings for those who cannot afford health insurance.
"Survival rates for colon cancer are much higher when early diagnosis is available," said Olethia Chisolm, M.D., F.A.C.P., an Internal Medicine physician at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Hope Through Grace board member and daughter of founder, Dr. Grace Butler. "These fundraising opportunities help create a viable means for underprivileged people to get screenings which would otherwise be unavailable to them.
"For me," Chisolm added, "participating in the benefit is not only a great way to potentially give people a fighting chance at survival, but it is also an exciting tribute to my mother, who won her battle with colon cancer."
Community members are asked to register for the walk-a-thon online at www.hopethroughgrace2011walk.kintera.org. For more information about Hope Through Grace visit www.hopethroughgrace.org.
Hope Through Grace, Inc. is a 501 (C)(3) non-profit organization for Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Cancer Survivorship. Grace L. Butler, Ph.D. founded Hope Through Grace in 2002 after she was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer. Since its inception, Hope Through Grace has covered the cost of over 70 colonoscopy tests.
About Kelsey-Seybold
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston's premier multispecialty group practice, founded in 1949 by Dr. Mavis Kelsey in Houston's renowned Texas Medical Center. More than 850 physicians and allied health professionals practice at 40 locations in the Greater Houston area. Kelsey-Seybold offers quality medical care in 65+ medical specialties. The organization operates the largest freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Center in the state of Texas and offers state-of-the-art Varian TrueBeam and Varian Edge radiation therapy technology at a nationally accredited Cancer Center. An accredited Sleep Center, comprehensive laboratory services, advanced imaging and diagnostics, 24 onsite Kelsey pharmacies and one specialty pharmacy, and MyKelseyOnline, a secure web portal, are part of its comprehensive offerings. Kelsey-Seybold partners with major insurers to offer value-based commercial health plans. KelseyCare Advantage, a Medicare Advantage plan offered to Houston-area beneficiaries and affiliated with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, has achieved the coveted 5-out-of-5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for eight consecutive years.
Kelsey-Seybold has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the nation’s first accredited Accountable Care Organization and is home to a nationally accredited Breast Diagnostic Center and Endoscopy Center.
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic achieved a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 91. NPS is the global standard for measuring customer loyalty and satisfaction. An NPS score of 70 or higher is considered by industry experts to be "world class" and an indicator of overwhelming customer loyalty.