National Brain Tumor Society Brings Global Community Together for Brain Tumor Awareness Month

Month of May features personal, digital and in-person advocacy opportunities to take action in the fight against brain tumors

National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS), the largest nonprofit dedicated to the brain tumor community in the United States, today announced its plans for Brain Tumor Awareness Month, 2016. While May has long been recognized as Brain Tumor Awareness Month in the United States, this year marks an exciting convergence in the global fight against this often deadly and debilitating disease, with Canadian brain tumor advocacy groups shifting their traditional awareness months to May to coincide with U.S. efforts.

National Brain Tumor Society’s theme for this year’s awareness month is, “Brain Tumor ACTION Month.” The organization will provide opportunities for the global brain tumor community to engage by inspiring, facilitating, and taking action. This includes encouraging people to:

• Sign-up to be a brain tumor advocate to write, call, email, or visit their members of Congress and tell them about the policies that will help brain tumor patients;
• Come out to fundraising events to raise money for research;
• Volunteer at, or host, community events;
• Participate in brain tumor research, clinical trials and their own treatment process;
• Use their voice to influence a more patient-centric drug development process; and
• Engage in online discussions; share content and information; and expand social and personal networks.

“While ‘awareness’ can be a powerful tool in achieving some of the goals for the brain tumor community – for example in terms of raising the profile of this disease and its patient population to help advocate for more federal funding for brain tumor research – we see it as of equal importance to activities that involve taking action,” said David F. Arons, JD, Chief Executive Officer, National Brain Tumor Society. “It’s by taking action that our community will continue to build momentum and progress toward our collective goal of better treatments, and ultimately a cure, for brain tumors. Every time we as a community speak-up or take action, we are also raising awareness at the same time. For example, we will bring more than 290 brain tumor advocates from 39 states to Congress this month to speak about the legislative priorities of the brain tumor community. This raises the awareness of our cause to Congress…but it’s done by taking action.”

Brain Tumor Awareness Month 2016 will kick off with a celebration of the new international alignment, as Niagara Falls – a shared landmark for both the U.S. and Canada – will light-up orange, a color shared by both the National Brain Tumor Society and the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.

To lead off American-based efforts, the National Brain Tumor Society, with partner organizations from the brain tumor community, will host two major events in the nation’s capitol:

• Race for Hope – DC in Washington, DC – Sunday, May 1^st

The largest annual fundraiser in the country benefiting the brain tumor community, organized in collaboration with Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure; raises approximately $2 million yearly for brain tumor research

• Head to the Hill 2016 in Washington, DC – Tuesday, May 3rd

The largest brain tumor-specific advocacy event in the country – more than 290 volunteer advocates from 39 states will hold more than 200 meetings on Capitol Hill to speak with Congress about the needs of the brain tumor community. Brain tumor advocates unable to attend in person will receive “action alerts” for a simultaneous Congressional Call-In Day. This year, NBTS is also partnering with the Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network to hold the annual Ependymoma Awareness Day and butterfly release in conjunction with Head to the Hill.

Additional National Brain Tumor Society-led activities will continue throughout the month with:

• State Proclamations – An advocacy campaign to encourage volunteers from the brain tumor community across the country to ask their respective governors to declare May Brain Tumor Awareness month in their state, in conjunction with the federal designation.
• Webinar: Resources You Can Use – A webinar on May 25^th with the NBTS staff to provide useful information, resources and other means of support for the brain tumor community.
• #BTSM Tweetchat – An online, Twitter conversation that will highlight key brain tumor patient challenges as well as progress toward a cure.
• Share Your Story – New video segments and content to illustrate how our brain tumor community fights every day.
• Infosnaps – Shareable digital “infosnaps” to provide key information about brain tumors.
• San Diego Brain Tumor Walk – Saturday, May 14, 2016
• Team Billy Ride and Walk for Research – Sunday, May 15, 2016
• Boston Brain Tumor Ride – Sunday, May 15, 2016
• Bay Area Brain Tumor Walk – Saturday, May 21, 2016
• Charleston Brain Tumor Walk – Saturday, May 21, 2016

Finally, a host of community-based fundraising and awareness events will take place across the country, and NBTS will regularly be sharing blogs and social media posts.

To follow along with NBTS throughout the month individuals can use the hashtag #BTAM and visit http://braintumor.org/join-the-fight/brain-tumor-awareness-month/.

About National Brain Tumor Society

National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) is the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated to the brain tumor community. We are fiercely committed to finding better treatments and driving rapid progress toward a cure for brain tumors. We drive a multi-faceted and thoughtful approach to aggressively influence and fund strategic research, as well as advocate for public policy changes, in order to achieve the greatest impact, results, and progress for brain tumor patients. Money raised by the generous donations of our supporters has directly funded groundbreaking discoveries, programs, clinical trials and policy initiatives. NBTS is a Charity Navigator Four-Star designated nonprofit. To learn more visit www.braintumor.org