Just one about politics, I promise

So, I know it's not a popular thing to talk about politics, but I have one short blog post that is political in nature and today is the day you get to read that.

There are two arms of the American Cancer Society. Kind of. This isn't how it's officially divided but for the purpose of this post, it's two.

The first is the nonprofit arm that most people know about and can recognize. This group handles the fundraisers, patient services, health initiatives and all that fun stuff. 

The other part is a political organization called ACS CAN: The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. 

If you have ever wondered who was responsible for many of the smoke-free acts in this country, ACS CAN played a large part. They play a major role at the state and federal legislative levels by supporting laws that support cancer prevention and access to treatment. 

I'm not going to split hairs here, this is a lobby organization. And yes, lobbyists get a bad rap. 

But what if your lobbyist was trying to keep more people alive? What if your lobbyist fought so that you could have one more birthday, even if you got cancer? What if your lobbyist went against popular opinion and took on the big companies creating the products that, over time, could make you very sick?

ACS CAN does all that. It's a non-partisan organization with one goal: create more birthdays. Their slogan is "One Mission, One Voice." If you're passionate about preventing cancer on the legislative level, I encourage you to join ACS CAN. It's a $10 donation renewable annually. 

This is not a tax-deductible contribution. ACS CAN is different from the American Cancer Society's nonprofit arm in order to maintain the mission of the nonprofit and its status as a 501 (c) (3). But ACS CAN is a great way to make your voice heard and it makes it very easy for you to connect with local legislators to let them know what laws you want to see passed.