Your Dollars At Work

For nearly a century, the American Cancer Society has fought for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. By taking what we have learned through research and turning it into what we do, the American Cancer Society has contributed to a 15 percent decrease in the overall cancer death rate between the early 1990s and 2005. That means that about 650,000 cancer deaths have been prevented and created the potential for more birthday celebrations. Overall, 11 million cancer survivors in America will celebrate a birthday this year.

Thanks in part to the generous contributions to the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, the Society is saving lives by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back. These are just a few examples of how contributions make a difference in the Society’s lifesaving mission.

Helping people stay well

• The American Cancer Society Quitline®, a telephone counseling service, doubles a person’s chances of quitting tobacco for good.

• The American Cancer Society develops guidelines for recommended cancer screenings and nutrition and physical activity, so people know what tests they need to find cancer early and how to help prevent the disease.

• The American Cancer Society provides tips, tools, and online resources to help people set goals and stay motivated to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle.

Helping people get well

• The American Cancer Society’s phone lines are open every minute of every day and night to help connect people with the answers they need. Each year, they provide information, help, and support to the nearly one million individuals who call 1-800-227-2345.

• In addition, the American Cancer Society’s website, cancer.org, offers access to the latest information and news on cancer and helps people locate programs and services in their area. Each year, more than 23 million individuals visit this trusted resource.

• The American Cancer Society offers an online support community for cancer survivors and caregivers to share stories and find support. Since 2000, more than 93,000 survivors and caregivers have been brought together for comfort and support through the Cancer Survivors Network.

• The American Cancer Society assists cancer patients in need with getting transportation to and from their treatments and offer help with free lodging for cancer patients and their caregivers. The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge® has helped more than 30,000 cancer patients and their families save tens of millions of dollars in lodging costs each year by providing a free place to stay and a community of support while they undergo treatment far from home.

• Through its clinical trials matching service, the American Cancer Society connects patients with thousands of different treatment options.

• With sites at hospitals and treatment centers across the country, the American Cancer Society Patient Navigator Program provides one-on-one guidance to people facing cancer through every step of their journey.

Finding cures

• The American Cancer Society has had a hand in nearly every major cancer breakthrough of the last century, including confirming the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, establishing the link between obesity and multiple cancers, developing drugs to treat leukemia and advanced breast cancer, and showing that mammography is the most effective way to detect breast cancer.

• The American Cancer Society is the largest private source of cancer research in the United States, having spent more than $3.4 billion on cancer research since 1946.

• The American Cancer Society spends approximately $130 million each year on cancer research.

• The American Cancer Society funds researchers with cutting-edge ideas, often early in their careers. Of the researchers chosen for Society funding, 46 have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, the highest honor in scientific achievement.

Fighting back

• The majority of Americans are now covered by a smoke-free law, thanks in part to the efforts of the American Cancer Society and the nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).

• The American Cancer Society helps mobilize communities to fight back against cancer with events such as Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer®.

• The American Cancer Society has helped uninsured, underinsured, and low-income women get breast and cervical cancer screening tests and follow-up treatment since 1991 and, along with ACS CAN, we have successfully fought for legislation protecting this care.


To learn more about the American Cancer Society, visit cancer.org. 

To learn more about Relay For Life, visit RelayForLife.org