501derful.org
As someone who worked at the American Cancer Society for 9 years I’m really behind this cause. There are 14 million Americans and 32.5 million people worldwide living with cancer. These patients and survivors of cancer, as well as their caregivers, face a myriad of challenges beyond directly battling the disease. The practical and psychosocial impacts of battling the disease greatly affect the person’s quality of life, as well as their treatment and recovery. The cost of treatment drives many close to financial ruin; the emotional toll of fighting cancer can be overwhelming; and simple things like getting to and from appointments are all impediments.
LIVESTRONG seeks to improve the experience of living with a cancer diagnosis by building a platform that seeks to find, identify and scale solutions for a wide variety of needs that patients, survivors and their caregivers face every day. In 2014, LIVESTRONG introduced the Big C Competition – a first-of-its-kind social innovation competition in health care that sought out innovators and entrepreneurs from the global community and put cancer at the front lines of health innovation.
On March 11-12, 2015, LIVESTRONG will be at it again! Just prior to SXSWi, and in partnership with Brand Knew and General Assembly, LIVESTRONG will host a Causathon (i.e. hack for a cause).
While hackathons are not a new invention, this will be the first to bring together 10 nonprofits dedicated to affecting the lives of people living with cancer. The nonprofits will be paired with a group of programmers, designers and marketers to collaborate and produce impactful technology solutions that aid these organizations and their collective missions.
Not only do such events allow nonprofits to walk away with tangible ideas, but they also help us forge deeper relationships with each other, which in turn can ignite synergies and partnerships that ultimately impact lives.
Come join us on March 11-12 for the Austin Causathon. View prizes, learn about the participating nonprofits and register by visiting www.Causathon.com/livestrong.
Or if you aren’t able to participate, please help us get the word out by visiting www.thesocialpresskit.com/causathon and share with your friends and networks.
