Event Honors Lives Impacted by Cancer; Brings Hope New Hampshire

This September, communities will honor lives affected by cancer when Lights of Hope Across America takes place Sept. 12 on the front porches, kitchen tables and lawns of advocates nationwide.

As a result of the pandemic, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteers will not gather for the annual Lights of Hope ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where tens of thousands of bags are decorated and adorned with the names of cancer survivors and those lost to this horrible disease. Instead, advocates will celebrate 10 years of hope at home as part of a larger virtual event.

Bedford resident Don Parrish is fundraising for Lights of Hope so ACS CAN may continue its mission advocating for everyone affected by cancer, including the estimated 8,060 who will receive a cancer diagnosis this year in New Hampshire. ACS CAN, the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, works with lawmakers to pass policies that help prevent cancer and ensure those who are diagnosed with the disease have access to the care they need, as well as make cancer research funding a top priority at the state and federal levels of government. Ninety- one per cent of Lights of Hope donations is dedicated to cancer research or cancer prevention programs.

“Lights of Hope sends an important message to lawmakers,” said Don Parrish. “I don’t need to travel to make sure the voices of cancer patients and survivors are home, and I look forward to getting my neighbors, family members and friends in throughout New Hampshire involved in this heartfelt event.”

Lights of Hope can be displayed on Sept. 12 in the manner which each person prefers such as front yards, porches, or pooled together through the collaboration of the many volunteers of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

For details on how to dedicate a Lights of Hope bag, visit fightcancer.org/hope to learn more. To support Don's fight and dedicate a bag by contributing $10 or more, click here - http://action.fightcancer.org/goto/DonaldLParrish.

###

About ACS CAN

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.