April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month

ECAN launched the campaign for April to be recognized as Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month in 2009. Since then, more than 100 gubernatorial proclamations have cemented the observance in our culture – and many businesses, organizations, and individuals look forward to April as an opportunity to share a life-saving message that Heartburn can cause Cancer.

For more than a decade, ECAN has helped our community observe Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month and raise awareness in their own communities.   In addition to providing assistance to those who wish to request gubernatorial proclamations, ECAN helps folks request that buildings and landmarks in their communities light the night sky in Periwinkle Blue, the awareness color assigned to Esophageal Cancer. This year, as in many years past, EC Awareness Month gets a great kick-off when Niagara Falls shines in Periwinkle Blue from 10:30 – 10:45 pm Eastern on Saturday, April 1st.

ECAN offers many opportunities for our community to raise awareness in April, with everything from lawn signs and periwinkle blue flood lights to a text-a-day service providing an engaging awareness message for community members to share every day in April.

New this year is a T-Shirt Design Competition that will allow the more creative folks in the ECAN family to show off their talent, see their design turned into a shirt available in ECAN’s Buy Periwinkle store, and get a $75 gift card to use at the ECAN store, too. Another new offering is an Event-in-a-Box with all of the essentials needed to host a DIY awareness event and the option to add more items as well.

ECAN is also Painting the Map Perwinkle, providing our community the opportunity to put a pin on the map to show what and where they are taking action to raise awareness in April.

As we have ever since COVID put a stop to our in-person 5K events, ECAN is hosting the Steps to Save Lives Virtual 5K from April 23 – 30.