Source: The Oral Cancer Foundation
Author: John Pohl

Rossville, Indiana Delivers Big Results With Oral Cancer Walk


Don’t tell Kelly Hodson and Shana Frey that a town with a population of 1,513 is too small for an oral cancer walk.  The Oral Cancer Foundation certainly won’t.

Kelly is a certified dental assistant and Shana a registered dental hygienist for Rossville Family Dentistry, the best—and only—dental practice in Rossville, Indiana.  The practice is owned by a mother-and-daughter team:  mom Dr. Alice Sue Green has been practicing for almost 40 years, while daughter Dr. Jennifer Green-Springer has been at it for 11 years.  The practice’s all-femaie staff understandably has a soft spot for women’s health issues.

About a year ago, after participating in breast cancer walks in Indianapolis and Lafayette, Kelly and Shana decided to organize their own cancer walk.  Given that they work as dental professionals, it seemed natural to them that oral cancer would be the cause they would target.  So Kelly started surfing online and quickly discovered the Oral Cancer Foundation.  Soon thereafter, she was in touch with Susan Lauria, the Foundation’s New Jersey-based Event Coordinator.

As Kelly put it, “I had lots of questions, and Susan had all the answers.” To promote the event, Susan advised Kelly and Shana to send letters and posters to dental practices in Lafayette and other nearby towns, and to contact newspapers and radio stations in those areas as well.  They also relied heavily on word-of-mouth support.  And support is exactly what they got:  two practices in Lafayette volunteered to help sponsor the event, as did the dental lab that Rossville Family Dentistry uses.

The walk was held on April 17, a cool but sunny Saturday.  Amazingly, a grand total of 117 people attended, including the 12 women from Rossville Family Dentistry and teams from four dental practices in nearby towns.  Prior to the 3-mile walk, attendees listened to two speakers:  Dr. Brett Henrikson, a Lafayette oral surgeon who discussed important facts and advice regarding oral cancer, and John Groves, who spoke about his experience as a neck cancer survivor.  Walkers were also treated to water, coffee, fruit, granola bars and cinnamon rolls donated by local merchants.

The event generated revenue of over $3,400, a truly remarkable feat considering the size of Rossville, Indiana.  Cleary, the size of a town’s population is less important than the size of its heart.