WHO WE ARE

We are a Louisville-based, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with one goal in mind: eliminating preventable colon cancer death and suffering in Kentucky and Southern Indiana!

Since our inception in 2003, we have worked in our community to promote timely colon cancer screening and save lives. Our current programs include community education, digital outreach, public advocacy, health systems improvement, and survivor support!

our programs

• The Fighters Fund – A colorectal cancer diagnosis can be stressful to say the least. Undergoing treatment can challenge patients and their families physically, emotionally, and financially. That’s why each year, we award $200 to 50 individuals with colorectal cancer, no strings attached. Fund recipients use this money to offset the burden of medical bills, household expenses, transportation costs, and other life expenses. To apply for the Fighters Fund, click here. Note: Recipients must be residents of Kentucky or Southern Indiana.
• Survivor Support Group – Through fun, casual events and conversation, our survivor support group creates a welcoming and safe space for survivors of colorectal cancer to meet and support one another throughout their cancer journey. For more information and details about upcoming meetings, contact Renee Lewis at renee.lewis@twc.com.
• First Responder Education – Fire fighters and first responders encounter exposures that put them at higher risk for developing cancers, including colorectal cancer. Our community educator James Cripps travels across Kentucky and Southern Indiana to educate first responder crews on what life-saving measures they can take to prevent colorectal cancer.
• Digital Outreach – In 2021, one third of Americans missed a routine cancer screening. We’re bringing screening and prevention education right to people’s phones and devices through digital outreach messaging. With help from our media partners, we use attention-grabbing messages designed by focus groups in our community to educate Kentucky and Southern Indiana about symptom recognition, options for screening, where to get screened, and free screening for the uninsured. So far, we have launched digital outreach in high-risk areas, including counties in Eastern Kentucky, West Louisville, and Southern Indiana (Floyd and Clark counties).
• Public Advocacy – Our lobbyist Jason Baird is on a mission to help pass legislation that makes colorectal cancer screening more accessible for Kentuckians, and eliminate the barriers that get in the way. Learn more about our public advocacy work and ways to get involved here.
• Community Education – We love tabling at events and telling our community what they can do to prevent colon cancer. If your organization would like us to attend your health fair or other event, please reach out to our Executive Director Amanda Smart at asmart@kickingbutt.org!

WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT OUR WORK.

WHat we’ve done

The Colon Cancer Prevention Project founded in 2003 by Dr. Whitney Jones, a Louisville gastroenterologist with a passion for preventing colon cancer. Dr. Jones began the organization after diagnosing several patients with colon cancer within one week. Sick and tired of diagnosing patients with cancer that could have been prevented, he set out to make a change. 

The Project began as a small grassroots organization with a large mission of eliminating preventable colon cancer death and suffering. It quickly grew to include work across Kentucky, Indiana, and the country. Before the Project, only 1 in 3 Kentuckians were getting life-saving colon cancer screenings. Now, about 2 in 3 Kentuckians are getting screened, and the incidence rate is down more than 25 percent. Kentucky is now nationally renowned for its work, which includes a state-wide screening program for low-income, uninsured people.

WHat keeps us going

While our region has made progress in screening since 2003, we still have so much work left to do!

Kentucky and Southern Indiana lead the nation in colorectal cancer incidence and have been identified as a CDC-hotspot for young (under 50) colon cancer. 

What’s more, recent studies predict that by 2030, colon cancer will be the leading cause of cancer-related death in 20 to 40-year-olds in the US (Jama Network).

But many still aren’t participating in life-saving screening and are being diagnosed with advanced stages of colon cancer too late. 

That’s why we are committed to educating our communities younger about the power they have to prevent colon cancer. The United States Preventative Services Task Force now recommends average-risk people begin screening at age 45 and those with a family history should screen at 40 or younger. With the help of partners across the state and WKYT, the Project is launching first-of-its-kind digital outreach campaigns to educate & empower our communities to get screened by reaching them on their phones and devices. 

We continue to work to make screening more accessible to those who are uninsured and underinsured in our community by promoting free screening resources available through Kentucky Cancer Link, Kentucky Cancer Program, and the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening and Prevention Program.

How we are funded

CCPP is funded by individual gifts, corporate contributions, and grants. Interested in supporting us? We are accredited by the Better Business Bureau.