HUNTINGTON, WV – People traveling on 4th Avenue on Saturday March 8 glimpsed something unusual through the windows of the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation: a giant inflatable colon.
The Strollin’ Colon – a 12-foot educational exhibit – was in Marshall University’s new business school building for the first-ever Coffee for a Cause. Ebenezer Medical Outreach, Huntington’s free and charitable clinic, organized the event to support local businesses, combat colorectal cancer, and raise awareness of the clinic’s work for the uninsured and underserved.
Hundreds of participants visited booths by Austin’s Homemade Ice Cream, Hill Tree Roastery, 606 Coffee Co., and Twelvepole Trading Post to purchase bagged and brewed coffee, herbal teas, locally made and harvested syrups, baked goods, scooped ice cream, and more. Booths by Exact Sciences, The Health Plan, Western & Southern Life, Lois Bickerton, and WV Navigator also provided information and free giveaways to attendees.
Before leaving the event, participants couldn’t resist passing through the Strollin’ Colon. The exhibit was provided through the WV Program to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening. Students from the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Population Health Club showed how colorectal cancer progresses from polyps to more serious – and potentially deadly – cancer.
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is West Virginia’s second-leading cause of cancer deaths. Regular screening can help prevent this by catching cancer in its early stages. Ebenezer was excited for Coffee for a Cause to help promote these lifesaving screenings, especially given the close relationship between drinking coffee and using the bathroom that many people experience.
Helping the uninsured and underserved obtain recommended cancer screenings is just one of the ways Ebenezer works everyday to build a healthy community. Guests at Coffee for a Cause were able to check their blood pressure and receive resources for controlling high blood pressure. Ebenezer also distributed free HIV At-Home Self-Test Kits. The CDC recommends that everyone age 13-64 test at least once. Those who complete a self-test kit from Ebenezer and report their results can receive a $25 gift card.
The wildly successful event happened through the tremendous generosity of the local community. Marshall s Lewis College of Business graciously donated the use of their beautiful facility, while Camden Corner, Cicada Books and Coffee, and Old Village Roasters provided in-kind donations that helped Ebenezer raise over $2,700 from attendees. Local musician Tony Fuller set the mood with a beautiful guitar performance. Corporate support from Dinsmore, Exact Sciences, Fyffe Jones, The Health Plan, Huntington Bank, Lois Bickerton, Marshall Family Medicine, Medical Arts Pharmacy, Mrs. Sue McClelland and family, Prosource, Valley Health, WV Navigator, Western & Southern Life, and the Thornburg Insurance Agency/Encova Insurance made this very special day possible.
To learn more about giving to, serving with, or becoming a patient of Ebenezer Medical Outreach, visit https://emohealth.org/.
