To recognize and honor a few of the exemplary collaborations and gifted leaders conducting valuable cancer-related work across the state, the Minnesota Cancer Alliance will be honoring partners with the second annual Spirit of Collaboration Awards.

The Alliance recognized exemplary collaborations by offering Spirit of Collaboration Awards to the below individual and collaborative group.

• Wendy Rahn, Ph.D., President and Founder Survivors’ Training, University Of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center for her involvement in the Alliance and through the programming initiatives of Survivors' Training. Over 2500 copies of the Survivors' Training fitness DVD for breast cancer survivors were distributed free of charge to Metro area cancer care providers and non-profits. Rahn has also worked with the Twin Cities YMCAs and YWCAs to train their fitness staffs to work with their members who have cancer. She has spoken to many different kinds of cancer support groups about the benefits of regular physical activity.

• "Combating Cancer in Your Community" Community Health Worker Cancer Curriculum Project Team, led by Lisa Stephens. This project showcases a culturally appropriate education initiative that that has reached over 200 people, with more to come, and relies on the use of collaborative spirit and sharing of resources to implement and evaluate each training.

In addition, the below individual and collaborative group collaborations were recognized with Spirit of Collaboration honorable mentions:   

• Gay Lynn Richards, MS, RN, MPS, CNS, MDH – SAGE Program Regional Coordinator, for her work fostering collaborations involving a variety of community-based organizations, community clinics, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Mobile Mammography Unit, and the American Cancer Society. Richards has been a tremendous force behind an increased level of breast & cervical cancer screenings targeted at uninsured and under-insured individuals in the Twin Cities metro area.

• Building Bridges, led by Pam Siewert. With an emphasis on rural and medically underserved women, Building Bridges provides tailored education in culturally appropriate settings, and women are assisted to navigate health care systems to secure free or low-cost screening resources. From 2005-2008, the partnership achieved a 25% increase in the number of women enrolled in the Sage Screening Program and a 22% increase in the number of women receiving mammograms.

There were numerous nominations this year, the below worth-while collaborations were also nominated for their work in reducing the cancer burden in Minnesota:

• Ora Hokes, Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. Let’s Talk About It, Prostat Cancer Educator. She has been a champion raising awareness of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers through the Cancer Awareness Sunday program and has been a persistent advocate encouraging policy changes to improve health and wellness within churches and in the community.

• ECHO Colorectal Cancer Video in 7 languages. DVDs of this program have been created and can be used to help increase colon screening in populations that speak English, Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Laotian, Vietnamese and Khmer.

• Free Colon Screening Project Team. The Partners have created a "core team" to provide over 40 colonoscopies at Abbott Northwestern and at Unity Cancer Center. A third event is planned at Immanuel St. Joseph, Mankato this November.

• Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Mobile Unit. The Mobile Mammography Unit has been a critical resource for screening Minnesota's American Indian and uninsured/under-insured women for breast cancer.

• Survivor Care Plan Project Team. This project team began as a need identified by MCA for survivors and the outcome is a actual document that can be utilized by the community to assist with communication between survivors their families and their medical team.

The awards were presented at the Cancer Summit 2009 luncheon Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, at Hotel Sofitel in Bloomington. It was an enjoyable presentation celebrating the outstanding collaborations and leadership of many different Minnesota Cancer Alliance members and partners working collectively to reduce the burden of cancer throughout the state.