By Nicole Phipps, Director, Community Engagement

When GO2 for Lung Cancer was formed in April 2019, we brought together trusted and long-tenured advocates, volunteers, fundraisers, and supporters to form a National Ambassador Council (NAC) to amplify our efforts to reach the broadest community. This group of lung cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones provided us with direction, perspective, and feedback during our first year as GO2 for Lung Cancer, and helped advance our work supporting our community.

Now in its second year, the NAC is 16 members strong and committed to expanding their work beyond advising and into action in support of our mission. Each NAC member is personally aligned with one of the organization’s programmatic departments and is working side-by-side with staff members to expand the program reach, develop new resources, and grow and diversify opportunities for other ambassadors and community members to engage with GO2 for Lung Cancer’s work.

Jenny White, a lung cancer survivor and returning NAC member, is driven to transform the lack of research funding, the continued stigmatizing actions, and the general lack of awareness surrounding lung cancer, the biggest cancer killer. “Actively raising awareness about lung cancer in my community through writing, speaking, fundraising, and then empowering other advocates to do the same, is critically important to me,” said Jenny. “As a NAC member, I have access to guidance, tools, and comradery with other motivated lung cancer advocates, and I am able to work with the GO2 for Lung Cancer staff to create change.

Currently, NAC members are identifying and applying for new foundation grants, developing a research advocacy training plan, expanding opportunities for legislative advocacy, building out online community support resources, promoting the Lung Cancer Registry, and exploring provider education opportunities. An especially exciting project is the development of a toolkit to help members of our extended community raise awareness for this disease by telling their personal stories to local media outlets.

We use the word ambassador instead of volunteer because everyone is a member of our family and an extension of the organization. “It’s important to add the patient voice into the work that GO2 is doing,” said Jeff Julian, a lung cancer survivor and new NAC member this year. “I’m excited to use my NAC role to provide feedback on specific projects and to share ideas with the organization.”

The National Ambassador Council is also committed to helping to grow and expand the ambassador program, and to lead and mentor new ambassadors. We are so grateful to each member of the National Ambassador Council and to all of our ambassadors for the time, talent, and passion they bring to all of their work with the GO2 for Lung Cancer.

Meet our 2020-2021 National Ambassador Council by clicking on this link.

Learn more about getting involved as a GO2 for Lung Cancer Ambassador by emailing Nicole Phipps at nicole@go2.org.