Mayor Andy Berke will be proclaiming Nov. 7 Blank Cancer Day with honoree Saxon/Hart – a unique, inspirational cause marketing firm for their #BlankCancer cause campaign, along with its ambassador Austin Roden, a 24-year-old local football coach battling brain cancer for the second time.
At 8 p.m.
on Friday, Saxon/Hart, with the support of key city professionals, has organized the proclamation to occur during half-time at the playoff football game at Notre Dame High School where 4,000 are expected to be in attendance.
“Austin Roden is an extraordinary ambassador for this cause and I am honored to recognize his spirit and bravery,” said Mayor Berke. “Austin encourages us all to stand up against cancer while at the same time recognizing the impact it has on the everyday lives of so many individuals and families throughout our community.”
Mr. Roden, a resident of Chattanooga and a football coach at East Ridge High School, reached out to Saxon/Hart after seeing their #BlankCancer social media campaign. For the past four years, he has been battling brain cancer and is currently in chemotherapy. His wish when contacting Heidi Burkhart, president of Saxon/Hart, was to be a part of a larger movement to help bring awareness to the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) population. Ms. Burkhart saw a larger opportunity for him to be a voice to many, advocating awareness and education of AYA cancer.
Ms. Burkhart, creator of this campaign said, “Our goal at Saxon/Hart is to bring more awareness of AYA cancer through our #BlankCancer campaign. We are honored to have Austin as an ambassador, helping us grow awareness throughout the city of Chattanooga and nationwide.”
The :CANCER campaign and the #BlankCancer hashtag are gaining traction among men, women, kids, celebrities, and even family pets who are speaking out against cancer by “filling in the blank” on the _________:CANCER sign with the word that they feel fits best. Many have proven truly creative and have embraced the opportunity to express their originality while uniting with others in the fight against cancer.
Those who would like to participate can download a :CANCER sign on the website at www.saxonhart.com and/or http://bit.ly/blankcancer and then print, fill in the blank, take a photograph and post to social media, tagging @BlankCancer and utilizing the #BlankCancer hashtag.