Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Williams.
Andrea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was heartbroken when my father died of stage IV Colorectal Cancer in 2008, mainly because it was a preventable cancer. From 2008 to 2014 I went into a deep depression, partly blaming myself for not making my dad go to the doctor. After countless secret therapy sessions and trying to distract myself from his death I thought that telling others about this preventable cancer would be the proper fix. Early 2015 I went into beast mode, I immediately started reading books on how to formulate a nonprofit and interviewing current nonprofit owners in the Atlanta area to get an idea of what I’d be up against. By the November 2015, my husband and I had a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We started hosting fitness and social events in and around the Atlanta area for free. Anyone we encountered we told them about Colorectal Cancer. As of today we’ve hosted over 10+ free fitness events, had countless informational sessions about Colorectal Cancer prevention and continue to partner with sponsors to raise awareness. We don’t plan on stopping.
Has it been a smooth road?
We continuously run into challenges, Colorectal Cancer is not sexy and no one wants to talk about their bathroom habits. Trying to raise awareness about this preventable cancer within the community has been interesting, to say the least. As soon as any of our board members utter the words colon or rectum folks shy away or walk away from the conversation altogether. Even trying to get sponsor partners was difficult, again this cancer was not like the others. Breast Cancer awareness has a huge following along with Lung Cancer which are popularized by celebrity sponsors and events. It was tough trying to gain sponsors for our nonprofit because most businesses want to capitalize on any venture they affiliate their brand with and Colorectal Cancer isn’t glamorous or as recognized as other cancers. Another challenge we ran into was having participants show up to our events. We thought a “free” event would attract numerous people, we found that obtaining a following was difficult even offering our services for free.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Our mission is simple. We are strong. We are powerful. We are BEASTS! We are prepared to do whatever it takes to beat Colorectal Cancer. BeastRob is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to create awareness, provide resources, and empower those impacted by this devastating disease. We aim to ignite a sense of strength, hope, courage, and perseverance among the community at large, and those directly impacted by Colorectal Cancer by coordinating fun, social, and fitness-focused fundraising events. We desire to manifest a herd of beasts, individuals who are ready to go to battle and fight relentlessly against Colorectal Cancer.
We are most proud of our nonprofit structure because we are providing the community with actual activities that prevent Colorectal Cancer to lead individuals to a healthier, fitter lifestyle. What sets us apart from other nonprofits is that we think of our followers and participants as Beasts, we instill power to each and everyone we encounter to change their lifestyle to help prevent this cancer.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta is the perfect place to grow and start a nonprofit. The continuously growing metropolitan city is nestled with individuals that are seeking exposure to different types of organizations. We’ve found that tapping into the right areas of Atlanta is beneficial for raising colorectal cancer awareness. Teaming up with business chapters such as the Kirkwood Business Owners Association has been helpful in growing our following.
Contact Info:
- Address: 71 Howard ST SE Unit 3115, Atlanta, GA 30317
- Website: http://beastrob.org/
- Phone: 4046154540
- Email: contact@beastrob.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beastrobinc/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeastRob/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/beastrobinc
Image Credit:
Krystle Campbell
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