Oral Cancer Foundation

THE ORAL CANCER FOUNDATION IS A NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE, NON-PROFIT ENTITY DESIGNED TO REDUCE SUFFERING AND SAVE LIVES THROUGH PREVENTION, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, ADVOCACY, AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES.

2023 CONTINUED MANY OF THE RECOVERY FROM THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ISSUES, AND FOR AT LEAST HALF THE YEAR WAS A REPEAT FOR MANY SMALL NONPROFIT ENTITIES INCLUDING OCF. NATIONAL FOCUS FOR CHARITABLE GIVING DECREASED ACROSS THE BOARD, MANY QUALITY SMALL NONPROFITS, AND SMALL BUSINESSES CLOSED THEIR DOORS FOR GOOD ACCORDING TO THE JOURNAL OF PHILANTHROPY, AND OCF'S BASE OF DONORS DRAWN LARGELY FROM THE MIDDLE CLASS HAD LESS FREE INCOME FOR THINGS LIKE DONATIONS TO CHARITIES AND WERE ALSO FIGHTING THE INFLATION THAT IMPACTED THEIR PERSONAL ECONOMIC STATUS. ALL THIS IMPACTED US IN SIGNIFICANT WAYS. WHILE WE HAD SOME CASH RESERVES, WE HAD TO DIAL BACK MANY PROGRAMS, AND REDUCE STAFF. AS STATED IN 2020, A YEAR BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, OCF HAD ALREADY ADOPTED A WORK FROM HOME MODEL, AND HAD REDUCED OVERHEAD COSTS BY ELIMINATING OFFICE SPACES. AGAIN IN 2022, ALL OF OUR FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESS EVENTS WHERE PEOPLE GATHERED IN PERSON HAD TO BE CANCELLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH CDC GUIDELINES, UP UNTIL THE LAST THREE MONTHS OF THE YEAR. THOSE HISTORICALLY BRING IN 65% OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET. WRITING THIS IN 2023, WE SAW THINGS ABOUT THE SAME WITH LIMITED EVENTS, BUT WITH A VACCINE AND A MORE VACCINATED POPULATION, WE ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE, AND OUR ABILITY TO GET BACK TO AWARENESS EVENTS THAT HELP GENERATE VISIBILITY AND DONATIONS TO THE FOUNDATION IS AS THIS IS BEING WRITTEN, TURNING AROUND THE FINANCIAL SITUATION FOR 2023. CANCER HAS NOT GONE AWAY DURING THE COVID CRISIS. 2 MILLION AMERICANS STILL WERE DIAGNOSED WITH IT IN 2023 AND ABOUT 660,000 DIED FROM IT. THAT PART OF THE WORLD DID NOT CHANGE. THE DEMANDS FOR OUR SERVICES STAYED THE SAME AS IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS, BUT WE CONTINUED TO WORK LONGER HOURS WITH FEWER STAFF TO ADDRESS THE VOLUME OF PATIENT CENTRIC HELP REQUESTS THAT CAME IN. IN ESSENCE WE ARE STILL STANDING AND DOING GOOD IN THE WORLD EVEN WITH THE MANY FINANCIAL NEGATIVES THAT 2020-2022 PLACED ON US. THE FOUNDATIONS' PUBLIC OUTREACH AND DISSEMINATING ACTIONABLE INFORMATION MISSIONS STAYED STRONG. THIS WAS FACILITATED BY INCREASED VISIBILITY OF THE FOUNDATION THROUGH AN ORGANIC SPREAD OF OUR LARGE INTERNET PRESENCE. A MAJOR REBUILD OF OUR INTERNET PRESENCE WAS BEGUN IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 2014, BUT ANNUALLY WE HAVE ADDED TO OUR SATELLITE WEB SITES ON ORAL CANCER THAT ACCESS CURRENT AND ARCHIVED NEWS STORIES ABOUT OUR DISEASE, AND A SEPARATE EDUCATIONAL SITE FOR THE PUBLIC ON SELF-SCREENING TECHNIQUES FOR EARLY DISCOVERY AND SELF-REFERRAL OF SUSPECT TISSUES IN THEIR ORAL ENVIRONMENT TO NAME A COUPLE. THIS MOBILE FRIENDLY MOVE ACCELERATED PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH THE DISEASE AND THE FOUNDATION. OCF CONTINUES TO HAVE FEW CORPORATE PHARMA SPONSORS, AND WE DID NOT HAVE THAT RESOURCE TO FALL BACK ON LIKE SOME OTHER NONPROFITS THAT SURVIVE ON PHARMA AND MEDICAL SOCIETY GRANTS. IT SHOULD BE STATED THAT UNLIKE OTHER NONPROFITS IN OUR SPACE WE DO NOT TAKE MUCH PHARMA MONEY NOR APPLY FOR IT. WE CHOOSE TO KEEP OUR DEPENDENCE ON THAT INDUSTRY TO A MINIMUM AND THERE IS A PERCEPTION OF THE INFLUENCES THEY CAN HAVE ON NONPROFITS THAT IS NOT ALWAYS POSITIVE. THE FOUNDATION'S PUBLIC OUTREACH EFFORTS CONTINUED TO FOCUS HEAVILY ON THE ROLE OF THE HPV VIRUS AS AN ORAL CANCER CAUSE, AND HOW COMMON INFECTION WITH IT IS IN THE US. WE CONTINUED TO ADVOCATE FOR THE HPV VACCINE, AND OFFER VACCINATION CLINICS AT OUR OWN EVENTS. OCF STAFF MEMBERS AND KEY OPINION/SCIENCE LEADERS ALLIED WITH OCF SPOKE VIRTUALLY AT NUMEROUS EVENTS ON HPV AND VACCINATION. WE HAVE CONTINUED LAST YEAR'S EFFORT TO INCREASE SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS IN THE DENTAL COMMUNITY, AS THEY ARE BECOMING AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE EARLY DISCOVERY PARADIGM AND EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC ON HPV, EVEN IF THE PLATFORM TO DO SO HAS CHANGED. IN 2023 THESE IDEAS BEGAN TO MOVE TO IN PERSON VERSUS VIRTUAL LECTURES AND MEETINGS. OUR VOLUNTEER RDH ADVISORY BOARD CONTINUES TO BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF ACCOMPLISHING THIS OUTREACH WITH MANY OF THEM PRESENTERS AT PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER SCREENING FOR THESE CANCERS. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE HPV VIRUS AND THE RELATIVE RISK THIS POSES TO AMERICANS. WE HAVE FOUND THAT OUR ALLIANCE WITH THE RDH COMMUNITY IS RICH IN OPPORTUNITIES TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH AMERICANS ABOUT THESE ISSUES. OCF HAS BEEN PARTNERED TO THE CDC AND THE 65 TOP CANCER TREATMENT CENTERS IN AMERICA TO PUT OUT A UNIFIED MESSAGE ABOUT HPV VACCINATION, AND WE HAVE DONE NUMEROUS WEB BLASTS RELATED TO CORRECT INFORMATION REGARDING MEANS OF TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS, AND THE VERY LOW CONVERSION RATE (1%) OF ORAL HPV INFECTIONS TO ACTUAL CANCERS LATER IN LIFE AND VACCINATION. METRICS OUTSIDE OF HITS ON THE WEB INFORMATION ARE HARD TO QUANTIFY, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT AN EFFORT MUST BE MADE TO COUNTER THE ANTI-VACCINE MOVEMENT AND TO BELAY THE UNNECESSARY FEAR THAT EXISTS IN PEOPLE WHO ARE GETTING INCORRECT INFORMATION, AND IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF VACCINE HESITANCY. WE ARE AWARE THAT THIS MUST CONTINUE TO BE A MULTI-YEAR ONGOING DIRECT EXPENSE EFFORT. WE HAVE HAD ONE SMALL FINANCIAL PARTNER IN PROMOTING HPV VACCINATION, SO THE COSTS TO OUR BOTTOM LINE HAVE BECOME LESS OF AN ISSUE. SEARCH FOR ADDITIONAL PARTNERS CONTINUES. IN 2014 WE BEGAN SPONSORSHIP OF TWO RODEO COMPETITORS WHO RIDE AND COMPETE IN CLOTHING BEARING OCF'S ANTI-TOBACCO MESSAGING/BRAND, WHICH ACCELERATED TO MORE RODEOS IN 2019. WHILE THEY ARE NOT TASKED WITH CHANGING ADULT BEHAVIOR, THEIR ANTI-TOBACCO MESSAGE IS GEARED TOWARD YOUNG KIDS AT RODEOS WITH A MESSAGE OF "BE SMART. DON'T START." THEIR CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AT THE RODEOS THEY ATTEND AFTER THEIR COMPETITIVE TIME IN THE ARENA, HAVE BEEN WELL RECEIVED AND THEY CONTINUE TO GET ATTENTION FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN LOCAL AREA MEDIA. BUT IN 2021 MOST RODEO EVENTS REMAINED CANCELLED ACROSS THE BOARD NATIONALLY BY THE CDC, AND THIS PROGRAM WAS PUT ON PAUSE, AND OUR COMPETITORS ON FURLOUGH UNTIL SUCH TIME AS WE CAN AGAIN CONGREGATE IN PERSON. IN 2023 WE STARTED THE PROGRAM BACK UP HTTP://WWW.ORALCANCERFOUNDATION.ORG/SUPPORT-OCF/RODEO-TOBACCO-OUTREACH.PHP THE STORY OF A SMALL NON-PROFIT LIKE OCF BEING THE FIRST CHARITY TO EVER SPONSOR A RODEO COMPETITOR, AND THE MESSAGING FROM THESE TWO OCF ANTI-TOBACCO SPOKESPEOPLE CONTINUES TO BE PICKED UP BY MEDIA OUTLETS ACROSS THE US, BUT WITH 2 YEARS OUT OF VISIBILITY THAT EXPOSURE HAS WANED. BOTH SPOKESPEOPLE HAVE GIVEN NUMEROUS INTERVIEWS BOTH TO NEWSPAPERS AND ON PUBLIC TV SHOWS, SUCH AS GOOD MORNING UTAH, AND GOOD MORNING RENO OVER THE YEARS. IN 2015 OCF STARTED PARTNERING OUR SUPPORTERS IN THE RDH COMMUNITY WITH OUR RODEO EFFORTS TO ENGAGE IN FREE PUBLIC SCREENINGS OF ATTENDEES AT RODEOS WHERE OUR RIDERS ARE APPEARING FOR EARLY SIGNS OF ORAL CANCERS. RECEPTION BY RODEO PROMOTERS, AND THE PROFESSIONAL RODEO COWBOYS ASSOCIATION THAT RUNS MOST EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN VERY POSITIVE. WE ARE NOW ON PAUSE WITH THIS RODEO EFFORT AFTER SUCH A STELLAR RESPONSE TO IT, AND WE RETURNED TO ALL THE ASPECTS OF THIS PROGRAM IN 2023. RURAL AMERICA AND THE RODEO CROWD, WHICH IS NOW VERY MUCH A FAMILY SPORT, IS ONE OF THE LAST STRONGHOLDS OF TOBACCO. WE ARE THE ONLY NON-PROFIT WE HAVE SEEN AT THESE EVENTS ENGAGED IN THAT COMMUNITY TO BRING DOWN THE IMPACT OF TOBACCO USE. IN 2016 AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS USE, THE FOUNDATION CONDUCTED A TOTAL OF 53 AWARENESS EVENTS IN MAJOR CITIES MANY OF WHICH OUR COORDINATORS LARGELY CAME FROM THE RANKS OF THE RDH COMMUNITY AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY THIS CANCER. TO HAVE THAT GO TO ZERO IN 2020 WAS UNEXPECTED AND FINANCIALLY DIFFICULT FOR THE FOUNDATION. WE ANTICIPATED THE CONTINUED IMPACT OF THIS IN 2021, BUT OPEN-AIR EVENTS LIKE OURS WERE NOT ABLE TO START UP AGAIN UNTIL 2022 HAD PASSED. WE HAD TWO DONATION GENERATING EVENTS AT THE END OF THE YEAR PUT ON BY SURVIVOR FAMILIES IN THEIR COMMUNITY, AND ONE VIRTUAL WALK EVENT, WHICH WAS NOT REVENUE GENERATING, BUT THE MISSION TO RAISE AWARENESS NEEDS CONSTANT ATTENTION. IN 2023 OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO HPV/ORAL-OROPHARYNGEAL CANCER RESEARCH WAS PAUSED, BUT WE REAFFIRMED OUR COMMITMENTS TO LONG-TERM OCF AFFILIATED RESEARCHERS TO SUPPORT THEM AGAIN IN 2024. WE ALSO SAW PUBLISHED THE OUTCOMES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS' RESEARCH FUNDING, IN PRESTIGIOUS PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS SUCH AS THE JOURNAL CELL, AND THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE. AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING IN Q1 2024, WE HAVE SEEN PUBLISHED AN IMPORTANT TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH PAPER ELUCIDATING A NEVER BEFORE DESCRIBED CELLULAR FUNCTION, THAT DETERMINES WHO WILL HAVE RECURRENCES OF THEIR HPV+ OROPHARYNGEAL CANCER THAT OCF WAS A CO FINANCIAL SPONSOR OF. OCF SPONSORED RESEARCHERS ALSO SPOKE VIRTUALLY AT SEVERAL LARGE HEAD AND NECK CANCER CONFERENCES TO THEIR PEERS AND MEMBERS OF THE TREATMENT COMMUNITY, AND OCF CONTINUED TO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO SEE THEM GET THESE SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES. 2023 ALSO SAW A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT WE HAVE HAD TO DR. MAURA GILLISON'S AT MDACC WORK IN THE IMMUNE CHECK POINT INHIBITOR RESEARCH EFFORT RESULT IN NEW PUBLICATIONS.