New program to educate people about cancer prevention | Health

The Massey Alliance invites the community to learn how a healthy lifestyle can reduce risk for cancer while enjoying the local, seasonal offerings and urban atmosphere of the 17th Street Farmers’ Market.  Through free community exercise classes and nutrition information provided by trained volunteers, the organization’s new community outreach program will emphasize the important role a healthy lifestyle plays in reducing risk for cancer.

The Massey Alliance is a junior board of young professionals dedicated to raising money and awareness for VCU Massey Cancer Center.  The group has recently embraced a mission of educating their peers about the growing scientific evidence that a commitment to a healthy lifestyle from a young age has a significant impact on cancer risk later in life.  Utilizing the vibrant, interactive venue of the 17th Street Farmers’ Market, the initiative kicks off on the opening day of the market, Saturday, May 7, and will run through September 10.  Important cancer prevention information will be shared in two ways:

• Free Community Exercise Classes every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. from May 7–September 10.  Classes, presented by Richmond Balance, Shockoe Bottom’s neighborhood gym, will take place outdoors at the market and will feature a variety of class types from Yogilates to Boot Camp.  Classes will be announced weekly on the Massey Alliance Facebook page and each will incorporate information related to how fitness and an active lifestyle contribute to cancer risk reduction.
   
• Cancer Prevention Education Tables monthly on Saturdays from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (May 7, June 4, July 2, August 6, September 3). Massey Alliance volunteers, trained by Massey’s experts, will provide important information about how nutrition and healthy eating helps prevent cancer.

“Fighting cancer is a very personal issue for members of the Massey Alliance, and we determined that the most important message we could share with our fellow young adults is that the choices we make now can reduce our risk for cancer as we get older,” says Courtney Tkacz, a Massey Alliance member who is spearheading the Farmers’ Market education program.  “The opportunity to work with the 17th Street Farmers’ Market provided a perfect way to engage the community and share this critical information.”

The Massey Alliance volunteers will be armed with the latest research-based information gained through required training provided by Massey researchers Dr. Diane Baer Wilson and Dr. Steven Gudas.  Thirty volunteers attended the first training session in April.
For more information about the Farmer’s Market initiative, visit www.facebook.com/masseyalliance.