Sundance Vacations Employees Spread Cancer Awareness

Employees are keeping it C.A.S.U.A.L. at Sundance Vacations to save lives!

Sundance Vacations employees showed their support for the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute (NRCI) by participating in the charity’s C.A.S.U.A.L. Day during the week of March 23 – April 1, 2016.

C.A.S.U.A.L. Day, an acronym for Colon Cancer Awareness Saves Unlimited Adult Lives, is the NRCI’s annual fundraising cause to bring awareness to Colorectal Cancer in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA).

The NRCI shines a light on Colon Cancer for one special day each year by encouraging people to purchase and wear its C.A.S.U.A.L. shirts and pins to emphasis the importance of cancer screenings and early detection.

Employees from the Sundance Vacations Wilkes-Barre, Shamokin and Tamaqua, Pennsylvania offices put their own spin on C.A.S.U.A.L. Day this year!

Instead of purchasing shirts and pins, employees donated $10 to dress down at work for not just one day, but an entire week.

Our C.A.S.U.A.L. Week allowed employees to wear jeans, sweatshirts and other comfortable clothing to work during the week of March 28 – April 1.

Sundance Vacations also encouraged employees to wear blue on Thursday, March 31 to recognize those affected by colon cancer and inspire others in NEPA to schedule a cancer screening.

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Wilkes-Barre, Pa. office employees

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Shamokin, Pa. office employees
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Tamaqua, Pa. office employees

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C.A.S.U.A.L. Day 2016 pin

By the end of the week, Sundance Vacations employees raised over $600 to donate. In addition, Sundance Vacations co-founders, John and Tina Dowd, put another $250 in for the cancer institute.

That means that Sundance Vacations employees collected over $850 to donate to the NRCI’s cause!

Sundance Vacations Digital Marketing Coordinator Jennifer Villa organized our C.A.S.U.A.L. Day fundraiser with the help of our Charity Coordinator Kelly Valovich and is thrilled with the results.

“I’m blown away by how many employees participated in our C.A.S.U.A.L. Week,” Villa said. “My coworkers do so much for charity and I can’t thank them enough for spreading awareness to this cause.”

Villa said that she is always looking for ways to help those who suffer from cancer; her own aunt is a Breast Cancer survivor.

“Imagine hearing your doctor say the words, ‘you have cancer,’” Villa said, “I would be speechless. It’s comforting knowing that there are people out there like my coworkers and myself who are making sure that person hears, ‘but we caught it early enough to treat it,’ right after. Ladies skip their pap smears, men pass on their prostate exams, but it’s early detection that could really save your life. We’re making sure that everyone can afford a doctor’s visit to get proper screenings.”

All of the money raised by the NCRI’s C.A.S.U.A.L. Day stays in NEPA and is used to help people with cancer in the area.

A portion of the donations gathered by Sundance Vacations employees will pay for colorectal screenings for low-income and underinsured people in Northeastern, Pa.

Karen Saunders, President of the NRCI, tells Sundance Vacations that in addition to the company’s help, the NCRI sold over 4,300 shirts and 4,000 pins for this year’s C.A.S.U.A.L. Day.

Looks like a lot people in NEPA kept it C.A.S.U.A.L. for a good cause.

In fact, because of its many years of successful fundraising, the PA House of Representatives declared March 31, 2016 as C.A.S.U.A.L Day across the entire state.

Sundance Vacations is proud to have been a 2016 C.A.S.U.A.L. Day Sponsor.

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About the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute

The NRCI has been organizing C.A.S.U.A.L. Day for the past 13 years.

Colon Cancer is one of the most diagnosed cancers in the Northeastern, Pa. area. It is also a cancer that can be easily screened and in some cases prevented.

Have a casual conversation about Colon Cancer with friends and family to spread awareness or go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information.

View all charities Sundance Vacations Wilkes-Barre worked with here: Wilkes-Barre News.

View all charities Sundance Vacations Shamokin worked with here: Shamokin News.

View all charities Sundance Vacations Tamaqua worked with here: Tamaqua News.