In accordance with its mission Bowel Cancer Australia is committed to responsibly raising awareness of bowel cancer risk factors and symptoms.

Our charity initiatives such as Bowel Cancer Awareness Week™, the It’s Crunch Time™ and ‘Love My Family’ campaigns, and the Health in the Workplace Program have raised awareness among general practitioners, pharmacists, the community and employees of the critical importance of early detection and intervention in the successful treatment of bowel cancer.

We encourage participation by Australians in appropriate screening for bowel cancer.

Through these activities, we seek to significantly reduce the number of Australians who are currently ignoring the potentially deadly signs of bowel cancer.

Bowel Cancer Australia Ambassador, Lara Bingle, took to the phones for the international brokerage firm ICAP’s 17th annual global Charity Day.

ICAP gives away all revenues and commissions made on its Charity Day.

Since its inception in 1993, ICAP’s Charity Day has raised US$100 million and supported over 700 well deserving and needy causes worldwide.

Click here to check out photos from the Day.

In late December 2008, whilst adopting their usual position at the Qantas Club buffet, it became obvious to Andrew Vidler and Chris Swifte (you can call them AV and Swifty) that they were two very unfit 40 year olds, although in their own minds they still looked pretty good.

They decided to set a goal. They needed to pick an activity and an event to train for - both had a competitive swimming past and a distinct lack of interest in running or wearing lycra, so swimming it was!

Click here to visit their website for the rest of the story!

They are both competing in the Rottnest Channel Swim on 20 February 2010. This is Australia’s biggest ocean swim at 19.8 km from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest Island.

The Rottnest Channel swim takes a lot of training and planning. Each swimmer or duo needs a boat & crew and a paddler to accompany them. It’s also a no wetsuit swim, so it’s lucky that the boys think they look so good in Speedos! The swim will take them between six to seven hours to complete as a duo.

In recent times, both Andrew Vidler and Chris Swifte (AV and Swifty) have had close friends and male business colleagues affected by and in a few cases die from men’s health issues (specifically bowel and prostate cancer).

So they’re now asking you to help them support three organisations; Bowel Cancer Australia, Prostate Cancer Foundation and Young Care. Their aim is to raise $100,000. Your action now will provide them with a strong message of support and real motivation to draw on during the swim.....it’s also a great distraction from the sharks!

Click here to donate to AV & Swifty’s Big Swim.

On 24 December Stephen Bock will hike from Canberra to Sydney, with fellow Everest base camp trekkers and friends joining him along the way to help to raise awareness of bowel cancer.

The 320km hiking challenge represents the number of Australians who die from bowel cancer every month.

You can support Steve by spending a day with him on the walk or sponsor him per kilometre. If you would like to join Steve and the team, please give him a call on 0417 344 445.

Click here to read more about Steve’s Challenge.

Channel 7’s Sydney Weekender presenter, Peter Wells, and Doug Lucas, President of Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club, will embark on an epic paddling adventure to raise awareness of bowel cancer.

The pair will paddle from Boomerang Beach (near Forster) to Shellharbour, a total of 320 kilometres, which represents the number of Australians who die of bowel cancer every month.

Click here to read more about Peter & Doug’s adventure.

Click here to visit to Paddle 320 website.

Click here to check out the latest photos.

96 9 Star FM’s Adam and Joe successfully completed another challenge yesterday at the Shepparton Marketplace, to bowl 320 ends and raise awareness of a serious disease, bowel cancer.

It was a struggle and the boys were exhausted when they got to the end of it, but 320 ends of Lawn Bowls was the goal because 320 is the number of people who die in Australia every month from Bowel Cancer, it’s Australia’s second biggest cancer killer but it can be cured if detected early.

Click here to read more

This is an important health handbook for working men – accessible, informative and down to earth advice from an experienced health professional.

Most men take care of their cars, spend hours fixing up trucks and keep fishing rods and golf clubs in tip top condition... yet far too many men don’t look after themselves, ignoring symptoms until the wheels literally fall off the wagon.

Tammy Farrell is a registered nurse who decided to build the medical questions frequently asked by her brothers and their mates into a series of Tool Box Talks, which she gave to miners in the Hunter Valley.

In The Real Man’s Tool Box she has created the manual EVERY man needs to live a healthier life.

Bowel Cancer Australia was pleased to assist Tammy with Chapter 3, 'The Bowel Does What?’

Tammy's approach is light hearted yet informative on the subject.

Click here to purchase a copy of the book.

“Now What…?” Dealing with your parent’s cancer is a FREE book that provides information, practical tips, support and advice across a whole range of areas that impact on a young person who has a parent with cancer.

This useful resource, developed by CanTeen, is designed especially for 12 to 24 year olds who have had a parent diagnosed with cancer.

Click here to access the book from CanTeen.

He has climbed Java’s Krakatoa, gazed upon the plains of Africa from Kilimanjaro, and resided with nomads in the Sahara – ultimately, there is nothing television presenter Peter Wells won’t do for a taste of adventure.

However, the next expedition planned by the Sydney Weekender star is perhaps his most ambitious yet – to climb the south face of Everest and, in the process, raise awareness of Australia’s second biggest cancer killer, bowel cancer, and funds for Bowel Cancer Australia.

Peter has joined with friends Stephen Bock and Darren Robertson to plan an awareness and fundraising initiative that will test every ounce of their physical and emotional strength.

Click here to visit the Everest 2010 expedition website.

In tribute to Farrah Fawcett, TV1 is running a special memorial 60 second tribute throughout their normal programming this coming week.

It will honour the iconic actress and call for viewers to donate to Bowel Cancer Australia.

Bowel Cancer Australia’s ‘Love My Family’ campaign gained momentum today with up and coming band Radio Ink adding their name to a growing list of supporters.

When the members of Sydney band Radio Ink read that ‘wish you were here’ was the sentiment at the heart of the campaign, they decided that they too would get involved.

Lead singer ‘Miss S’ explains Radio Ink’s new single “Wish U Were Here” is a song about missing someone you love and wishing they were here with you now.

Click here to listen to 'Wish U Were Here'.

Click here to visit Radio Ink's website.

Leading Australian bowel cancer charities and patients are hoping to save thousands of lives with the launch of a new bowel cancer awareness campaign. No ifs. No butts. Get tested for bowel cancer. The awareness campaign is an initiative of the Bowel Cancer Coalition and calls for Australians over the age of 50 to get tested every two years.

Julien Wiggins, CEO of Bowel Cancer Australia and Bowel Cancer Coalition member says the campaign aims to highlight to Australians the importance of taking control of their own health and to consider bowel cancer screening as routine, as it already is for other less common cancers.

2008 NRL Premiers and 2009 Rugby League World Club Champions, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, will kick off Bowel Cancer Awareness Week at their match against the Sydney Roosters at Brookvale Oval on Saturday, 6 June at 5.30pm.

One of Australia’s most successful models, Lara Bingle, is setting her sights on tackling Australia’s second biggest cancer killer, working closely with Bowel Cancer Australia, as an Ambassador.

Losing her father, Graham, at a relatively young age to bowel cancer, Lara has chosen to do what she can to raise awareness about early detection of what is a preventable and curable disease.

Lara features in Bowel Cancer Australia’s latest awareness campaign, Love My Family, which encourages people to talk about their bowel cancer risk with loved ones.

Bowel Cancer Australia and The M5 Project, an initiative of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, have joined together to change men’s attitudes and behaviours towards their own health.

We want men to feel comfortable talking to their GP about bowel cancer and urging them to know and share their family history. Our message is simple: lead a healthy lifestyle, know your family history and make regular visits to the GP.

Together we want to put a stop to the fact that 5 men die every hour of potentially preventable diseases.

Click here to visit the M5 Project website.

Given the impact of bowel cancer on our society and the alarmingly low level of awareness and understanding of the disease, a group of independent, non-profit organisations have agreed to coordinate individual activities and work collaboratively as a National Bowel Cancer Coalition.

The Coalition has developed the ‘Bowel Cancer 2012 Challenge’, which sets out our vision for combating the disease in Australia and improving bowel cancer patient outcomes over the next three years.

Bowel Cancer Australia is proud to be a founding member of the National Bowel Cancer Coalition.

Click here for further information.

Whether sailing competitively or for leisure, Skipper Scott Cotton, 2008 State Champion and runner up in the 2009 NSW F11 Championships, is helping to promote bowel cancer awareness at sea, proudly displaying Bowel Cancer Australia’s logo on the main sail of 1368 Cotton On.

‘Passing wind’ took on a whole new meaning at the 2009 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart.

Thanks to the enterprising efforts of Joy Nicholson (pictured front left), Catherine Nicholson (front right), Alex Nicholson (back left) & Nola Polmear (back right), who set bowel cancer awareness afloat by building their own boat & appropriately naming it ‘Passing Wind’.

The Institute is now on Facebook!  Help us spread the positive message that 90% of bowel cancers can be cured if detected early.  Share your experiences with other bowel cancer patients, survivors and their families, or post information about your fundraising and awareness activities.