ACS CAN Appoints State Lead Ambassador

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network has named its State Lead Ambassador. Holly Ho-Chee-DuPont was appointed the role for the non-profit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society.

“For years, Holly has been an avid volunteer and passionate cancer advocate for ACS CAN’s legislative priorities at the state level,” said Cory Chun, Hawai’i Pacific government relations director for ACS CAN. “We are honored to appoint Holly to her new role where we look forward to her contributions to local grassroots organizing and cancer-fighting public policy advocacy in her community and throughout the state of Hawai’i.”

Ho-Chee-DuPont is now the top ACS CAN Hawai’i volunteer and is the key volunteer contact for Senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz. She will work with staff members and other volunteers to set recruiting, fundraising, training, and legislative campaign goals for the state.

ACS CAN is the country’s largest cancer advocacy organization and supports the evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem.

“As the new State Lead Ambassador for Hawai’i, we are excited to see Holly use her voice to make a difference in the fight against cancer,” said James Gray, vice president of government relations in the High Plains Division for ACS CAN. “She has already had a chance to represent Hawai’i on behalf of ACS CAN and we can look forward to her continued support, motivation and influence on our team as we work to change the course of cancer through legislation.”

During several ACS CAN events on the mainland, Ho-Chee-DuPont represented Hawai’i volunteers. Events she attended include the 2014 State Lead Ambassador Summit in Dallas, TX and the ACS CAN and Stand Up To Cancer One Degree Lobby Day, held this past March in Washington, DC.

In addition to her new role as State Lead Ambassador, Ho-Chee-DuPont is an oncology patient navigator at the Hilo Medical Center. There, she helps cancer patients and their families as they go through the process of treatment. Over the past several years, she has also been a caregiver to her own family members who lost their lives to cancer.

“I am very passionate about what I do every day for my patients, and that carries over to my work as an ACS CAN volunteer. On a daily basis, I hear my patient’s concerns as they go through their chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The individual challenges my patients and their families face is taxing on all of them. That’s why my work with ACS CAN is so important,” said Ho-Chee-DuPont. “I’ve seen firsthand how volunteers throughout Hawai’i and the rest of the nation are working on legislative campaigns at the local, state and national levels, and I am honored to be one of the many voices who are advocating on behalf of those touched by cancer to make a difference in the perception of our elected officials.”