This year, over 21,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 14,000 women will die. There is no screening or early detection test available. Symptoms are subtle which result in only 20 percent of ovarian tumors being detected before they have progressed to an advanced stage.

STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation has created the Step Up America for Ovarian Cancer Campaign to raise awareness and funding for research especially for the rare subtype, Low Grade Serous Carcinoma.

Creating an Event or Team is an easy process.

• You will be asked during registration if you want to create a Group. Don't see your team listed in the dropdown menu?  The first person who registers and creates a group becomes the Event/Team Captain. Once the group is created, it will appear in the drop-down list of groups and others can choose to join the group.
• Fundraising Teams will automatically be created once a Group is created. Fundraising is not required but we highly encourage you to help your team raise more money and help us reach our goal of $200,0000. 

We also invite you to sponsor our Step Up America for Ovarian Cancer national campaign.  The campaign combines three components:  awareness, education, and fundraising.  Our mission is to educate and raise awareness about ovarian cancer and to increase research funding, especially for rare forms of the disease.  This year's theme is COLOR THE COUNTRY Teal.

Sponsorship benefits include low-cost marketing for your company through an aggressive social media campaign, event websites, and print media. Your gift will make a huge difference to women by helping us educate and raise awareness on ovarian cancer and contribute to an underfunded cancer research. It is our hope that you will join us in supporting ovarian cancer research and awareness by becoming a sponsor for our campaign and show all women and the community your partnership in the fight for ovarian cancer awareness and research.

A keystone to our awareness and education campaign component is the t-shirts we distribute which list the symptoms of ovarian cancer on the back of the shirt and become human “billboards” spreading awareness and education to all who see the shirts. Sponsors in the top two sponsorship levels will have their company logos printed on our t-shirts.

Feedback on our t-shirts has been overwhelmingly positive with multiple stories of participants wearing the shirts: being asked about the symptoms or asked if a picture could be taken of the back to share with someone. Our t-shirt distribution goal this year is 2500 shirts.  To accomplish this goal, we need sponsorships.

Our fundraising component involves events/teams completing activities such as walking a 5K, biking, hiking, having a cook-out, picnic, virtual event, etc. during the month of September, which is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Team organizers determine their own activities. We are seeking teams 25 different teams across the US. Besides raising funds, these team activities will also help raise awareness and educate participants about ovarian cancer.

Every year, women of all ages are affected by ovarian cancer, especially the rare form low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSC) which disproportionately affects younger women. The lack of screening tests and limited research for ovarian cancer adds to the importance of educating women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and the need to raise funding for research, to help give these young women better treatment options and longer lives.  

Funds raised will support ovarian cancer research. STAAR is governed and run 100% by a volunteer board and committee members, half of whom are women previously diagnosed with LGSC. Since 2020, STAAR has contributed to funding two research project at MD Anderson Cancer Center with the most recent funding a LGSC research study for $150,000. 

What you can do now: