The Madison Cancer Awareness Club (MCAC) is a place where education meets action. Students are given the unique opportunity to expand their knowledge of cancer prevention techniques while also making tangible impacts on the lives of patients. From cancer focuses to toy drives, this club is all about advocacy. 

The club was created last school year by Molly Roccia (’26) and Kaitlyn Coyle (’26), both of whom wanted to bring cancer advocacy to Madison’s environment. 

“I noticed that there were no clubs that were based on cancer advocacy for students,” Roccia said. “I wanted to make a club where other students could just come to learn about cancer prevention in a low-stakes way.” 

Monthly meetings include cancer focuses: descriptions of a specific type of cancer. Officers are assigned to research and create a presentation based on the cancer type of a particular month. These presentations include symptoms, risk factors and prevention methods. The club hopes that these demonstrations will help students to become more aware of their health and spread this awareness to their loved ones. 

Nowadays, the club works on service projects, such as their toy drive and monthly meeting activities. For the toy drive, boxes are left around local Vienna establishments, where people are able to donate. At the end of the drive, the toys are donated to a hospital wing dedicated to childhood cancer.