Do you want to educate others and raise awareness about invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) and the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA)?

There are many different ways you can join in furthering our mission. You can help LBCA grow, spread the word about ILC, and promote ILC research. We can also help you learn how to engage in research advocacy in your own community with resources found in the Research Advocacy Toolkit.

If you would like to join us as a volunteer and work with us on activities to help us achieve our mission, there are several ways LBCA can use your support.

Start or Join an LBCA Local Advocacy Team in your Area:

LBCA recently announced the initiation of LBCA Local Advocacy Teams, which invite ILC advocates who are interested in connecting with others locally to start regional action teams. The goal of these teams are to gather those in a common geographic area to further LBCA’s mission through in-person advocacy, developing social connections, and planning educational and fundraising events. If you would like to learn more, please contact Local Advocacy Team Coordinator Kathleen Moss. 

Volunteer to Assist with Communications:

To help us share information about ILC and LBCA, communications volunteers may engage in activities including:

• Drafting and editing communications on ILC (e.g., including transcripts for interviewing people with ILC or ILC researchers, and developing content for brochures, posters, social media, pieces for the press, and for fundraising initiatives)
• Helping to maintain and increase social media visibility for LBCA and ILC
• Assisting with photography and video or graphic creations
• Participating in speaker training to become better spokespeople for LBCA when speaking with the media or at conferences
• Distributing brochures and educational materials on ILC at events and other outreach opportunities

Volunteer to Assist with Education and ILC Research Advocacy:

A research advocate can be a person with ILC, caregiver, former patient, or volunteer who has an interest in the science behind breast cancer research. LBCA ILC research advocates work to promote more ILC research and to forge collaborations among ILC researchers and other breast cancer organizations with which we partner to promote ILC research. Being an ILC research advocate also means helping to ensure the research that is conducted includes and accommodates the patient perspective and focuses on patient outcomes. LBCA supports research advocacy by providing resources for ILC research advocates, links to research advocacy opportunities, and tips for how to engage in research advocacy including links to research advocacy trainings.

LBCA’s education and research advocacy volunteer activities may include:

• Keeping LBCA’s ILC educational materials up to date and accurate
• Helping keep LBCA’s ILC research library current and relevant
• Summarizing presentations and research for the LBCA website
• Helping to plan and execute virtual expert panels, video presentations, and podcasts
• Assisting with the development of LBCA advocate-focused research and conference posters that promote ILC research
• Developing curriculum materials on ILC for clinical training programs
• Attending and representing LBCA at major breast cancer conferences and on panel presentations, and disseminating information about LBCA and ILC
• Reaching out to and establishing relationships with key contacts at cancer research centers and other breast cancer organizations around the country and internationally
• Working with LBCA’s scientific advisory board and other ILC researchers to ensure that new studies or clinical trials include ILC, and in developing and growing LBCA’s ILC grant-making capacity.
• Identifying clinical trials that seek ILC participants and/or studies that need ILC patient-advocate assistance

Volunteer to Assist with Development

Volunteer fundraising activities to help the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance grow may include:

• Developing a peer-to-peer fundraiser
• Helping LBCA launch a fundraising campaign
• Hosting or helping to plan and implement a fundraising event, such as a virtual race
• Helping find and apply for grant opportunities

Volunteer to Support Others with ILC:

LBCA knows that a diagnosis of ILC presents unique challenges in terms of understanding one’s diagnosis and navigating treatment and life after treatment. LBCA partners with several established breast cancer support organizations to ensure there are trained volunteers ready to address the concerns and needs of others with ILC who are seeking support or simply to talk with peers.

If this type of volunteer activity is of interest, we encourage you to explore each of our partner organizations’ websites and determine the best fit for you. The volunteer application, training, and engagement for these opportunities is managed directly by each partner organization. Please note that in general, these volunteer opportunities require that you be out of treatment for at least one year and require an application, interview, and initial training.  Our partners providing trained volunteer breast cancer peer support services include:

After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD): ABCD’s peer mentor program offers trained volunteer mentors who provide one-to-one emotional support by phone, text, or online to people affected by breast cancer. ABCD’s signature matching program connects people with breast cancer and Mentors based on their diagnoses and life circumstances. Mentors are individuals who have had or are living with breast cancer, friends or family members of a patient with breast cancer, or those who have been a caregiver to a person with breast cancer.  All Mentors, with the exception of Metastatic Mentors, are at least one year past their last treatment date. Potential volunteers interested in the program can click here to learn more. Trainings for new Mentors typically take place twice a year.

SHARE Cancer Support: SHARE is a national nonprofit that supports, educates, and empowers women affected by breast or ovarian cancer, with a special focus on medically underserved communities. People with breast cancer can call the hotline to talk to a peer about any aspect of breast cancer, and patients with questions specifically about ILC can request lobular peer support. The lobular patient peer support initiative is run and managed through SHARE’s breast cancer national helpline and trained ILC peers are available via the helpline to take calls. People interested in volunteering for the program can click here.