BROOKINGS — A donation of toilet paper and paper towels to local nonprofits is a fitting way for public relations students at South Dakota State University to finish the semester strong. For their capstone course, these students designed a campaign to raise awareness of colorectal cancer for the Brookings Colorectal Cancer Awareness Program. 

Captain Colon, the namesake of the event and BCCAP’s mascot, will represent the campaign wearing a colon costume designed by the SDSU Theatre Program. The Captain Colon Caravan will take off from downtown Brookings at 9 a.m. on April 29 and make the following stops to donate toilet paper and paper towels contributed by Sam Decker of Pasque Paper Products:

• Brookings Food Pantry: 9:15 a.m.
• Brookings Domestic Abuse Shelter: 10 a.m.
• Brookings Humane Society: 10:30 a.m.
• Jacks Cupboard: 11 a.m. 

This will be the last of several events planned by the students. Past events have included tabling at the Miller Wellness Center and Hy-Vee to raise awareness. BCCAP visited Wooden Legs Brewing Company for trivia night, where Captain Colon hosted one round of trivia featuring questions about colorectal health.

 In addition to these events, students updated BCCAP’s website, wrote blog posts and posted content across BCCAP’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

BCCAP works in partnership with Brookings Health System, a nonprofit, city-owned health organization serving the needs of Brookings and surrounding communities.

 “Brookings Health System and our Foundation are grateful to BCCAP and their team’s continuing efforts to raise our community’s awareness of colorectal cancer,” said Julia Yoder, director of marketing and PR for Brookings Health System. “According to the South Dakota Cancer Registry, colorectal cancer has the second highest cancer mortality rate in Brookings County. The good news: Early detection for colorectal cancer through routine preventive care like colonoscopies leads to a 90% five-year survival rate.”

The recommended screening age for colorectal cancer is now 45 years, rather than 50. This is one area students highlighted in their campaign.

“We want the Brookings community to know colorectal cancer is preventable if you catch it early,” said Marina Hendricks, capstone class mentor and an assistant professor in the SDSU School of Communication and Journalism. “Also, there’s so much we all can do to keep ourselves healthy with healthy lifestyle choices. It starts with us.”