Grube Heck Foundation of Chicago Partners with All Care

All Care is excited to be the first community partner of the Grube Heck Foundation (GH Foundation) in its efforts to raise awareness of gastro health. The GH Foundation understands that discussions about digestive issues can be difficult, but it also knows these conversations are too important to avoid. Founders Kristin Lynn Grube and Dacia Heck, both personally affected by colorectal cancer, have become fierce advocates working to ease the path for others.

When Kendra Shirkey, Care Management Supervisor, met Dacia Heck of the GH Foundation at the American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, she was eager to share All Care’s commitment to increasing colorectal cancer awareness. The GH Foundation quickly decided to partner with All Care and will adopt some of our innovative ideas into its own outreach efforts.

This year, All Care is expanding education beyond our health center by reaching public housing locations and all of our clinic sites. The GH Foundation is supporting All Care in encouraging patients to complete colorectal cancer screenings—whether through a FIT Test, Cologuard, or colonoscopy. Patients who complete a screening during March will be entered to win a small gift from the GH Foundation.

All Care’s colorectal cancer awareness committee, led by Shirkey, has organized various events to engage the community. Art students from Thomas Jefferson have returned to All Care, along with their principal, Mr. Naughton, to use their creativity and paint the windows at All Care to draw attention to the cause. Last year, the project left a lasting impression. Thomas Jefferson’s art teacher, Laurie Bancroft, was already brainstorming ideas for 2025 before the paint had even dried.

Stop by All Care to grab a sticker—courtesy of the GH Foundation—and start conversations with your friends and family. And once again, keep an eye out for the blue glow of the Hero’s Fountain, located between Pearl and Main Streets at West Broadway, just south of the First Responders Memorial Plaza, as it shines brightly to raise awareness for colorectal cancer.