Since the 1998 launch of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Olympus has been actively involved in raising public awareness for colorectal cancer, and in fundraisers to support colorectal cancer research. Olympus pioneered the development of colorectal cancer screening and treatment endoscopic technology that identifies and remove polyps before they turn deadly. As a member of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, Olympus has partnered with public, private and voluntary colorectal cancer organizations each year in fundraising cancer campaigns.

This year, actor Dennis Quaid joins the colorectal cancer campaign encouraging Americans over the age of 50 to get screened for colorectal cancer. In a new public service announcement created by Olympus and the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, EIF's NCCRA, Quaid states, "You might look and feel fine, but once you turn 50, you need to get screened for colon cancer. I did." Quaid added, "Colon cancer was a taboo subject until recently. I figured if Katie Couric could have her colonoscopy broadcast on national television, I could speak out about having one. Hopefully, other baby boomers will talk to their doctors about it and get tested for this highly preventable disease." Olympus will donate 5 percent of the manufacturer's retail price of all Stylus digital cameras sold to EIF's NCCRA. So, if you are shopping for a camera anyway, check out Olympus.

In 1998, Katie Couric lost her husband, Jay Monahan, in the prime of his life, to colon cancer. Since then, Couric has been a passionate crusader in raising public awareness about colon cancer and in stressing the vital importance of colon cancer screening for everyone over 40 years of age. "Jay was just 41 when he was diagnosed, and it would have taken a very astute doctor to pick up on it being colorectal cancer early on," says Couric. "He was pretty much asymptomatic. He had no family history. You can be feeling perfectly fine – on top of the world physically – and still have colorectal cancer. One of the many difficult things about this disease is you often have no symptoms. You may not have blood in your stool, or have lost weight or your bowels habits may not have changed. But you could still have the disease."

In 2000, Couric helped co-found the Entertainment Industry Foundation National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, EIF's NCCRA, an organization who works to raise public awareness about colon cancer, the importance of screening and in funding cutting-edge research. Celebrities Morgan Freeman, Dennis Quaid and Ray Romano, who appears in a video PSA to help promote awareness for colon cancer and raise funds through the sale of philosophy's laughing gas bathroom spray on QVC, have joined Couric in spreading her colon cancer awareness message intended to save lives, "Please, get tested. This one can be cured."

Other celebrity friends who have helped Couric raise colon cancer awareness and the need for colon cancer screening are: Colin Farrell, Dennis Franz, Heidi Klum, Mandy Moore, Judge Judy Sheindlin, and the "Peanuts" characters on behalf of the late Charles Schultz.

In observance of National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, EIF's NCCRA, is offering free laughing gas, an air-freshening product, if you contribute $20 dollars or more to help support the organization's colon cancer awareness and research programs.

According to philosophy, makers of laughing gas, they may create a bit of bathroom humor with the new laughing gas product, but the fundraising effort for colon cancer awareness, screening and research is definitely no laughing matter. In addition to the EIF's NCCRA free offer of laughing gas, philosophy is donating 100 percent of net profits of the sale of laughing gas to support EIF's NCCRA. "Give your bathroom the aroma of a great-smelling bakery, and every time you give a quick spray, remember you are also helping to help fight colon cancer."

In 2000, Katie Couric, Lilly Tartikoff and the Entertainment Industry Foundation established the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance. Since that time,  public awareness about colon cancer has led to a 20 percent increase in colonoscopies nationwide. University of Michigan researchers refer to this as the "Couric Effect."