Community Relations Director Tank Strickland presented a proclamation to the American Cancer Society on Wednesday. Mayor Rogero proclaimed the day as American Cancer Society Day in honor of the 100th birthday of the society.

The American Cancer Society (originally named the American Society for the Control of Cancer) was established in 1913 and has 100 years of milestones in the fight against cancer.

In 1944, the American Cancer Society prioritized funding for cancer research, which to date has funded 46 Nobel Laureates and is the largest nongovernmental, not-for-profit funder of cancer research.

The American Cancer Society helped seek passage of the Cancer Act of 1971 which established the National Cancer Institute and now funds billions of dollars annually for research.

In 1997, the American Cancer Society opened the doors to the National Cancer Information Center, which receives nearly 1 million calls seeking cancer information a year.

For the first time in history, in 2006, the actual number of cancer deaths in the United States declined thanks in large part to the American Cancer Society's groundbreaking work in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment.

The American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network were successful in gaining support and passage of FDA regulation over tobacco products and in 2012, the American Cancer Society reported cancer death rates declined by 20 percent, which is 1.2 million lives saved.

For more information about the American Cancer Society please visit www.cancer.org.