The Great American Flea Market on Sept. 9 won’t just be about goods this year. It will be a place for people to get information about cancer and participate in some cancer screenings.
The Emporia Lodge No. 12 AF & AM will host the Kansas Masonic Foundation Outreach Program at the flea market. The program is sponsored by the Kansas Masonic Foundation and presented by the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute at The University of Kansas Medical Center. It will feature presentations from cancer research and medical professionals and provide cancer prevention information. In addition to the education component, attendees can participate in free cancer assessments and screenings, including breast, prostate and skin cancers.
Registration is required and will begin at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Lyon County Courthouse at the Kansas Masonic Foundation tent.
Mark Nelson, executive director of the Kansas Masonic Foundation, said the foundation’s relationship with KU began in 1974.
“The Masons in general have the longest standing philanthropic history with KU,” Nelson said. “It’s nice to be able to say that.”
The Kansas Masonic Foundation has donated more than $5 million dollars to the research institute. In November 2003, the foundation pledged an additional $15 million in cancer research money.
“We’re halfway through our $15 million goal,” Nelson said.
Outreach programs like the one coming to Emporia during the flea market have formed in the last five years, as a way for the Masonic Foundation to bring to different communities across the state the endeavors and advancements that the cancer research center and the institute at KU are making, Nelson said.
The local Masonic lodge is responsible for organizing the event and KU is responsible for bringing the staff in at no charge, said Dave Hendricks of Emporia Lodge No. 12 AF&AM.
“We’re really excited we are going to host this program,” Hendricks said. “It’s another way for us to give back to the community.”
Nelson said actual screenings will be done at the clinic. A dermascan machine will be brought to the site. This machine allows a closer look at areas of the skin and if anything suspicious is found, the people are encouraged to contact their doctor. General cancer information also will be given out.