Lebanon, TN — The fourth annual National Dress in Blue Day will be held in communities and offices across the country on Friday, March 2, 2012 as part of Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Just as red has come to symbolize AIDS and pink represents breast cancer, blue now signifies the fight against colon cancer.

Dress in Blue Day encourages individuals, businesses and community groups to wear blue and talk to each other about the importance of colon cancer screenings. In addition to asking people to Dress in Blue, Lebanon Endoscopy Center - located on 100 Physicians Way, Suite 340 - will host an open house to encourage the community to get involved. The open house will provide free educational materials, wristbands, Blue Star buttons, refreshments, $25 "Gas Card" and Awareness T-shirt giveaways. There will also be nurse-guided facility tours and physicians on hand to answer your most difficult questions. The event will be held on Dress in Blue Day, March 2, from 5 until 6:30 p.m.

"This is our way of getting the Lebanon community together to talk about a topic which can be difficult to discuss. Knowing the facts about colon cancer and preventative screening saves lives, and that is what we hope to do with this event," Teresa Hall, administrator of Lebanon Endoscopy Center, said.

The purpose of Dress in Blue Day is to promote awareness about colorectal cancer and encourage people to get screened. Colorectal cancer is the No. 2 cause of death in the United States, and this year will kill as many people as breast cancer and AIDS combined. The cancer often has no symptoms at all until it's at an advanced stage, but it is 90 percent preventable when detected early. You can reduce your risk through regular screening.

The idea for Dress in Blue Day originated in 2006 when a Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA) volunteer and co-founder of Colon S.T.A.R.S. of Seattle wanted to find an effective way to honor a friend who had recently passed away from colon cancer and recognize others who had lost their fight against colorectal cancer. In 2009, the CCA, excited by the idea, worked with the group to bring national recognition to Dress in Blue Day.

The CCA is the nation's leading colorectal cancer organization focused on meeting individual patient and caregiver needs by connecting each of those diagnosed with a support network through its Online Colorectal Cancer Community, Buddy Program and toll-free help line. The CCA is working to get people talking about colon health and to promote early screenings through education and fun events such as regional seminars, open houses and the annual Dress in Blue Day.