F4CP and Michigan Association of Chiropractors join forces for regional ChiroThon 2023 fundraising event

The Michigan Association of Chiropractors (MAC), in partnership with the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about the value of chiropractic care, announced the first-ever regional ChiroThon fundraising event will take place Sept. 15-17 during the MAC’s 2023 Fall Convention at the Detroit Marriott. 

The 2023 ChiroThon live and virtual event will feature several showcases, raffles and giveaways and is intended to raise awareness about the benefits of chiropractic. “During the event, we are asking for donations to help us with our ongoing initiative to curb the opioid epidemic and market chiropractic as the first choice for drug-free pain management,” noted a statement on the MAC’s website. 

The opioid crisis has hit the state of Michigan hard; in 2018, the number of drug overdose deaths surpassed the number of car accident deaths in the state at 2,599, 2,036 of which were opioid overdoses. As of June 2023, says the Michigan Opioid Partnership, Michigan averages eight deaths per day from opioid overdoses. 

ChiroThon’s goal for 2023 is to raise $50,000 for the furthering of the chiropractic message, which could go a long way in preventing and reducing opioid abuse and dependency.

“We are ecstatic to showcase the first-ever regional ChiroThon in collaboration with the Michigan Association of Chiropractors,” says Sherry McAllister, DC, CCSP, president of F4CP.

McAllister continued, “This in-person and livestream event will elevate positive awareness of chiropractic to not only consumers in Michigan, but throughout the United States, as well.”

ChiroThon 2023 celebs and events

ChiroThon will kick off on Sept. 15 with an opening session hosted by McAllister and special guest Fab Mancini, DC, FICC, FACC, world-renowned chiropractor, educator and healthy living expert. McAllister and Mancini cohosted the original 2022 ChiroThon event, which debuted in August in Orlando during the Florida Chiropractic Association’s The National, one of the largest events in the chiropractic industry. 

Sessions throughout this year’s three-day regional ChiroThon event will include discussions on women’s and men’s health, yoga for pain management, wellness tips, chiropractic around the world, and how chiropractic benefits veterans.  

On Sept. 16, the regional ChiroThon will also welcome celebrity guest Alessandra Colón of The Learning Channel’s hit series “Crack Addicts,” a reality show that follows first-time chiropractic patients. Season One of the show premiered in May 2023 and includes patients seeking chiropractic care to address conditions such as tremors, migraine headaches, constipation, neck pain and cerebral palsy. In addition to potentially filming another season of the show, Colon will be opening her own practice in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., this winter. 

Another celebrity guest on the regional ChiroThon agenda is kayaking Guinness world record holder Cyril Derreumaux, an adventurer and motivational speaker. He is the first person to solo-kayak, 100% human-powered and unassisted, from Monterey, California, to Hilo, Hawaii, among many other record-breaking adventures. He is currently working on a book and documentary film about his kayak crossing and continuing to inspire audiences with his stories. 

Saturday evening will conclude with “Chiros Got Talent,” starring several Michigan doctors of chiropractic showcasing their unique abilities. 

MAC and F4CP hope the star-studded lineup keeps both live attendees and livestream viewers tuned in and ready to spread the word about chiropractic. For maximum impact, viewers can share the stream to their own social media followers. 

Track record of success

The first-ever ChiroThon event took place in September 2022, when the F4CP attracted a worldwide audience of 85,000 viewers and raised more than $175,000 for chiropractic care awareness and outreach. F4CP received donations from DCs and consumers as well as corporate and media sponsors, including Chiropractic Economics. 

The donations supported F4CP’s “Naturally, Chiropractic” marketing campaign, which shared positive, factual information with the news and entertainment media, industry groups, government organizations and business leaders about chiropractic’s role as safe, effective, drug-free health care. Two of the TV ads in the campaign, “Chiropractic Care for Older Adults” and “Chiropractic Care for Pregnancy,” aired nationally and were later named gold winners in the 2023 Hermes Creative Awards, an international creative-industry competition. 

The first ChiroThon event itself earned two top media industry awards: a MarCom Gold in the special event category and a Healthcare Digital Marketing (HDM) Award Gold in the PR event category, both in 2022. 

“ChiroThon’s tremendous success demonstrates to us, the health care community and consumers that the positive momentum behind drug-free, natural chiropractic care is stronger than ever,” said McAllister of 2022’s event. 

Attend live or join virtually

For more information on viewing the event or making a donation to ChiroThon, visit f4cp.org/mac. (The MCA notes that if you donate $180 or more, your F4CP membership will receive an upgrade to bronze level, which unlocks additional resources for marketing your practice.) 

Like last year’s event, the regional ChiroThon will be livestreamed over the internet. 

Editor’s note: This article will be updated as more information about ChiroThon 2023 becomes available.