A Tough Battle to Fight

Speaker inspires students to keep calm in the real world

By: Hannah Garcia

We all remember the day that Lance Armstrong parted from the LIVESTRONG foundation, a day of mixed emotions, relief, and heavy hearts. But nothing compared to what the LIVESTRONG foundation endured.

 

Rae Bazzare
Credit: Twitter

Armstrong’s name will most certainly go down in history, and while he may be on the road to recovery, he left quite a mess that he left his foundation to clean up after him.

  As medical technology advances, and other competing organizations take the lead, the LIVESTRONG Foundation is running a tight race to solidify their new image now that Armstrong is out of the picture.

“It has been difficult separating ourselves from the mess that Lance has created.” Rae Bazzarre told an eager audience Wednesday at High Point University. “It is all about keeping a positive attitude.”

On April 2, Rae Bazzarre responded to an ambitious crowd of college students in Phillips 120 as a part of High Point University’s Communication week lecture series. She explained in depth just how the LIVESTRONG foundation dealt with the public in regards to the Armstrong controversy.  

Bazzarre is a communications expert with more than 15 years of experience in media relations and public affairs, specializing in the area of non-profit organizations. Recently named PR Week’s “40 Under 40,” Bazzarre is paving the road for the next generation of communicators in hopes to inspire others in the field.

As Director of Communications & External Affairs for the LIVESTRONG Foundation, Bazzarre has built and executed a crisis communication and rapid response plan to assist the organization during the past few years.

“Because of the drug allegations, the image of LIVESTRONG has been tarnished.” Bazzarre explained. “It has taken until now to finally re-brand our image, but I like this company and know it will still be successful because of how we dealt with the situation.”

Bazzarre went on to explain how although the company experienced extremely negative feedback in recent years, the foundation is now campaigning to re-establish their image by using the patients and survivors as a focus of the foundation.

LIVESTRONG has helped more than 2,800,000 cancer victims since the start of the company, and many believe the success stories of those who went through the foundation far outweigh the selfish choices of one man.

“I felt that Rae’s advice on staying calm during stressful situations is something that I can apply to every area of my life,” said freshman Connor Gordon. “I would have left the company if it was me, but I guess there is a way to deal with all types of conflict.”

Rae Bazzare at High Point University 

One of the key focuses of Bazzarre’s lecture was internally re-branding so that the general public takes notice. The company made this apparent by switching the foundation’s name from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to the LIVESTRONG Foundation after Armstrong stepped down. This portrayed the company in a new light, and lead to the revival of the organization.

“In my personal opinion, LIVESTRONG is rejuvenated,” said senior Annie Bergman. “I feel hopeful for the company. Their main purpose is to serve the people and they are doing everything they can do to get that message across. Who can argue with that?”