Colon cancer alliance

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- For the third year, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and more than 20,000 pharmacies are educating consumers about the risks of colon cancer.

The "Be A Star" campaign, which runs through April 20, was created by the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance to raise awareness about the disease and encourage people to undergo screenings for early detection. Katie Couric, co-host of NBC's "Today Show," is again serving as a national spokeswoman for the effort.

Forty-one drug, supermarket and discount store chains are helping raise money for the campaign and distributing educational brochures. Over the past two years, the effort has raised $5 million for colon cancer research, according to Couric.