How to Help: Local Business Raising Money for Colorectal Cancer Awareness

BETHALTO - A local business is raising money for colorectal cancer awareness, and you can help.

One Hale of a Craft, located in Bethalto, has two shirts for sale that aim to raise awareness about colorectal cancer. If you order before March 13, 2026, you will receive your shirt by March 20. The sale continues throughout the month of March — Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month — and the business will donate 20% of profits to the Colon Cancer Alliance.

“We wanted to bring awareness to this and encourage people to get screened,” said Tyler Hale. “We want to try to break the fact that it’s kind of taboo, because it is important. It can affect anybody. I know a couple of people personally who had no symptoms when they found out that’s what’s really wrong.”

Hale and his wife are close friends with two sisters, Kassie Crowder and Kellie Allen, who lost their mother, Darlene Huebener, to colon cancer in 2020. Over the past few years, the friend group has participated in the Walk Loud Colon Cancer Awareness Walk in St. Louis together to raise money and awareness.

But they wanted to go a step further this year. They decided to design two t-shirts and donate the proceeds in honor of Darlene.

“We wanted to do something to honor their mom. They’ve been outstanding friends. They’re more like family now,” Hale said. “At the end of the month, we’re going to tally everything up and put that out there for our donation to the Colon Cancer Alliance in Darlene’s name.”

One of the t-shirt designs has Darlene’s name on the front over the heart, but Hale noted that this can be changed if you want to honor a loved one of your own. You can email onehaleofacraft@gmail.com or visit the business’s official Facebook page for more information.

Hale and his loved ones hope the t-shirts can encourage community members to get screened after age 45. He urges anyone with a family history of colorectal cancer to talk to their doctor about earlier screenings. They don’t want anyone else to suffer the loss they felt.

“We wanted to honor the people that have had to fight this horrible sickness and just raise that awareness,” he added. “We all understand why it’s taboo, but we really want to break that cycle and raise that awareness. That’s our goal. We just want to encourage people to get screened and just raise that awareness and have an opportunity to give back.”

For more information about One Hale of a Craft, or to order your shirt, visit their official website or Facebook page.

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