Support the Cancer Resource Center

Dear Friends,

The Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes is a community resource. People walk through our front door seeking information and calm during stressful times.

To provide this support in our community, we depend on the support of our community.

We don't charge for our services nor do we receive funding from the American Cancer Society or other national cancer organizations. (The one exception is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure which annually supports our work with persons affected by breast cancer.)

Nearly all of our funding comes from individual and corporate donations, fund-raising events, and competitive grants. Raising this money each year is a challenge, but we are committed to our core belief that no one should face cancer alone.

I recently asked a group of fellow cancer survivors if anything good emerged from their disease.

One woman gestured at the people around a table at the Cancer Resource Center and said, "This." She continued, "Everyone here is a new friend."

I knew what she meant. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 and felt my life turned upside-down. Everything I took for granted was suddenly at risk. I never felt quite so alone.

What made my treatment and recovery manageable was finding community with others also affected by cancer. The community I found was the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance which, in 2007, expanded its mission and changed its name to the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes.

I'm honored to now be the executive director of the Cancer Resource Center. Although the services we offer continue to expand, building community remains at the heart of what we do.

I'm not alone in this assessment. Here are some comments from our clients:

"Everyone at CRC is just wonderful. They take the time and have the listening skills that others don't have. You walk in the door or call and they're always available. I can't imagine how they're able to do all that they do."


"What I really liked about the CRC volunteers is that they were never pushy -- they were friendly, sometimes just a smile or a "hello" or a comment about the weather. But they never came up to me and started talking about CRC. It's really a fine line to walk... I mean, on one hand, you want to help people who need the help, and you want people to know about all the services, but on the other hand... they have to be ready to hear it. I think if I had been approached by a volunteer in the very beginning -- I can tell you -- I wasn't ready to hear it. It may have even delayed my reaching out for support. Instead, I knew that when I finally was ready for some support -- they were there."

I'm so proud of what we do and what we accomplish with a small staff (four employees!) and dozens of dedicated volunteers. I can't think of another city the size of Ithaca that has our scope of cancer support services. Not Syracuse, not Elmira, not Binghamton. One has to travel to New York City or Rochester to find comparable programs.

No one wants to need our services, but many are comforted to know that we're here if and when the need arises.

Please join me by supporting the work of the Cancer Resource Center with a generous contribution so that our door continues to be open to all.

You can donate online or by mail.

 

Sincerely,


Bob Riter
Executive Director