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Carolyn Messner, DSW, OSW-C, FAPOS, FAOSW, LCSW-R, CancerCare’s Director of Education and Training, remembers the first CancerCare Connect Education Workshop as if it was yesterday. “It was a snowy day in March thirty years ago, and we held a telephone workshop on doctor-patient communication called, ‘Doctor, Can We Talk?’ About 30 people signed up, and it was an amazing experience,” she recalls. “I could feel it was the start of something special.”

Last month, CancerCare debuted a brand-new digital fundraising campaign called Do Something for CancerCare. In place of our traditional walk/run events, our Events team designed a do-it-yourself campaign that made it possible for anyone to join in and support us—including friends of CancerCarelocated across the country!

For the fifth year in a row, the CancerCare for Kids Back-to-School Program provided new backpacks full of school supplies to 150 children and teens in the tristate area. These free back-to-school packages include items such as a backpack, notebooks, folders, pencil cases, markers, crayons and/or colored pencils and additional age-appropriate supplies.

CancerCare’s Healing Hearts Family Bereavement Camp is an annual highlight for our clients, their families and our staff. As the spring progressed, it became clear that gathering at Memorytown USA in Mount Pocono, PA, would not be possible due to the risk of COVID-19. Undeterred, we kept in touch with our campers over the summer and held a virtual activity earlier this month to help them connect with other families and honor their loved ones.

CancerCare, the leading national nonprofit organization providing free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer, is continuing to support pet owners affected by cancer with the CancerCare Pet Assistance & Wellness (PAW) Program.

Together, the collective power of our choices, voices and actions can drive real change. As a nation united, we can do better. We must do better!

Last month, CancerCare made the difficult decision to cancel our national gala to ensure the safety of our supporters, our staff and the public at large. We hosted an online auction and donation opportunity in its place to fund the free, professional support services that are now more necessary than ever.

CancerCare is closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) and would like to share some helpful guidelines to follow as we navigate this situation together.

To ensure the safety of our clients and staff, all CancerCare services will now be delivered via telephone or electronically due to public health concerns. While our office locations in New York, New Jersey and Long Island are currently closed, telephone services, online services and our thrift shop in Manhattan are operating normally.

Our social workers are what set CancerCare apart from other support organizations, and each year during National Social Work Month, we highlight the people behind our clinical programs and services.