April 2023 News

Hello CanCare Family!

As we celebrate CanCare's 33rd Birthday, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to each and every one of you for being a part of this incredible journey. Your unwavering commitment, dedication, and hard work have made CanCare a beacon of hope and strength for countless individuals and families who have been affected by cancer.

For more than three decades, CanCare has provided support, care, and comfort to those who needed it the most. Your tireless efforts have helped to ease the burden of cancer and have made a real difference in the lives of so many people, and for that, we are forever grateful.

Thank you for all that you do, and for your continued commitment to our mission. Together, we will continue to work towards our mission - to provide a survivor by the side of anyone facing cancer!

Darcie Champagne Wells
‍President and CEO
CanCare Caregiver Volunteer

At CanCare's Annual HOPE Survivorship Luncheon, we're reminded of the power of community and support in the face of cancer. Let's come together to celebrate and uplift our survivors and their caregivers, as well as those who courageously faced cancer and are no longer with us. We hope you will consider joining us on Wednesday, May 10th at River Oaks Country Club in support of CanCare’s mission of providing a survivor by the side of anyone facing cancer!

For more information on sponsorships and ticket prices click HERE!

Every year at CanCare's annual Survivorship Luncheon, we light Candles of Hope in honor of those who have been impacted by cancer.

Please help us make this year's candle lighting ceremony special by lifting up the name(s) of those impacted by cancer you would like to honor. Their names will be scrolled during the candle lighting ceremony on May 10, 2023.

To submit your names, click HERE!

This month CanCare Inc. celebrated 33 years of serving the cancer community!

Founded in Houston in 1990, CanCare has provided personalized, emotional support to more than 25,000 cancer patients and caregivers; conducted more than 200,000 in-person visits in healthcare facilities; and trained more than 2,000 cancer survivors to provide personalized support to cancer patients and caregivers.

On April 12th we joined together with some of our wonderful volunteers, donors, and staff to celebrate the incredible impact and mission of CanCare to provide a survivor by the side of anyone facing cancer! Thank you to all who were able to join us as it made the event even more special and memorable. We appreciate your unwavering support and commitment to our cause of helping cancer patients and their families.

We are growing and looking for people to join our CanCare family. If you, or someone you know is a caregiver (loves someone who has cancer) or is a cancer survivor who is 6-12 months post-treatment, we would love for them to become a CanCare volunteer. We will have our next CanCare Information Session for people interested in learning more about volunteering at CanCare as a celebration of Survivor’s Day, on Monday, June 5 at 5PM Central time. Click HERE for more information and to RSVP!

Our next training is scheduled for July 20-21. Please click HERE to complete the volunteer application to find out more.

By: Kris Kerlin

Across this country April is celebrated as National Volunteer Appreciation Month. Established in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush who launched the 1000 Points of Light campaign, April is a celebration of the joy of people helping people and people giving of their time and talents to make a difference in the community.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to you, our CanCare family. CanCare is a special volunteer community because we are a survivorship community of people who have experience with a cancer journey. Not only do our volunteers have experience with cancer, but they freely and generously choose to offer that experience to others who are newly embarking on their own journey. When you’ve dealt with cancer, you don’t owe anyone anything and yet, our volunteers pay it forward and make something good come from something life changing. You are making a difference in the lives of people. Thank you so very much!

What started with one volunteer, one woman, Anne Turnage, a stage 4 colon cancer survivor, wanting to lessen the despair of the people she met while she was going through cancer, has become a national support to hundreds in its 33-year history.

It was an absolute delight to celebrate CanCare’s birthday at the place that it all began, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church on April 12. Our first in-person volunteer event since the pandemic began, we had volunteers from class number 2 all the way through to the most recent class 116 represented among the guests. Thank you for coming together!  

by Daniella Martinez

This April, in honor of testicular cancer awareness, we are highlighting our volunteer, Scott Ruse. He is a 24-year testicular cancer survivor who is new to the CanCare family and is always willing to take on a new client. Scott shares a little more about his background and what makes him such a special part of us.

"I was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. I graduated from the University of Colorado and I am currently the Chief Financial Officer for a global forestry company managing land and manufacturing in 8 locations around the world supplying wood products globally.

When I’m not volunteering for CanCare I love spending time with their kiddos. I have a son who is a recent college graduate, a 14-year-old boy, and an 8-year-old girl. Aside from family, I love playing golf, mountain bike riding, and traveling.

I stumbled into CanCare because I had served as a client mentor for Boulder Community Hospital's Oncology wing 20 years ago and perhaps with the onset of Covid, it was heavy on my heart to again give back, support, and just be with so many that needed it. I had to wait for Covid to pull back before I could start looking around. I was drawn to CanCare by their mission and the staff dedication. That stood out to me. Just the sheer amount of love and care that comes from the entire organization. The approach that they are there to serve drives their efforts. The resources and volunteer staff bring out the best in CanCare's mission, vision, and values.

A gift that cancer gave to me was that I was able to step back and really examine who I was and who I wanted to be - personally, professionally, and spiritually. The realization that this battle was a clear reminder no one is guaranteed tomorrow. It's what you make of right now that shapes who you will be because of this journey and what powerful impact you can have with others."

Thank you Scott for all that you are and do for our clients! You are wonderful and we are lucky you are a part of the CanCare family.

Beloved Cancare volunteer, Shirley Ebow passed away on March 5, 2023. Shirley joined CanCare in 2014 as a stage 4 breast cancer survivor. During her time as a CanCare volunteer she supported many through 1:1 support and the Stage 4 Support group.

Shirley will be remembered for her sweet disposition and gentle spirit. She will be deeply missed.

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