CanCare is on the schedule to provide dinner at Hope Lodge on Tuesday, November 5. Home Team Barbecue will be providing the food for this meal. 3-4 volunteers are needed to help set out the food. This is an excellent opportunity to interact with cancer patients/caregivers and to promote the service offered by CanCare.
We believe that having CanCare serve an evening meal several times a year not only provides a service to the residents of Hope Lodge, but also benefits our organization by making it better known around the community. We cannot always count on the generosity of local restaurants to donate food for these meals. We are looking for volunteers who would be willing to cook. Dishes could be made ahead of time or volunteers can meet at Hope Lodge and take advantage the excellent resources there for meal preparation. We are also looking for someone to take on the role of Coordinator for CanCare meals at Hope Lodge. This person would be in charge of researching local restaurants who make donations and completing the process to apply for their donations OR determining a menu and working with volunteers to prepare and serve the food themselves.
Please consider helping with this outreach. We need to know that we have people to help serve or to prepare food before continuing to sign up for dates on the calendar at Hope Lodge. Please let Lynn Joye know if you are willing to assist. lynnjoye@comcast.net |
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CanCare Volunteer Training
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Recruiting is underway for the next CanCare volunteer training class. The training will take place on November 16-17 at St. Matthews Lutheran Church on King Street. If you know cancer survivors who may be interested in attending the training and volunteering with CanCare, feel free to forward the announcement below to them. Please also consider sending the announcement to your church as well for dissemination in newsletters or on websites.
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CanCare Volunteer Training
CanCare volunteers are cancer survivors and caregivers who engage with newly diagnosed cancer patients and their caregivers, providing one-on-one emotional support, practical advice and hope to those overwhelmed by a new cancer diagnosis. Support volunteers are matched with clients by cancer type, treatment method, life stage, age and gender. The next local CanCare training session is Saturday, November 16, 9:00-5:00, and Sunday, November 17, 2:00-6:00. For more information or to apply, go to CanCare.org or call 843-732-8063. Locally, you may also contact Lynn Joye (843-732-8063) or cancareofcharleston@gmail.com.
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Walk with Team CanCare
The Cooper River Bridge Run will be Saturday, April 4, 2020. If you are interested in walking with a group of CanCare volunteers, please register on-line at https://bridgerun.com and email Lynn Joye so that you can be included in information that will go out to the CanCare team prior to the event.
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Website Under Development!
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A local marketing agency is offering their service to help develop a website for CanCare of Charleston. More information about this effort will be forthcoming.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Louise Harvell
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 Louise Harvell participated in the 2nd training class of CanCare volunteers in November, 2018. She is no stranger to cancer, having survived both breast and colon cancer. In talking with her, it becomes apparent that she is a strong woman whose strength came from a loving family, and an unwavering faith.
Facts about Louise:
Louise, the oldest of 7 children, was born in Massachusetts, but moved around because of her father’s job. The family ended up in North Carolina where she went to college. It was there that she met her husband and, after two months of knowing each other, they eloped. They were married 53 years before her husband died unexpectedly from a blood clot three and a half years ago. Louise has six children ranging in age from 30 to 55. Two of the children live close by (Charleston and Summerville), but the others are farther away in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Colorado and Maine. She has eight grandchildren but two more (twins) due to arrive in the next several weeks. The unexpected passing of her husband has prompted her to take advantage of every minute and to make as many memories as possible with her children and grandchildren. She spends much of her time traveling to be with family. She is proud of her oldest grandson (25) who went to the Citadel and is a Marine who was recently deployed to the Middle East. She describes herself and her family as patriotic and loving “God and Country.” She has lived in Mt. Pleasant for 33 years and is currently attending Seacoast Church.
Louise's Cancer - Diagnosis and Treatments
In 1999, Louise was diagnosed with Paget’s disease of the breast – a rare form of breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction. Thirteen years later in 2012, she was admitted to the hospital with a liver abscess and, while being treated for that, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colorectal cancer. She underwent chemotherapy, radiation and several surgeries. In addition to dealing with her own cancer, Louise’s husband was also a cancer survivor, having had melanoma and colon cancer. So, Louise is no stranger to cancer.
Louise's Resources for Dealing with Cancer:
Louise credits her faith, family and friends with helping her through both cancers. Having young children when she received the breast cancer diagnosis meant that she had to be positive for their sake so they would not be afraid. This helped her remain positive as well. Louise said she was never scared or worried – in fact, she felt a peace about all of it. She went to church about three weeks after her mastectomy and told friends that, while no one should wish for cancer, she had learned so much from it and had seen how faithful the Lord had been to her throughout it. When the colon cancer came along later, she was not worried because of having successfully dealt with the earlier cancer.
Louise and CanCare:
After her husband died, Louise sold her home and lived with her daughter in Summerville while she was renovating the townhome where she would eventually move. She had participated in grief recovery support groups several times and decided that she needed to move beyond the grief. She felt that volunteering might help her do that. She happened to see a posting on the Nextdoor website from Lynn Joye about CanCare and decided she wanted to learn more about the organization. She went through her training in November of 2018 and has been matched several times with clients. She believes that giving a newly diagnosed cancer patient the opportunity to talk with someone who has had a similar diagnosis and who is living proof that the diagnosis is something that can be survived gives that patient hope and takes away some of the fear. In addition to her role in client support, Louise has also helped the local organization by making contacts with hospitals and cancer support groups to introduce CanCare to them. She has been to Houston to observe the training they do there and will be one of the trainers in the upcoming local volunteer training in November. Louise is an asset to CanCare. Her positive attitude and the obvious love for and from such a large family, has blessed her and made her well-equipped to handle any adversity that may come her way.
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LOWVELO - Riding to Raise Funds for Cancer Research
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The Inaugural LowVELO event will take place in Charleston on November 1-2. The purpose is to raise funds for cancer research. The ride features three routes (25, 50 or100-miles) with riders committing to raise a minimum amount specific to the route they select. LowVELO’s objective is to become the leading grassroots organization funding cancer research in the state of South Carolina. Riders solicit donations and develop fund-raising activities to reach their goals with 100% of rider-raised dollars funding research at Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC.
The goal is to engage 1,000 riders and raise $1.5 million in the first year. The ride is meant to be inclusive and accessible for everyone. It is not a race. There are even provisions to help would-be riders who do not have a bike.
For more information or to register as a rider, go to https://lowvelo.org
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Raising funds in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Thursday, October 24, 5:30 p.m.
Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park
For more information, visit https://lightthenight.org
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