Happenings on the Horizon!

We take our mission statement very seriously. When we pledge to "provide compassionate, professional cancer support and education in the Northwest Arkansas region today and tomorrow" we're not just saying a bunch of words. Call us dreamers, but we truly do want to reach every person in Benton, Carroll, Madison & Washington counties with the education they need to live healthier lives and prevent a cancer diagnosis. FACT: Scientific evidence suggests that about one-third of the 571,950 cancer deaths expected to occur in 2011 could be prevented! We also want to provide every person in our area who is being treated for cancer with the support they need to get through the treatment successfully.

In order to provide the "education" component of our mission we have to reach as many people as we can. We do that by purchasing space on bill boards, running ads in local media outlets, visiting with leaders in the community about our organization, and by posting regularly in social media networks like Twitter and Facebook. To fund the "support" component we reach out to our friends and neighbors to ask for support. We write grants, we solicit sponsors for our programs and events, and we welcome individual donations.

Sometimes we find ways to cover both of these bases - outreach and fundraising - with one project. We hope you can join us for a couple of the following opportunities and help us make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and in the health of our community.

Throughout the month of July Cafe Delta Soul will host Hope Cancer Resources. Every Tuesday night they will donate 10% of the night's proceeds to support our patient assistance and community education programs benefiting Northwest Arkansas. Great food, the friendliest waitstaff in town, drinks in mason jars... what more could you ask??? Grab some friends and help us do what we love doing by doing what you love doing. Eat great food!

Continuing through the summer months we have little boxes on the counters of most of the NWA (and River Valley!) Eureka Pizza locations. Each box lists our social network contact information and our website address. Next time you're getting a great deal on three pizzas (for the price of one!) from Eureka, please drop a little change in the boxes. A little goes a long way for our patients. 

For two weeks in August (August 1-14), Harps Food Stores will be partnering with us for their 3rd annual in-store promotion benefiting our patient services and education programs. When you shop at Harps, your cashier will offer you the opportunity to donate to Hope Cancer Resources by purchasing a little postcard in memory or honor of someone you know who has battled cancer. Harps is a long-time supporter of our work in Northwest Arkansas. Be sure to thank them for supporting our vital services and education programs.

Thank you, Northwest Arkansas, for your past and continued support. We can't do it without you!

Couple of Things

Part of our planning for the year involves finding new ways to raise awareness and donations. We love receiving financial gifts from new and repeat donors, as every non-profit organization does, but the focus we place on our mission and vision means that making people aware of our organziation and the services we provide is just as important. Indeed, it is more so.

We are doing a few things this summer to try to accomplish both of these goals...

Earlier this month we placed clear acrylic boxes in Eureka Pizza locations around Northwest Arkansas and in Fort Smith. The boxes don't feature a lot of information specifically describing our services due to space restrictions, but our website and social media links are listed. We hope to see an upswing in the visits to our site over the next few months as a result. The more people who visit our site, the more people we are potentially helping with our programs or information on cancer prevention. Of course, receiving some small donations would be wonderful too.

Throughout the month of July we will be hosted by Cafe Delta Soul as they partner with us for a promotion. Every Tuesday night they will donate 10% of their dinner sales and allow us to share a little information with their patrons. If you haven't visited Cafe Delta Soul yet, this is the perfect opportunity! They serve down-home-delicious Southern cooking like you wish your momma used to make. Catfish, ribs, creole specialties... all washed down with drinks in mason jars and served by some of the friendliest staff in town. Come see us and bring your friends!

Finally, we want to send out a big THANK YOU to J.B. Hunt Transportation for the "Jeans Day" fundraiser they organized for us! One of the ways we're trying to get our name and list of services out there is to partner with companies to do fundraisers or educational programs with their employees. We have two certified health educators on our staff who can bring information on a wide range of topics relating to cancer prevention and visit with
staff to let them know what they can do to be healthy and informed. In addition, we have information available about screening programs we hold throughout the year, local support groups and our patient assistance programs. We also have a Spanish interpreter on staff to assist with communication with Spanish-speaking employees. If your company would be interested in finding out more about these educational programs please contact Sandy Prince, MS, CHES, our V.P. of Cancer Education and Prevention or Casey Shelor, MS, CHES, our Cancer Education Coordinator.

Thank you, Northwest Arkansas, for everything you are doing to support us. We hope to see you soon!!