'Tis the Season

We have our holiday tree up in the HOPE office, and ornaments handmade by the members of our staff are hanging on it. It's a daily reminder of the holiday season we're in... challenging this year for a lot of us, but even tougher for many people in Northwest Arkansas who are undergoing cancer treatments.

But as requests to HOPE for assistance may be increasing due to higher heating bills and other budgetary challenges surrounding the holidays, we have also been on the receiving end of some wonderful gifts from local organizations and individuals who support the work we do in Northwest Arkansas. The more we receive, the more we can provide to those who need it... we're thrilled to share a little information about some wonderful recent gifts:

$5,000.00 was donated from the proceeds of the 18th annual Rocktoberfest put on by the Rockcrawlers 4x4 Club of NWA the first weekend of November. 200 trucks and jeeps and other off-roading vehicles participated in various competitions over the weekend. There were als0 lots of activities for kids, and some great raffles... Many thanks to Ken Phasey, Jeff Sullivan, Craig Hill, and all the members of the club for their support!!!

$1,000.00 came to us by way of the Replenishment Team at Wal-Mart (Dept. 8022). We were so pleased to visit with them and hear one of their team member's personal story of HOPE's impact on her mother-in-law's life.

$500.00 was donated by friends and co-workers of a great guy named Graham who works at the Fayetteville Senior Center. He agreed to shave his beard and cut off his LOOOONG hair all for HOPE's benefit. He asked for $250.00 to take it off, but actually got $500.00! Thanks Graham!

We are so grateful for all the support we receive from our community. Thank you, Northwest Arkansas, for helping us help our friends and neighbors who are struggling with a cancer diagnosis.

Happy Holidays!

What an exciting time of year! The cooler weather that has shown up in Northwest Arkansas reminds us that the holidays are upon us.

In 2008 we at HOPE have so much to be thankful for. The wonderful support from our community has allowed us to grow our programs this year to serve more people than ever before. In the last year we have touched the lives of 1,160 local cancer patients and their families, providing one or more of these important services:

• clinical trial access
• prescription assitance
• utility and housing assistance
• counseling services
• support agency referrals
• gas cards

In the coming year it is projected that approximately 1800 people in Northwest Arkansas will be diagnosed with cancer. We have added to our staff and programs to meet the coming needs for support that that number will bring.

Miki King is our newest Social Worker, giving our Patient Services staff the ability to be at the clinic and immediately available every day of the week.

Laurie Marshall joined us as our Development Coordinator to manage our fundraising programs and events and to help increase our visibility in the community.

We are excited about a new program that we have taken on called Been There. It's a peer-to-peer program that matches local cancer survivors with newly diagnosed patients and will add a very important component to the patient services our social workers already provide. It was being managed by a wonderful group of volunteers, and we are looking forward to watching it grow as we add some administrative support.

The economy has been tight for all of us, but the news is full of stories that bring hope for the mood of our country. More and more people are turning to their neighbors this season to offer support to those who need support, and to give hope to those who need it most.

We hope you will support HOPE this holiday season and honor or remember a special friend or loved one with a gift that will help someone in Northwest Arkansas who is battling cancer.

May 2009 be a year of joy and good health for you and yours.

Happy Holidays!