Cancer Support Community News — Past
Annual No Talent Talent Show
Beat the Winter Blues as participants and staff display talents you never knew they possessed. If you sing, dance, recite poetry or do stand-up, here is a chance to share your talent. If you’re shy, participate by cheering on the performers. Join the excitement on Friday, February 17, from 6-8pm, 3276 McNutt Avenue, Walnut Creek.
Humor, Heart and Hope: Laughter Through the Cancer Journey – Saturday, March 3, 2012
CSC is proud to present this wonderful symposium designed to bring the joy of laughter to those living with cancer and their family and friends. The symposium will provide a laughter-fueled, learning filled look at how humor can enrich life and how to tap the positive power of humor in inviting more humor, heart, hope, and happiness in life while living with cancer. This symposium will be held on Saturday, March 3, from 9am – Noon, Walnut Creek Library Oak View Room, 1644 North Broadway, Walnut Creek. Space is limited. To reserve a space, please call us at 925.933.0107 or click here.
The presentation will be videotaped for possible inclusion in a documentary of this project and the CSC and participants may be videotaped as members of the audience.Foods for Health Class Cancelled
The Foods for Health class scheduled for Saturday, December 10th, in Mountain View, has been cancelled due to family illness. Future dates can be found in the January/February 2012 program calendar and through upcoming email blasts.
CSC East Bay offers Frankly Speaking About Lung Cancer
On Tuesday, November 15, from 6-8pm, Cancer Support Community in Walnut Creek will offer Frankly Speaking About Lung Cancer. Dr. Wilson Tsai, Co-Medical Director, Thoracic Oncology at John Muir Cancer Institute will be the featured speaker. This free 2 hour workshop will cover the latest treatments for lung cancer. Side effects, side effect management, and tools to overcome the social and emotional challenges of the diagnosis will also be discussed. For more details and registration, call 925.933.0107.
CSC Silicon Valley offers Update on Breast Cancer Research
On Saturday, November 19, from 11am-1pm, Cancer Support Community in Mountain View will offer Update on Breast Cancer Research. Dr. Gwen Stritter will summarize the latest breast cancer research presented at recent conferences. She will highlight advances in treatment, including those in integrative oncology. Dr. Stritter is a physician advocate who assists in sorting through complex medical situations. For more details and registration, call 650.968.5000.
Cancer Support Community Silicon Valley 1st Anniversary Open House
In partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Mountain ViewJoin us on Tuesday, July 26, 2011, from 6–7:30pm, as we celebrate the 1st anniversary of our Silicon Valley office. Since opening our doors in May 2010, Cancer Support Community Silicon Valley has served over 350 people affected by cancer. Join us for refreshments, a facility tour and raffle prizes. We are located in the Vineyard of Mountain View, located at 455 North Whisman Road, Suite 300. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Alicia Crank at 650.968.5000 or by email.
2011 Wellness Gala Most Successful Event To-Date
Cancer Support Community’s Wellness Gala, our highly prestigious event, attracting key business and community leaders in the Bay Area raised more than $300,000, making this year the most successful yet. The Gala features a gourmet dinner, lively auctions, and a program celebrating cancer survivorship. Held at the beautiful Diablo Country Club, this special event brings together cancer survivors and supporters who celebrate our shared mission of support, education and hope. This year, we honored three individuals that bring inspiration and hope to all of us. The Spirit of Hope Award honors extraordinary community leaders who exemplify the spirit of Cancer Support Community. The 2011 Spirit of Hope Honorees are Myrna and Dennis Cheney. The Shannon McGowan Award honors an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the mission of Cancer Support Community. The 2011 Shannon McGowan Honoree is Isabel Vizanko Moore.
Thanks to all of you, this year's Wellness Gala will directly support over 500 people with cancer and their loved ones.
Wings of Hope Event
Our Wings of Hope Butterfly Release was held on Saturday, September 17th at Cuesta Park in Mountain View. More than 50 people came together to honor and remember cancer patients, survivors, their loved ones and caregivers. Cuesta Park’s scenic Redwoods provided the perfect back drop for our butterflies to be released into the sky.
It was a fun and memorable day for the entire family. Sponsors and Community Supporters included El Camino Hospital Cancer Center, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the City of Mountain View, and the Mountain View YMCA. Media Sponsors were the Mountain View Voice and the Bay Area News Group.
Legacy Giving: Planning for Your Family and Cancer Support Community
Shannon McGowan served as Program Director of the first Wellness Community, based in West Los Angeles. She then relocated to Walnut Creek and worked tirelessly to found our Wellness Community (now known as Cancer Support Community) in Walnut Creek in 1990. Today, we serve over 2,000 people affected by cancer each year at Cancer Support Community East Bay and Cancer Support Community Silicon Valley.
Shannon McGowan embodied the mission of Cancer Support Community: to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community. Because of her vision, cancer patients and their families are able to receive critical support, free of charge, in their time of need.
We now celebrate her legacy together with your vision. When you make a legacy gift through your will, trust or other planned giving, you are honored by becoming a member of the Shannon McGowan Society. As a Shannon McGowan Society honoree, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your support will make it possible for Cancer Support Community to always be available for people affected by cancer. For more information about legacy giving, please click here, or call Jim Bouquin at 925.933.0107.
Cancer Support Community to Support the Breakaway from Cancer Initiative
Cancer Support Community will be partnering with Amgen for a sixth consecutive year to support the Breakaway from Cancer (BFC) initiative. BFC represents a partnership between Amgen and four nonprofit organizations dedicated to empowering people with education, resources and hope across the cancer care continuum, from prevention through survivorship. We will join Prevent Cancer Foundation, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, and Patient Advocate Foundation in support of this important work.
BFC’s signature event is the 2011 Amgen Tour of California (ATOC), an 8-day cycling event that travels down the coast of California. The 2011 Tour will take place May 15-22. Cancer Support Community will be featured at the Lifestyle Festival, located near the finish line at each stage finish. Our staff and volunteers will be at the Lifestyle Festivals at each of the Northern California stages, including Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Modesto and San Jose. Come and join us!
Third Annual Star Caregiver Awards Gala Honors Community Heroes
Cancer Support Community Silicon Valley hosts the Third Annual Star Caregiver Awards Gala on March 3, 2011 at Villa Ragusa in Campbell.
The purpose of the STAR Caregiver Awards is to recognize and acknowledge individuals in our community who have improved the quality of life for cancer patients and their loved ones. This annual celebration and fundraiser also celebrates those who devote themselves to help their loved ones in the fight against cancer, understanding that the loving and healing presence of a devoted caregiver is a critical part of patient care.
We are pleased to announce the 2011 Star Caregiver Award Winners: Julie Brown, Dr. Ellen Brown, Gay Crawford, Ester Doctor, Tehila Eisenstat, Sherri Garoutte, Luther Gentry III, Pam & Jay Jonekait, Jennifer Landes, Ann Morey, Harriet Schmidt, Polly Sherman, Dr. David Spiegel, Vicci Wild and Jemima S. Zafiro. They are joined by Karen Storey, recipient of The Rusty and Pamela Hammer Legacy Award.
The Star Caregiver Awards Gala is a fundraiser for Cancer Support Community Silicon Valley, so all ticket and table purchase proceeds underwrite the care for hundreds of cancer patients, their families and loved ones in Silicon Valley. The event begins at 6 p.m. with a Reception and Silent Auction, which is followed at 7 p.m. by Dinner, Awards and Live Auction. San Jose caterer Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme are catering the Gala.
Individual tickets can be purchased online and table sponsorships (seating 10 guests each) are available at $1,500, $2,500 or $5,000 at this sponsorship link or by contacting Cancer Support Community Silicon Valley in Mountain View at 650.968.5000.
CSC San Francisco Bay Area Wins Community Impact Award from LIVESTRONG
On November 8, 2010 Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area was named as a recipient of LIVESTRONG’s Community Impact award, funding a $4,000 grant for the Cancer Transitions™
survivorship program.
Twenty-five awards are being given to hospitals, community cancer centers, and other organizations across the county as part of the LIVESTRONG Community Impact Project, which is investing nearly $800,000 to bring proven cancer support programs to 63 organizations across the United States. Ours is one of only two Cancer Support Communities awarded this funding nationally.
Funding was determined through an online voting campaign, with more than 260,000 votes from throughout the U.S. cast over a two-week period. We are grateful for the remarkable support of voters locally who helped bring this program to this community.
Cancer Support Community Silicon Valley Now Open
Cancer Support Community Silicon Valley opened on May 18 in the Vineyard of Mountain View, located at 455 North Whisman Road, Suite 300.
A part of Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area, it provides research-based services for those affected by cancer. All programs and services are provided free of charge so that no one has to face cancer alone. See our calendar for programs and services. You are invited to join a Newcomers' Meeting, held twice weekly on Tuesdays at 6 pm and Thursdays at 11 am.
Cancer Support Community Featured in Wall Street Journal
Click here to read story from Tuesday, April 13, 2010.
Announcing "Open to Options" Program for Those with Blood Cancer
The Cancer Support Community now offers a consultation planning service, Open to Options, to help those with blood cancer prepare for an upcoming oncology visit. This service is available at no cost to any person diagnosed with a new or recurrent blood cancer (lymphoma, leukemia,multiple myeloma). More information is avaliable in this PDF.
The goals of this program are to help you:
- communicate clearly with your medical team
- ask critical questions about your options
- ensure that your treatment decisions fit your personal hopes and goals
Contact Margaret Stauffer at 925.933.0107 by email to schedule an appointment.
As another component of the Open to Options program, The Cancer Support Community is also pleased to announce a new web-based training course for primary care providers. The training, titled “Why Cancer Clinical Trials are Important for My Practice”, is a 1-hour online workshop, designed to reach medical professionals who have direct contact with patients. To learn more click here.
Study Released on Cancer Care for the Whole Patient
Last fall, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report: Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs. In this report, the IOM states that "A growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that the psychological and social (psychosocial) problems created or exacerbated by cancer (e.g., depression, other emotional problems, or a lack of information or skills needed to manage illness) can be effectively addressed by a number of services and interventions."
However, the report notes that, "Cancer care today often provides state-of-the-science biomedical treatment, but fails to address the psychological and social (psychosocial) problems associated with the illness." In the report, IOM recommends that "All patients with cancer and their families should expect and receive cancer care that ensures the provision of appropriate psychosocial health services."
The Cancer Support Community is listed as a resource in the IOM Report. We are dedicated to meeting the psychosocial needs of people with cancer and their families. While the medical profession treats the physical aspects of cancer, we help people learn techniques to cope with the emotional impact of cancer. As the IOM Report makes clear, our programs are not an alternative to medical treatment, but a valued part of the healthcare continuum for people with cancer and their loved ones.
