Charles Fischer, President

WHO WE ARE

June 2008

Welcome to the Cancer Alliance of Help and Hope website.  We are delighted you have taken the time to find out more about us.  Thank you!

Imagine being told “You have cancer”.  Then imagine that you have the choice between paying for treatment or paying your mortgage, or between paying for medications or paying your electric bill.  Unfortunately, there are many cancer patients in Palm Beach County who face these choices every day. 

The primary focus of the Cancer Alliance is to help these cancer patients, who live and/or receive treatment in Palm Beach County, with their ordinary living expenses such as rent and mortgage, utilities, auto and health insurance, car payments, food and other basic necessities.  We have paid out nearly $700,000 to help cancer patients and their families and the demand keeps rising.

We have helped patients throughout Palm Beach County and from as far south as Coral Springs and as far north as Port St. Lucie, representing over 35 communities and 500 patients.  Referrals come from the major cancer centers and the two hospices in Palm Beach County, the American Cancer Society, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Palm Beach County Department of Health and the Palm Beach County Medical Society and other organizations, as well as local oncologists.  We have assisted patients from newborns to age 92, from many races, religions and backgrounds, and with different types and severity of cancer.

The “Community Cancer Council”, an initiative of the Cancer Alliance, is a loose knit group made up of organizations with all or part of their mission to help cancer patients. Ably headed by our Vice President Roger Buckwalter, and originally made up of only a handful of Palm Beach County members, it has expanded to over 35 groups from all over southeast Florida.  This cooperation has opened up lines of communication and created opportunities for collaboration between groups to enable them to better serve the communities in which they operate, and focused their attention on cancer as the enemy.

Our Directors and volunteers come from different walks of life and a number of them are cancer survivors themselves.  We continually look to diversify the makeup of our Board, looking to find people who can bring special talents along with enthusiasm and passion to help their friends and neighbors.  If you are interested in joining with us, please contact us at 561-748-7227.

We encourage you to help your friends and neighbors who need assistance by making a contribution to the Cancer Alliance.  For information on how to make a donation, please contact us.