Sandpoint Article
The Evolution of Support
Soldiers needed in the fight against cancer
BY JOSHUA NISHIMOTO
Article added: 11-10-2021
With a mission to ease the burden of those affected by cancer in Bonner and Boundary counties, Community Cancer Services (CCS) is a nonprofit that serves individuals who have a verifiable cancer diagnosis while in treatment and when no other treatment is available.
CCS continues to evolve to meet the needs of local cancer patients and their families, while recruiting volunteers and growing their board member numbers to raise funds to continue to provide a plethora of services.
“We offer emotional support with an in-house counselor for one-onone counseling and two group sessions,” said Executive Director Cindy Marx. “We also have a yoga class specifically for people who have been through treatment.”
But that’s not all … CCS offers financial support in the form of gas vouchers to get to oncology-related appointments, grocery cards to help maintain good nutrition through treatments, assistance with oncologyrelated medical bills and prescriptions not covered by insurance. CCS even supports their clients with everyday household needs that can become unaffordable during treatment.
“We have a small boutique, which offers wigs, hats, scarves and postmastectomy prosthetics,” Marx said. “We have loaner durable medical goods such as walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs, etc.”
The beauty of CCS is that they are in a unique position to help their clients like no one else. They offer specialty services, and often they can provide financial services that no other cancer support facility can.
“What’s great is that you come in and sit down with us, and we figure out what the best way we can help you,” said CCS Board President Sherri Lies. “Sometimes it’s finding a volunteer to drive our client to radiation because they do not have that kind of support system here. Gas vouchers are huge, especially if a client has to go to radiation. That’s usually either done in Coeur d’Alene or Post Falls, which is usually five days a week for six weeks. So, that helps out hugely. We give out food cards to grocery stores. We can help with medication or even medical bills. You name it.”
From helping clients pay bills, to counseling, and even just giving their clients a ride, CCS is there to help. And because it is a nonprofit, and the only thing a client needs to be granted access is a cancer diagnosis, CCS is unlike any other facility in the fact that they can—and will—cut through the red tape needed to support their clients.
“Back in 2009 to 2013, I was the program director,” Lies said. “I did what Cindy does. At that time, we had a family who lived in Priest River. The daughter was living with her parents. She was an older woman, and she had already decided to have her body donated to science. But when it came down to it, after she had passed, they wouldn’t take her body because of the radiation and chemicals she put into her body after her cancer diagnosis.”
Sadly, the family only had one fixed income and didn’t really have a way to be able to take care of their daughter’s funeral preparations. Knowing this, Lies went to the board with a special request.
“I went to them and said, ‘I know this isn’t something we do normally, but can we help pay for her funeral?’” she recalled. “And they said, ‘Yes,’ so we were able to help pay for her funeral costs. It was a lot, and it was a lot for these people.”
“Back in 2009 to 2013, I was the program director,” Lies said. “I did what Cindy does. At that time, we had a family who lived in Priest River. The daughter was living with her parents. She was an older woman, and she had already decided to have her body donated to science. But when it came down to it, after she had passed, they wouldn’t take her body because of the radiation and chemicals she put into her body after her cancer diagnosis.”
Sadly, the family only had one fixed income and didn’t really have a way to be able to take care of their daughter’s funeral preparations. Knowing this, Lies went to the board with a special request.
“I went to them and said, ‘I know this isn’t something we do normally, but can we help pay for her funeral?’” she recalled. “And they said, ‘Yes,’ so we were able to help pay for her funeral costs. It was a lot, and it was a lot for these people.”
Since CCS is funded through grants and donations from fundraising events, the executive director has only so much money to spend on each client per month. Due to COVID-19, large events are somewhat a thing of the past. So, CCS is looking for new ways to fundraise, which also presents a need to grow their board member numbers.
“We got really small,” Lies said. “We are down to only four or five board members, which is not a lot of people to put on fundraising efforts or getting their names out there. We’ve been working really hard to find new board members. New board members equal new fundraising ideas, and we have to work to figure out what kind of fundraising will work for our area. And if COVID would just go away, that would be great.”
Typically, new board member selection process begins with recommendations from respected members of the community. Once a name has been selected, a couple of board members meet with that person and present them with a board member application. They typically ask that individual to commit to at least two years of service and hope that they join.
“We try and search for members who possess the right skill sets,” Lies said. “We try to find someone who is passionate, who is a go-getter, and someone who isn’t afraid of a little hard work; getting out there and hitting the pavement.”
From helping clients pay bills, to counseling, and even just giving their clients a ride, CCS is there to help.
CCS is currently participating in some passive fundraisers by partnering with businesses like Yoke's Fresh Market, Amazon.com and Papa Murphy’s. To donate to CCS through Yoke's, one must sign up for the Yoke’s Community Card and pick their charity from the huge list of charities. A person presents the card each time they go shopping and, at the end of the quarter, Yoke's sends a percentage of the money that person used to shop to their chosen charity. CCS is also a part of Amazon Smile, a program that supports charities by donating 5 percent of the amount the purchaser spends at Amazon. The same goes for CCS’s partnership with Papa Murphy’s.
“There are a lot of people who said, ‘Oh, I can’t give that much,’” Lies said. “But if you sign up on your bill pay or bank account to give $25 a month, that’s $300 a year from just one person. Or maybe you can do $50 a month. It may not seem like a lot, but if I get 10 people to give $25, $50, $100 a month, that starts to add up.”
Volunteer opportunities are usually abundant during CCS’s annual fundraising events. Volunteer duties often include setup, decorations, and cleanup/take down. As stated previously, CCS is always in need of volunteers who are willing and able to drive CCS clients to their radiation treatments or doctor visits. CCS even has some volunteers assist with office work.
“Having someone come in to help clean, file, type or make phone calls can really make a difference,” Lies said. “If you have the passion and willingness to volunteer, give Cindy a call and see what we are needing at the time. And of course, if you see us advertising for some type of fundraiser, we are always looking for fundraisers and board members. For example, our treasurer is leaving town, and we could use a volunteer who would be a good fit. Please contact CCS office for an application.”
Community Cancer Services continues to do their part to ease the burden of those affected by cancer in Bonner and Boundary counties and are always looking for volunteers to share in their efforts. Feel free to visit their website at CommunityCancerServices.com to learn more about CCS. You can also reach out to them directly via their contact form found online at CommunityCancerServices.com/contact.
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