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| Contributed photo Members of the Jefferson Cary Foundation Mary Harrigan, left, executive director, and President Pam Scheppele, recently presented Pink Aroostook Project Director Bethany Zell, right, with a donation to help keep Pink Aroostook up and running. |
Pink Aroostook, a breast health program of Cary Medical Center, recently received a gift from the Jefferson Cary Foundation.
The funding comes at a time of great need as the program lost its grant funding in March of this year,” explained Bethany Zell, Pink Aroostook project director.
The donation will allow the Pink Aroostook breast cancer support group to continue its activities, meeting on the first and third Thursday of each month in the Cary Medical Center Chan Center from 5 to 7 p.m.; the meetings are open to anyone who has been affected by breast cancer.
The donation from the Jefferson Cary Foundation will also allow Zell to continue providing “Pink Aroostook Survivor Bags” to the women with whom Pink Aroostook has connected and who are currently in treatment or cancer-free.
“These bags are customized for the women depending on where they are in their breast cancer journey. They contain books and literature pertinent to their phase, items of comfort such as blankets, shawls and pillows, green tea, awareness bracelets and/or pins, items of encouragement and contact information for local and national breast cancer resources,” said Zell.
During this time of limited funding, Zell also hopes to maintain the monthly e-newsletter.
“The monthly newsletters include Pink Aroostook event information, breast healthy recipes, breast health information and general information regarding wellness,” continued Zell.
“We plan to apply for a grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure this coming winter,” she added. “In the meantime, this money from the Jefferson Cary Foundation means that what has already been established can be maintained, even if only at a minimal level.”
The Jefferson Cary Foundation is named for Dr. Jefferson B. Cary whose charitable bequest funded the original Cary Memorial Hospital, now known as Cary Medical Center. The primary purpose of the Jefferson Cary Foundation is to maintain a permanent endowment fund that generates income to support the expansion of services, purchase new technology, and fund special hospital projects.
For more information on the Pink Aroostook, please visit www.pinkaroostook.org or call Zell at 551-4284.
