HOULTON, Maine – It is not often that organizers of a highly-successful non-profit group dream of disbanding.
But that is precisely the case for members of Bridge to Hope, an Aroostook County organization that has been helping people in their battles with cancer since 2005.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, the group will celebrate its 20th annual Bridge to Hope Cancer Walk in Houlton’s Riverfront Park. Registration begins at 9 a.m. with the walk following at 10 a.m.
“It is our biggest dream that we could one day dissolve Bridge To Hope, because that would mean there was a cure for cancer,” explained Dee Butler Henderson, one of the group’s organizers. “Cancer doesn’t pick and choose and the need never goes away.”
Sadly, there appears to be no end in sight for the need of assistance with cancer in the community. To that end, the group has already added new board members to its group, many of whom are adult children of the core board members.
Joining the board to help Bridge To Hope remain viable for as many years to come as necessary are Makala Swallow and Kianna Folsom, daughters of Kim Folsom; Melissa Goodwin, Ally Quinn and Lauren Carmichael, daughters of Marie Carmichael; and Chelsea Wilson Henderson, daughter-in-law of Dee Henderson. Pam and Amy Hocking are also key members of the board.
Sadly, nearly every member of the group has had some personal connection to cancer, either through their own battles or loved ones.
“We have all lost countless sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles and friends,” Dee Butler Henderson said.
Cathy Forest started the first walk back in 2005, with about 50 walkers and raised approximately $800 for the American Cancer Society. But members of the group knew they had struck a chord in the community and decided the funds it collects needed to remain local. More recent walks have grown to between 200-300 individuals.
“We would love for this to be our biggest walk ever,” Butler Henderson said. “Last year we had around 200 walkers, but raised more than $30,000. Our goal is to always try to raise more than the previous year.”
To date, Bridge To Hope has donated almost $470,000 to people in the local community. The walk originally was to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but has evolved to help individuals with all types of cancer.
By keeping funds local, the group has been able to help people undergoing cancer treatments with various expenses as well as providing them meal gift cards, gift baskets and even donations of turkeys during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The group also offers a small scholarship to any student who lives in southern Aroostook County who has been affected by cancer in one way or another. Bridge to Hope also supports Sarah’s House in Holden, which provides temporary lodging and support to those receiving treatment at the Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s Cancer Care facility.
During the past 20 years, the group has also dealt with its fair share of difficulties in putting the walks together. One year, an early-season snow storm brought several inches onto the heads of walkers, and the COVID-19 pandemic also presented hurdles to overcome by replacing the walk with a “Cruisin’ for Cancer” ride in 2020.
To further aid in the fundraising, the group is once again raffling off a quilt at the beginning of the walk. The custom-made quilt, designed by Pam and Amy Hocking for the 15th year, was once again assembled by Peggy Crane. The theme for the quilt, which happens to be one of the mottos for the group, is “It Takes a Village.”
For more information on the walk, or how to purchase quilt raffle tickets, visit the group’s Facebook page.
