2020 Annual Report | Dempsey Center

reimagine. [ to imagine again, anew ]

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A N N U A L R E P O R T

FROM

OUR

FOUNDER...

As we reflect back on 2020, we're mindful of how very trying the year was for all of us. Here at the Dempsey Center, we needed to make some difficult decisions in order to ensure the continuity of services for clients, despite the debilitating effects of COVID-19. This was not easy, but through it all, we kept in our hearts and minds the singular truth that cancer doesn't stop because of COVID-19, and neither can we.

While there were certainly hurdles in 2020, there was also cause for celebration, and we're eager to share those accomplishments with you throughout this report.

So much was in flux for all of us in 2020, yet we remained steadfast to these commitments: We offered diverse, high-quality services, adapting to unprecedented times by delivering them via a new virtual Center.

We let innovation guide us as we navigated how to meet clients where they are in their cancer journey and planned personalized programming that responded to client needs in new and meaningful ways.

We listened and responded to the needs of and questions from our Dempsey Center community with a hopeful heart and with forthright communication.

These were and are our commitments to you. We won't let COVID-19 keep us from offering hope, relief, community, and healing to those battling cancer. Thank you for helping to provide that haven of support and helping make life better for people impacted by cancer.

PATRICK DEMPSEY

Founder

BOARD

OF

BILL WILLIAMS

TIMOTHY GRIFFIN

BECKY MARR

LAURIE DOWNEY

TD Bank

HM Payson

Marr Group

Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland

Board Chair

Board Vice Chair

Board Secretary

Treasurer

FROM

OUR

EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR

+

BOARD

While 2020 brought a year of challenges, it also provided a number of gifts for the Dempsey Center which offered hope, optimism, and light whenen times seemed dark. Thanks to our innovation and dedication of our tireless staff, board, and volunteers, donors, and sponsors, we approached 2020 as a year of Reimagination, and were able to take a new, creative approach to all we do.

When COVID-19 made in-person services unsafe, we quickly pivoted and launched Dempsey Connects, our online Center. This inventive shift ensured our current clients could access services virtually, and also provided expanded services beyond our physical locations, making them available to more people.

And for the first time ever, we were able to provide select services to people impacted by cancer outside of the state of Maine.

Our largest fundraising event, the Dempsey Challenge, shifted from a massive annual, in-person bike/run/walk event to a fully virtual experience in 2020 that brought together people from all 50 states and 45 countries, and raised over $1.2M to help improve the lives of people impacted by cancer.

Looking back at all we accomplished together during this year, unlike any other, we're filled with gratitude for each and every person--like you--who helped make this possible. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to the Dempsey Center.

WENDY TARDIF

BILL WILLIAMS

Executive Director

Board Chair

DIRECTORS

MEG LEPAGE

KAREN BRADBURY

LEE NELSON

JIM WHITMORE

Pierce Atwood, LLP

UNUM

NEWS CENTER Maine

Entrepreneur

Board list as of June 30, 2020

202 0 at at a a glance. glance.

532

1,779

new clients

clients utilized Dempsey Center services

2,575

caring calls placed

6,593

total service units provided

5,804

636

classes, workshops, + support groups offered

volunteer hours

2020 financials financials $4.9MM

total

revenue

Fundraising 12.4%

Management/General 11.4%

Programming 76.2%

$3.3MM

Event Sponsorship 15.6%

total

expenses

Other 1% Individual + Corporate Giving 26.8%

Grants 1.8% Events 32.5% In-Kind Contribution 22.3% *Based on FY20 audited financials by Baker Newman Noyes

Expanding our services to people outside of our physical reach in Maine was a goal towards which we've worked strategically since our founding. By creating a virtual center, we could to support more cancer patients, care partners, and families throughout the state of Maine and beyond.

In 2020, we brought that goal to fruition when we launched Dempsey Connects--our third, virtual Center--and provided our clients with access to programs and services from the safety and comfort of their own home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the launch in March 2020, hundreds of clients have accessed Dempsey Center services, removing distance and location as a barrier for access.

Staff worked tirelessly to provide that same, special feeling clients felt walking through our physical doors when they entered our virtual center. We discovered new communication styles, mastered new technologies, and adapted our programs to bring that Dempsey Center feel into directly into clients' homes.

The response from clients was overwhelmingly positive. From people who previously were not able to take advantage

From Our Clients...

"Thank you so much for doing the yoga classes online! Three days later and I am still discovering how important Monday's class was."

"Judy Donnelly's virtual nutrition course has been outstanding! I don't want it to end!"

"I've loved the services at the Dempsey Center and was very grateful when I learned that virtual classes were being made available. I'd love to have them available for the times when weather or problems with my immune system make attending a class difficult or dangerous."

of our programs due to distance or health, to those who participated in person prior to the pandemic and shifted to virtual, the support and desire for virtual services was astounding.

As we move into 2021, we'll initiate a hybrid approach to our numerous classes, workshops, consults, and support groups. For the first time ever, we'll run two in-person Centers in Lewiston and South Portland, as we simultaneously expand our reach virtually through Dempsey Connects.

You can find all the services we offer via our virtual Center Dempsey Connects by visiting DempseyCenter.org.

M E E T V A N E S S A .

"I came to the Dempsey Center looking for services for my kids...but what I found was so much more."

As a physician herself, Vanessa Little always cared for others as they navigated their diagnoses and care. But the tables were turned when she was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2020.

Vanessa was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Living in Bar Harbor, Maine during a stay-at-home order, Vanessa and her family felt overwhelmed by their "new normal," and longed for a place where they could all learn, grow, and connect with others in a similar situation. As people formed "pods" and gathered in small groups, it was clear that their experience was going to differ from those around them.

"I can't separate COVID from cancer--the confusion around people setting up pods and what was okay for other people just wasn't ok for us," Vanessa said.

"And I was feeling like, 'is this fair to my kids?'" And with a short sentence, her husband gave her the comfort she needed. "My husband said to me one day, which was the perfect thing to say--we're a pod. You and me and the girls--we're the pod."

Her pod, however, grew when she made the decision to take advantage of the programs offered at the Dempsey Center. Her radiologist introduced her to our virtual center, Dempsey Connects, which allowed Vanessa and her family to attend the numerous programs offered at the Dempsey Center, even while living in Coastal Maine. "...Support for my kids is what initially brought me to the Center. The support we received in the programs was great, and it was on Zoom...and we probably wouldn't have had access to it if we had to drive to the Center."

After doing her own research and completing her Dempsey Center Orientation, Vanessa took advantage of a number of different programs. She signed her kids up for Healing Tree, which provided her with a sense of hope and calm knowing they would be able to connect with others on the same journey. Vanessa spoke with Judy, our Nutrition Program Coordinator, and discovered foods to prepare for her family that also helped her feel great throughout her treatment. An avid yogi, Vanessa was able to continue her practice in a modified manner, thanks to Tish, our Movement and Fitness Coordinator.

Today, Vanessa is celebrating her remission; her kids continue to attend programs through Healing Tree; she carries with her the tips and tricks she learned from Judy to prioritize her health (that ginger soup is still on rotation in their home!); and Vanessa has utilized our Surviving + Thriving Discussion Groups, connecting her with others who are also in remission.

Because of our donors like you, we can provide these high-quality, personalized services to people like Vanessa and her family at no cost, and truly make life better during a cancer journey and beyond.

C A R I N G

C A L L S

"You're the only person I've spoken to this week" - Dempsey Center Client

A cancer diagnosis even in a normal

dedicated themselves to reaching out to

world can make patients and their

clients via phone, with calls lasting from

families feel tremendously vulnerable.

15 to 45 minutes, depending on the

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck,

unique need of the client. Each call was

those feelings only increased, and the

made with a simple goal: to interact with

sense of isolation was overwhelming.

and listen to each and every person who was actively using our services prior to

When we closed our physical doors in

the pandemic... to ask our clients "How

March of 2020 for the safety of our

are you doing, and what do you need?"

clients and staff, we knew we had to continue our mission to make life better

For some, it was the first time they

for people impacted by cancer--just at a

spoke to another person all week. For

safe distance. That's when a member of

others, it was the chance to verbalize

our staff reimagined how we connect

complicated emotions, talk through

with our clients. And thus, Caring Calls

current needs, and learn about Dempsey

was created.

Connects services which might help meet those needs. The experience of

Guided by our licensed social workers

Caring Calls proved invaluable, so much

and counselors, staff and volunteers

so that we've now made Caring Calls a

received training on active listening, and

standard part of our work.

Improving the mental health of our clients is at the core of each service we offer at the Dempsey Center. The feeling of isolation, fear, and overwhelm due to a cancer impact can take a devastating toll. In 2020, our staff navigated these complicated feeling with special grace and care, always keeping at the forefront the thoughts and feeling clients were experiencing. To help ameliorate those feelings of isolation and fear, we took steps like increasing discussion times in classes, and creating new workshops and classes aimed at connecting, all with the goal of deepening our relationships with our clients, and offering them the chance to connect and deepen their relationships with each other.

HEALING

TREE

Healing Tree at the Dempsey Center provides a haven of support for children, teens, and families impacted by cancer. Our clients are patients, siblings of patients, children, or grandchildren of patients--all of whom are looking for a place to feel safe, connected, and most of all, understood.

Each one of our licensed clinical social workers are trained professionals in the areas of childhood and adolescent development, family dynamics, and parenting through cancer. This training means that each counselor is able to provide the unique care that families need on their different journeys.

One of the most unique services offered through Healing Tree is "Support for Seedlings". Knowing the level of emotional support children need along with the understanding of the benefits of movement, "Support for Seedlings" combines an age-appropriate support group with a yoga class. In 2020, "Support for Seedlings" was offered via our virtual Center-- Dempsey Connects.

Healing Tree also conducts several "Adventure Days" throughout the year, getting families out of their houses and into new settings to connect with other families experiencing a similar journey. Due to COVID, we were only able to hold one, inperson adventure in October 2020 (a pumpkin carving at the YMCA Outdoor Learning & Education Center), and are eager to host Adventure Days in 2021 with themes like "At the Ball Park," "On the Ropes," and an upcoming Fall Festival!

To learn more about Healing Tree, how to get involved, or how to support, please visit DempseyCenter.org.

A GLIMPSE INTO 2021: CLAYTON'S HOUSE Clayton Anderson was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in November 2013. Clayton was cared for by his family in a home in Portland, Maine's scenic East End, close to where he received his treatments. Sadly, Clayton passed away in September of 2014.

Instead of selling the home, the Marr-Anderson Family chose to memorialize Clayton by turning the house into a "home away from home" for other families whose loved one is undergoing cancer treatment, and they generously donated the home to the Dempsey Center.

Mike Hricko and his daughters heard about the vision for Clayton's House just a few years after they lost Mike's wife, Ruth, due to cervical cancer. She was being treated at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, and Mike and his three daughters traveled back and forth to be by her side, including Mike's middle daughter traveling from Baltimore to Boston to see her mom on the weekends. "It was an exhausting experience on top of an already tremendously difficult time," said Mike.

While Ruth received her treatment, Mike was matched with a local family and was able to stay with them in the Boston area. He recalled the warmth it brought to his heart at the end of a long and tiring day.

The Marr-Anderson family

"When I heard the Dempsey Center would be opening Clayton's House...it spoke directly to my experience," Mike said. "Clayton's House will be a wonderful resource for families going through cancer treatment. It will help soothe hearts and ease minds. This type of accommodation--offering both privacy and a sense of community--would have been so helpful to our family." That is why Mike and his daughters chose to support Clayton's House by naming a room in Ruth's honor. "We would have Mike Hricko with daughter Emily & grandson Elliot

welcomed the opportunity to return to a warm, supportive home where we could stay together, recollect our spirit and strength, and move through each day bringing our best selves to Ruth's side."

In 2021, after renovations are completed to make the home accessible to all, Clayton's House will open to the public. Our team is dedicated to providing a safe, comforting place for cancer patients and their families to stay when travel is needed. Whether receiving radiation or chemotherapy treatment, staying overnight for a surgery, or passing through to Boston for treatment, the doors to Clayton's House will be open to you.

For the latest news on Clayton's House, follow us on social media or sign up for our email newsletter at DempseyCenter.org.

"We would have welcomed the opportunity to return to a warm, supporting home where we could stay together, recollect our spirit and strength, and move through each day bringing our best selves to Ruth's side and to each other. That's why we chose to support Clayton's House in Ruth's Memory." - Mike Hricko

At the start of 2020, the Dempsey Challenge was scheduled to go as planned, bringing thousands of people to Lewiston-Auburn to walk, run, or ride to raise money for the Dempsey Center.

Registration opened and exploded with people eager to participate. But shortly after, the Center was faced with the arduous task of figuring out what was to happen to our biggest fundraising event of the year.

In an effort to keep participants safe and adhere to the State of Maine's guidelines around gatherings during the pandemic, our events team quickly pivoted and began crafting a fully virtual Dempsey Challenge. This reimagined version of the Center's flagship event gathered people from around the world to participate. For the first time ever, we had participants from all 50 states and over 40 countries rallying around their shared commitment to make life better for people impacted by cancer.

We were also fortunate to have anonymous donors and corporate partners help us find new, innovative ways to encourage participation. From Double the Donation Days, to Hannaford's Youth Match Week, to a weekend-long match on Challenge weekend from Poland Spring, we were able to raise over $1.2 million--with each and every dollar going directly into the programs and services that offer a haven of support for cancer patients, their loved ones, and care partners-- all at no cost.

$1,220,000

2,832

total virtual participants

raised by participants

$98,079

raised by Corporate Partner teams

all 50 states represented

100%

45

of funds went to Dempsey Center programs

countries represented

In September 2021, a new, Global Dempsey Challenge which take place, offering both in-person and virtual participation options. Learn more and get involved in the event by visiting DempseyChallenge.org

MAKING LIFE BETTER FOR PEOPLE MANAGING THE IMPACT OF CANCER.