Circle of Hope provides support

By Andrea Busche

Peggy Anderson of Duluth, along with two of her friends, Peggy Rydberg and Tammy Graves Miller, battled breast cancer together, supporting each other along the way. The women wanted to do something to help others fighting the disease. In 2010, they formed Circle of Hope, now a well-known 501©(3) non-profit organization providing outreach, emotional support, supplies and even financial support for individuals fighting breast cancer in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Circle of Hope doesn’t have formal support groups, but Anderson will visit one-on-one with breast cancer patients to discuss their diagnosis. Circle of Hope also provides support by sending out feel-good and educational boxes, containing chemo caps, slippers, and educational and disease-specific resources. Special quilts are provided to advanced breast cancer patients. Prayer shawls are also provided. Many of these special items are hand-crafted by Circle of Hope’s dedicated volunteers.

Circle of Hope can help pay medical bills for patients without health insurance, those struggling to cover copays, and those who have had to quit work to receive treatment. Additionally, Circle of Hope helps with house or rent payments, utility bills, and even donates gas and grocery cards, which are particularly helpful if a patient must travel to receive treatment.

Circle of Hope raises money through a variety of fundraising efforts. Additionally, many individual and business donors contribute to the cause.

Those seeking assistance from Circle of Hope should speak to their health care provider. While anyone can benefit from the emotional support benefits, financial support is reserved for those most in need.

An application including proof of income is required. These forms can be acquired from a doctor, social worker, or nurse navigator. D

For more information, please visit circleofhopeduluth.org.

The Rosie Awards will be presented at the fourth annual Recognizing Women as a Driving Force Event Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at Greysolon Ballroom by Blackwoods

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the live recognition event this spring for this year’s Rosie Awards had to be postponed, and ultimately cancelled. But, like our resilient award winners and the drive to succeed, the recognition “event” was rebuilt to an in-person award presentation with each of the winners this summer, and then compiled into a Video Awards Presentation shared with the community. We’re proud to share with you our 2020 Rosie Award Winners.