TCF Summer 2017 Newsletter

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Summer 2017 Newsletter

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Patient Profile: MARY ANN CLARK

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Mail completed form to: TCF P. O. Box 49309 Athens, GA 30604

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

After all that she’s been through, Mary Ann Clark is simply thankful for getting to spend time with her two daughters and grandkids. Being diagnosed with cancer while on a fixed income, it wasn’t easy, but she says that thanks to The Cancer Foundation, she didn’t go lacking. The grocery and gas cards that she received were “truly a blessing.” She appreciates the help that she received, and she wants others to know how much the Cancer Foundation really does help patients.

“Being diagnosed with cancer while on a fixed income, it wasn’t easy, but she says that thanks to The Cancer Foundation, she didn’t go lacking.”

Now that Mary Ann is recovering, she’s all about living life to the fullest. Though she can’t walk as well as she used to, she stays busy with housework, going to church, going out to eat, and most importantly, spending time with her family. She helps out as much as she can with her handicapped granddaughter. If one of her daughters wants to go shopping, she goes with them to enjoy the time with them. She wants to make the most of every moment.

Tri To Beat Cancer: Why I Tri! This year, The Cancer Foundation will hold the eighth annual Tri to Beat Cancer –Sprint Triathlon.

A

ll proceeds from Tri to Beat Cancer go to support TCF’s Financial Assistance Program.

As many in the community know, every August, The Cancer Foundation holds our Tri to Beat Cancer—Sprint Triathlon race, Georgia’s 3rd largest race! However, many do not know the reasons why we Tri. Each year, Tri to Beat Cancer helps local cancer patients who need emergency monetary assistance pay for their basic life expenses.

We Tri so that no patient has to go without lifesaving medication. We Tri so that a patient can receive a gas card and have access to their treatment appointments.

We Tri so that a patient and their family can pay their rent and keep a roof over their head. We Tri so that no patient has to face a disconnection notice and be without power and water. We Tri so that local cancer patients can find hope instead of struggling with debilitating financial stress.

Tri to Beat Cancer Information

Why I Tri

Kirk Smith, triathlete, Cancer Foundation board member & lung cancer patient months earlier. This time it would serve both as motivation to regain my fitness and as a statement to myself that I could still do this – and that cancer was not going to control me. Though I was not as fast as I was that first year, I did pretty well in the race – not allowing myself to use the disease as an excuse to settle. As an outspoken cancer patient and advocate for research, I knew that people were watching. So maybe, just maybe, seeing me race well would give them strength and motivation in their own challenge with cancer.

Tri to Beat Cancer sprint triathlon, duathlon and aqua bike is The Cancer Foundation’s signature fundraiser and Athens only outdoor triathlon.

Since 2010, Tri to Beat Cancer has raised more than $651,000 to help northeast Georgia cancer patients pay for their basic living expenses. The eighth annual Tri to Beat Cancer will be held at Sandy Creek Park and will start promptly at 7:00 AM. TCF expects a minimum of 700 racers, not including spectators and volunteers.

Kirk and his oncologist, Dr. Cynthia Shepherd, at the Tri 2 Beat Cancer in 2015

Volunteer!

We are still in need of more volunteers for this year’s event.

Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Camilla Bracewell, at tri2beatcancer@gmail.com.

This event is not possible without the support of our community!

Tri to Beat Cancer Packet Pick-Up Wednesday, August 16th: 11:00 AM-5:00 PM at Endurance House

Before I answer the question of “Why I Tri,” I think it’s important that you know about my cancer diagnosis (and a little background). On December 26, 2013, I was diagnosed with Stage 3B lung cancer. My cancer was not caused by smoking – I have never smoked – rather, my cancer is caused by a genetic mutation. The mutation is anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK+) and occurs in only about 4% of lung cancer patients. The cancer was discovered when a CT scan showed two tumors in my left lung as well as the spread of the disease to the lymph nodes on both sides of my sternum. It’s classified as a “terminal diagnosis” but for the past 3.5 years, I have been taking a targeted therapy drug developed by Novartis that, to this date, has been successful in both reducing the cancer and holding it at bay.

So . . . Why Do I “Tri”?

(11800 Haynes Bridge Rd #1, Alpharetta, GA 30009)

The Cancer Foundation’s Tri 2 Beat Cancer is a motivator for me for three main reasons:

Thursday, August 17th: 3:30-6:30 PM at Georgia Cycle Sport (1029

Reason #1 – Honor my father: The first year of the race (2010), it

Baxter St, Athens, GA 30606)

Saturday, August 19th: 1:00-5:00 PM at Sandy Creek Park (400 Bob Holman Rd, Athens, GA 30607)

Tri to Beat Cancer Percentage Night at Southern Brewing Company

Gratitude

Join us on Friday, August 18th for a percentage night to benefit The Cancer Foundation! This is a great

finally gave me a chance to do a local triathlon – and do so in honor of my father who had passed away from cancer six years earlier. It was the first Athens-based triathlon since I first began racing tri’s in 1999. Racing a sprint-distance triathlon in my hometown would be fun – plus, like many of you reading this, the opportunity to people facing cancer was one that I was personally connected to. That first race was a good one for me, finishing third overall – and I have raced in it every year since.

Reason #2 – Face cancer: Fast-forward five years to the race in August of 2015. This time, I was racing while undergoing treatment for Stage 3B lung cancer. This would be my first triathlon since my diagnosis seven

Reason #3 – Help others: The most important reason that “I Tri” is the same reason I serve on the board of the Cancer Foundation. If we are able to do so, I believe that we have a responsibility to help others. From my personal experience as a patient and regularly being around other cancer patients dealing with varying stages of this disease, I know the need is there. The physical toll of cancer is undeniable, but the financial strain caused by cancer treatment can have an equally emotional and physical impact on their health. The Cancer Foundation is an organization created specifically because of the financial burden cancer patients were facing and the Triathlon is the second largest fund-raising event for the Foundation.

I’ll finish by recounting a recent moment in my life that exemplifies “Why I Tri.” In the photo to the left, the man in the center with the ball cap on is a 91-year old, two-time cancer survivor. His daughter, also a cancer survivor, holds his hand and supports him as he moves around a high school track during the “Survivors” lap at a recent Relay for Life event. As soon as the “Survivors” lap started, I noticed that both of them had fallen far behind the other survivors, so I dropped back to ask if I could walk with them. With all the other things going on at this event, it would have been easy to miss this moment. One man – slow and unsteady – putting one foot in front of the other. But the image of these two was such a striking one for me. His determination to make that full lap around the track was a powerful symbol for all of us cancer “survivors” out there. And the obvious love of his daughter, as she patiently held his hand and kept him moving forward, was just as powerful. One foot in front of the other…

“Start where you are. Use what you have.

Do what you can.” THAT is why I Tri! LIVE!

chance to try great local beers and support local cancer patients! This is a drop-in event and any time you are there counts towards the percentage for The Cancer Foundation!

Thank You to TCF Board Members!

George Dougherty Alan Zielinski Linda Edwards

Valerie Fagan Joel Gregory Mark Hodge

Floretta Johnson Fran Lane Cindy Lester

Brooke Stortz Kirk Smith Mercer Treadwell

Andy Ullrich Glen Wiggans Jag Gholson

Briscoe Family Foundation Donates to the March to a Million Campaign! $100,000

$1M

$910,000

raised to-date

Plan to Give to The Cancer Foundation!

Our March to a Million Endowment Campaign is $90,000 away from reaching our goal of one million dollars to be raised by December 2017! If you would like to invest in the future of The Cancer Foundation or have more questions, please contact Kimberly Liebowitz at kliebowitz@cfnega.org or 706-353-4354.

Planned Giving

Give Where You Work

We will work with you and your professional advisor to create estate planning strategies that will preserve your charitable wishes long beyond your lifetime. Through a variety of deferred options, you and your loved ones can enjoy financial security and provide resources for northeast Georgia cancer patients for decades to come.

Many different companies allow their employees to participate in different match giving programs, which allows your employer to match your gift to TCF!

Bequest

Donors can specify a gift in their will or revocable trust. All assets are retained during life and the donor’s estate may receive a tax deduction for the bequest. The gift is made upon death which creates a permanent endowment fund for TCF.

Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT)

Create a CRT, name a fund at TCF as the beneficiary, and receive an immediate tax deduction. Receive income from the gift for life or for a specified number of years, after which your TCF fund will receive the remaining assets.

IRA / Retirement Plan

If you have already created a sound estate plan that achieves all objectives and takes care of your family, using an IRA to make a current gift or a gift-by-will could avoid both income and estate taxes.

And by using an IRA to establish a Donor Advised Fund, your family can remain involved in the grant making process.

Matt Dixon created the Briscoe Family Foundation Fund with the Athens Area Community Foundation in honor of her little brother, Charles Briscoe, who passed away from Multiple Myeloma.

Charles continues to be an inspiration to others through the legacy he built of community leadership and philanthropy. The Cancer Foundation is so appreciative to Matt and her family for understanding the need in the community for cancer patients to have access to treatment. Through the Briscoe Family Foundation’s gift and the gifts of others to the March to a Million Endowment Campaign, TCF will be around to serve cancer patients and their families for generations to come.

“The Briscoe Family Foundation Fund with the Athens Area Community Foundation is a wonderful example of our convening role in the region.

Working with donors to make grant requests to causes they care about is central to our mission.” – Sarah McKinney, President | CEO, Athens Area Community Foundation

“We are grateful to Ms. Dixon for recognizing the importance of The Cancer Foundation and the impact our mission has on the lives of patients in our community. Ms. Dixon’s gift will ensure we are here for patients now and in the future.”

– Kimberly Liebowitz, Executive Director of TCF

Here is a list of some companies with employee match giving programs: AAA, Aetna, Amgen, Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Coca-Cola Company, Genentech, General Mills, Georgia Power, Home Depot, Merrill Lynch & Company, Morgan Stanley, Pfizer, Wells Fargo Ask your employer if your company has a match giving program that you can take advantage of!

Shop at Kroger? Or on Amazon? Make the Most of Your Purchase!

Register your Kroger Plus Card with Kroger Community Rewards then every time you shop at Kroger they will donate a portion of the proceeds to The Cancer Foundation! If you shop on Amazon, visit www.smile.amazon.com and make The Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia your charity, then each time you make purchases on Amazon make sure you are on www.smile.amazon.com. Both of these organizations make it super easy to contribute to TCF while doing your everyday shopping!

Town & Gown Players – Calendar Girls Donation The Cancer Foundation is so grateful to the Town & Gown Players for raising over $5,000 in calendar sales from their production of Calendar Girls! Thanks again to Town & Gown Players and the Calendar Girls Cast and Crew for thinking of the impact this donation could make on our local cancer patients!