As the holidays began, Cancer Navigators mailed out more than 1,000 commemorative ornaments — its annual “Holiday Ball.” The 2011 event was in memory of Kandis Drummond Riddle, a Cancer Navigator board member who lost her battle with cancer this past year.
The organization dubbed the benefit a “non-event,” the idea being that instead of attending a big fancy gala, folks could stay at home and enjoy time with their loved ones and donate the money they would spend on such a night out to Cancer Navigators to help cancer patients on their journeys.
The keepsake ornaments arrived in an informative wrap about Cancer Navigators’ mission of reassurance, resources and renewal for cancer patients. Also included in the invitation to participate was a donor card that recipients could return with a donation. As of Tuesday, those donations total $18,105.
“We are thrilled to have surpassed the $18,000 mark this year since the Holiday Ball is one of our major fundraisers of the year,” said Cancer Navigators Executive Director Charlotte Atkins. “It was especially meaningful since it was in Kandi’s honor.”
The 2010 event raised about $10,000.
“The main thing we want people to know is that every single dollar donated stays right here in our community to serve local cancer patients. We are so appreciative to those who took the time to respond and donate because we operate solely on donations. So we could not do what we do without the generosity of our community,” she said.
“A special thanks to the ladies at The UPS Store who made shipping all those ornaments so easy.”
The Cancer Navigators office is located at 310 W. 10th St. in Rome. The group also has a resource library and volunteers on the third floor of the Harbin Clinic Cancer Center. Cancer Navigators works with patients to guide them through treatment and to help them with the emotional and family stress of cancer treatment as well as helps to obtain a wide range of services from government and social agencies in the community. For more information, call 706-295-4119 or visit www.Cancernavigatorsga.org.
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