Church Women United in conjunction with May Friendship Day will host Whitney Cromley, a founder of Cancer Perks, at the group’s Friday luncheon.
In the theme of friendship, Cromley will speak at the noontime event at Christ and Trinity Lutheran Church about the organization founded in honor of a friend lost to cancer. Cromley along with Amanda Balke, of Sedalia, and Stacy Anstine, of Lake Ozark, founded Cancer Perks after losing their friend Karen Lamb to breast cancer at age 38. The organization was created in Lamb’s memory and the logo bears her silhouette.
Cancer Perks helps patients at both Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia and Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall by passing out perk bags and providing support for day-to-day necessities.
“We give every patient a perk bag, every single patient that comes through,” Cromley said. “Which on average it’s about 540 patients between the two hospitals a year. We do 30 a month to Bothwell and 15 to Fitzgibbon.”
The bags contain nine “specific items” and sometimes up to 12 to 15 items. Each patient receives items such as chapstick, scent-free lotion, lemon drop candy, a warm hat, gift cards for food or gas and a handmade card. The items in the bag aren’t placed there without thought or research to the needs of the patients either.
“Those items were constructed based on patient-requested information, from family members and patients’ friends …” she said. “We took about six months to track that information. We researched it, we did a lot of work to get that information.”
The perk bag also offers a free meal, worth $10. Cromley said the sponsor in Sedalia is McDonald’s and in Marshall, Dairy Queen.
For those patients who have to travel for treatment, Cancer Perks helps them with the cost of gas.
“If you are a radiation patient a $10 gas card (is provided) to help with the cost of gas,” she said. “If you are a chemo patient, you get a roll of quarters for the vending machines. My favorite item is the handmade cards from local students.”
Cromley said she feels good to be able to provide this service to others.
“We get our foot in the door with the bags, but we want to be of realistic help, the practical help which comes with the Cancer Perks resource program,” she added. “We’ve done a lot of paying for medication, paying for water bills, electricity, which patients aren’t able to do on their own, because of their treatment. That’s what we are really after, is helping provide those day-to-day needs.”
Cromley will speak at noon Friday for Church Women United’s May Friendship Day event at Christ & Trinity Lutheran Church, 3201 Southwest Blvd. The theme for the event is “Kindling New Fires of Love.” Tickets for the event are $8 per person.
Cancer perks will host a fall fundraising fashion show, Rock the Runway, in September. For more information about the program email info@cancerperks.com or visit www.cancerperks.com or follow on Facebook at Cancer Perks.
