The Reason For Hope Not-For-Profit Society: More Than Pink Ribbons
There are so many large not-for-profit cancer organizations, but starting your own charity makes a personal mark, not only by impacting the beneficiaries but by giving friends and family a purpose, a legacy to honour, champion and continue. One also has control over where to designate the money.
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia resident Emma Lee Stewart decided to start The Reason For Hope Not-For-Profit Society after receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2006. The disease returned in 2010, seeded in her liver and has since spread to her bones and brain.
“Everybody thinks that breast cancer is this little pink thing that is just gonna go away; everybody’s gonna beat it; everybody’s gonna be cured. Well, it’s not the case,” Emma Lee, 54, tells samaritanmag.com. “We need to do more research on why this metastasizes and we need to help people so that it stops happening.”
Metastasis is the transference of disease-producing organisms or of malignant or cancerous cells to other parts of the body by way of the blood or lymphatic vessels or membranous surfaces.
The Reason For Hope Not-For-Profit Society has raised more than $20,000, mostly for the care facilities at which Emma Lee has been a patient.
Her whole family — husband Jim; and two grown children, daughter Mary and son Lee — help with the events, along with dozens of friends and acquaintances.
The most recent project is The Reason For Hope compilation CD, spearhead by Emma Lee’s daughter, a singer-songwriter now based in Toronto. Emma Lee and Mary both have songs on it, in addition to other eastern Canadian artists such as Lennie Gallant, Matt Minglewood, In-Flight Safety, Crush Luther, Amos The Transparent, The Danger Bees and Jenn Grant.
The CD can be purchased for $20 (inc. shipping) by email money transfer, as well as old-fashioned mail order, through Emma Lee’s blog, http://raisinghopeforemmalee.blogspot.com or by emailing TheReasonForHopeCD@gmail.com.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
