News & Events

It Was a Very Good Year!

2018 was a successful year for The Common Thread for the Cure Foundation as awareness continued to spread across the country. The result? We provided 24 Helping Hand Grants totaling $109,000.

The impact of these grants also made its way across the country. Three grants went to women in North Carolina; two grants each were given in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, and Tennessee; and one grant in each of the following states: California, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia.  

We’re proud to report that five successful fundraisers were held across the country—in Texas, California, Illinois, New Jersey, and North Carolina—to raise both awareness and financial support for the Foundation. It is through the efforts of the volunteers who work to make these fundraisers a success, as well as the dedication of our Foundation Supporters, that grants have now been given to women and men in 29 states.  

Trending Younger

As awareness of the importance of early detection increases, grant recipients are trending younger, and they are attempting to work full- or part-time as they go through their surgeries and treatments. In 2018, four recipients were young working professionals with children under the age of ten. The roles of mother and caregiver were equally important to their lists of job responsibilities.

Gina is one of these young survivors. After being diagnosed, she began chemotherapy before any surgical procedures were scheduled. She quickly used her sick leave and began using her vacation time. Treatments take time and money, but an unforeseen expense is the travel time and gas expense of regular medical trips. Gina underestimated the impact these would have when she began her radiation treatment protocol—five days each week for six weeks. She received a total grant of $5,000 to assist her with loss of income and travel expenses.  

This is just one example of the ways in which Helping Hand Grants assist individuals in our industry. There are 23 more stories like this. Thank you to everyone who supported The Common Thread for the Cure during 2018. Know that you made the 24 grants possible—grants that provided financial stress relief where none other could be found.