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Breast Cancer Options Awarded $2,000 Grant
Posted July 30, 2019
Breast Cancer Options, Inc. has been awarded a $2,000 grant from the Ulster Savings Charitable Foundation for Camp Lightheart, a free sleep-away camp for children who have a mother with breast cancer or have lost their parent to the disease. Breast cancer patients, their families, and especially their children need support and there are few resources dedicated to them. Breast Cancer Options (BCO) started Camp Lightheart in 2007 to help fill this void and is still one of the only, if not the only, services for children in this situation.
“Camp has been an overwhelming success, allowing the children to have fun as well as discuss their situations in a safe, nurturing, and loving environment. Family members tell us that their children can talk to them about breast cancer and their fears when they come home,” said Hope Nemiroff, Executive Director, BCO. “We are grateful to Ulster Savings for supporting this worthy program,” she added.
BCO is a non-profit organization providing free breast cancer support, education, and advocacy services in the Hudson Valley. Incorporated in 2000, BCO is an independent, grassroots organization of breast cancer survivors, advocates, and healthcare professionals. They found there was a lack of information, psychological support, and health advocacy to meet the needs of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Their service area includes Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, and Sullivan counties.
The Ulster Savings Charitable Foundation was formed in 2003 to assist the local community in areas of housing, education, and human services.
For more information about Breast Cancer Options, please visit them online at www.breastcanceroptions.org.
Photo Caption: Breast Cancer Options, Inc. receives a $2,000 check from Ulster Savings Charitable Foundation. Pictured (from left to right): Connie Harkin, VP/Marketing, Ulster Savings Bank; Bill Calderara, President and CEO, Ulster Savings Bank; Hope Nemiroff, Executive Director, Breast Cancer Options; and John Finch, EVP/COO, Ulster Savings Bank.