Archive for the "Young Adult Cancer Support" Category

2012 is shaping up to be an important and exciting year for Young Adult Cancer Support!  Our 2012 riders, 4K for Cancer alumni, and YACS student group members will be serving those individuals in their community affected by cancer in meaningful ways:

The American Cancer Society Baltimore Hope Lodge is a safe, comfortable place where cancer patients receiving treatment in the city can stay for free.  YACS groups and 4K ride teams cook dinner for these patients and their family members once a week.  Please RSVP ahead of time on the YACS Facebook page to ensure we have an accurate volunteer head count.  Contact Emma Moody with questions or concerns (emma@ulmanfund.org).  Our upcoming Hope Lodge dates are:

• 2/15: YACS College Park
• 2/22: Team Portland
• 3/1: UCF Team Fight
• 3/7: Team Seattle
• 3/15: Team San Francisco
• 3/21: ALL VOLUNTEERS WELCOME!
• 3/29: UCF Team Fight
• 4/4: YACS Johns Hopkins
• 4/12: YACS UMBC
• 4/18: YACS Towson
• 4/26: YACS College Park
• 5/2: Team San Francisco
• 5/10: Team Seattle
• 5/16: Team Portland
• 5/24: UCF Team Fight
• 5/29: All 4K 2012 ride teams, with riders from the Illini 4000

Team Fight is the triathlon and road race training team of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  Joining Team Fight is a great way to fundraise for the UCF and raise awareness for young adult cancer issues.  Team Fight also offers great ways to get involved beyond fundraising, including as a race day volunteer!  Our race day volunteers help set up the Team Fight tent, hand out water at a water stop along the course, and cheer on our Team Fight athletes.  Please contact Katrina, at katrina@ulmanfund.org or Michelle, at michelle@ulmanfund.org if you are interested in helping out during the following races:

• Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon, Saturday, March 17, Washington D.C.
• Sole of the City 10K, April 21, Baltimore, MD
• Iron Girl Half Marathon and 5K, April 29, Columbia, MD

Light One Little Candle is a reading program at the University of Maryland Medical Center Greenebaum Cancer Center.  Volunteers will encourage patients receiving treatment to read with their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc.  This is a great opportunity for direct patient interaction, but space is limited.  Please contact Emma Moody if you are interested in being a Light One Little Candle volunteer, at emma@ulmanfund.org.

YACS B’more is a community of young professionals in the Baltimore area that are engaged in the fight against cancer through service and support.  We seek to provide these individuals with networking opportunities with other cancer survivors, support groups for young people facing cancer, and volunteer opportunities for everyone looking to get involved.  Our next event will be a Leap Day Happy Hour, on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at Magerk’s Pub in Federal Hill.  Come to get energized about the fight against cancer and to hear more about the support and service opportunities offered by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  Please RSVP on our Facebook page today!

Holiday Gift Drive

It’s that time of year again….the radio stations are playing “Jingle Bells,” the mall is decorated with twinkling lights, and red and green M&M’s are flying off the shelves – it must be time for the holidays!  On local university campuses, YACS groups are working on brightening the holidays for Maryland families affected by cancer.  This is the third year that The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults has held a gift drive for young adult cancer patients and their families, but the first year that the university community will be involved.

Undergoing cancer treatment is physically, emotionally, and financially draining.  Often, the majority of family income is devoted to paying for critical healthcare expenses.  Families are forced to make difficult decisions on how to spend limited funds.  This year, our Patient Navigators, student volunteers, and other local oncology contacts will aggregat the “wish lists” of cancer patients and their families.  Based on the responses from these forms, “wishes” will be distributed to those wanting to donate to the Gift Drive (starting Monday, November 28).  Gifts will be collected – unwrapped, and with the recipient information attached – until Wednesday, December 14.  Gift delivery will take place during the week of December 19-23.

If you want to help out with the Gift Drive, head to your school’s next YACS meeting, or contact Emma or Laura: Emma@ulmanfund.org / Laura@ulmanfund.org.  For more information, check out www.ulmancancerfund.org/giftdrive.

For more holiday cheer, come to the YACS B’More Holiday Happy Hour and Sweater Party!  It will take place at Mother’s Federal Hill Grille on Wednesday, December 14 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.  We’ll be continuing to collect gift and monetary donations during the Happy Hour.  Be sure to come dressed in your most fantastically ugly holiday sweater for a chance to win some awesome prizes!  To RSVP, please visit www.ulmancancerfund.org/holidayhappyhour.

This is a BIG week for Young Adult Cancer Support!  We have kickoff meetings taking place at both Towson University and at Johns Hopkins.  At the meetings, you can look forward to…

• A panel of 4K for Cancer alumni to answer any and all of your questions about biking across the country for cancer awareness and support
• Information about all that the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults has to offer for young adults affected by cancer at your university, including Patient Navigation, college scholarships, and more!
• The opportunity to sign up for different community service dates: If you want to cook dinner at the Baltimore Hope Lodge, visit local cancer centers, or volunteer with our Patient Navigator, now is the time to sign up!
• Information about joining Team Fight, the triathlon and marathon training program of the UCF.  Train for free with triathlon/running coaches, be a part of a supportive and passionate team of athletes, raise money for the UCF, and spread awareness of young adult cancer issues!
• Free pizza!!

Can’t make the first meeting?  No sweat!  All of our events are posted on our Facebook page, where you can RSVP and confirm your attendance.  Stay tuned for more information about upcoming meetings at UMBC and University of Maryland!  Can’t find YACS at your university?  Contact Emma (emma.moody@4kforcancer.org) or Laura (laura@ulmanfund.org) to start up a group today!

In other news, tomorrow is our first visit to the Baltimore Hope Lodge!  We’ll be cooking a fall-tastic meal for cancer patients receiving treatment far from their homes.  It’s an incredible experience, and an awesome way to give back.  We have a few more spots open for tomorrow’s visit, so please RSVP today if you’re interested in attending.  Just by cooking and serving a delicious dinner, you can give “HOPE” to those in the fight of their lives!

The 4K for Cancer and the Ulman Cancer Fund had such a great weekend at the Baltimore Running Festival.  Thousands of people came out to the event and we really got our name out there!  Between the 4K for Cancer, Team Fight, and Cancer to 5K, we had over 200 participants!  Our runners in the 5K, the Half Marathon, and the Full Marathon did an awesome job fundraising and spreading cancer awareness.

In regards to YACS, last week we met with patient navigator, Elizabeth, from the Ulman Cancer Fund who gave us some amazing service projects for YACS to work on this year.  Events include: delivering books to cancer patients to read with their family, putting together informational packets to give to new cancer patients, organizing a book drive, and cooking dinner at the Baltimore Hope Lodge.  We are really excited to start participating in these great service projects!

Hi, I am Malsma Rajbhandari. I am the new intern for 4K for Cancer and I will be working with YACS for Loyola and Stevenson University.  If you want to get involved, email me at malsma.rajbhandari@4kforcancer.org

YACS made their debut on Towson University’s campus last night, and garnered a LOT of interest from Towson students looking to get involved with Young Adult Cancer Support!  YACS representatives were at the Fall Involvement Fair to explain the group’s mission of service and support and to recruit interested students for this summer’s upcoming 4K for Cancer rides to Seattle, Portland, and San Fransisco.  For those students that expressed interest, we will contacting you by email within the next week with information about our first meeting and what we have planned for the school year.

If you missed the Involvement Fair last night, “Like” YACS Baltimore on Facebook,  join the YACS Towson group, or visit www.4KforCancer.org to find out more!

YACS at Involvement Night

Hi, I’m Laura Scruggs, another Volunteer Maryland Coordinator working with the Ulman Cancer Fund and YACS.  Emma and I will be working to start and grow YACS campus groups around the Baltimore area and spread the word about 4K and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  If you’re interested in getting involved, email me at laura@ulmanfund.org

Young Adult Cancer Support is a student organization that works to fight cancer through support and service. YACS was started by the Ulman Cancer Fund and the 4K for Cancer to reach out to students on college campuses and encourage them to get involved and give back to the cancer community. YACS provides students with volunteer and service opportunities, and also offers support to young adults dealing with cancer in their lives. YACS holds monthly meetings on campus and works to provide patient navigation, support groups, college scholarships, and service. Volunteer events include visits to Hope Lodges, the 4K for Cancer, Team Fight, and patient adoption.

Check out the YACS Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/YACS

YACS currently has groups at:
* Johns Hopkins University
https://www.facebook.com/groups/yacsjohnshopkins/
* UMBC - https://www.facebook.com/groups/yacsumbc/
* Towson University
https://www.facebook.com/groups/yacstowson/

My name is Emma Moody and I am the Volunteer Maryland Coordinator for the 4K for Cancer.  The other Volunteer Maryland Coordinator, Laura Scruggs, and I will be working with students to help facilitate YACS as it grows around Baltimore.  Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in getting involved with YACS on campus!

Emma Moody   –   emma.moody@4kforcancer.org