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MARQUETTE -- Two local organizations are helping Marquette County residents during difficult times.
Cancer Care of Marquette County
Cancer Care of Marquette County, formerly known as the Ishpeming Cancer Society, was created to help with the financial needs of cancer patients in the county.
"Our goal is to relieve some or all of the financial burden from patients and families related to cancer treatment so they can concentrate on everyday activities," President and Patient Care Coordinator Dave Poirier said in an email.
Last year, CCMC provided $168,000 of financial assistance to 111 cancer patients in the area.
CCMC was established in 1958 with Priscilla Tasson becoming the first president and patient care coordinator in the 1970s.
Poirier said Tasson developed an application process and was able to secure funding from the United Way of Marquette County.
"In the early 2000s, the board changed the name to Cancer Care of Marquette County to better align with our service area," Poirier said. "Since that time, we have continued to provide financial assistance to an increasing number of patients every year."
CCMC provides financial assistance to patients for treatment, including hospital charges, doctor fees, prescription copays and money for travel to major cancer centers, said Poirier.
"We also refer patients and families to other community resources as appropriate based on individual needs," Poirier said. "We currently have three patient care coordinators including a nurse, medical billers, health care administrator and a pharmacist. Our board of directors has seventeen members including a physician, hospital administrator, nurses, social workers, attorney, bankers, three grant writers and two pharmacists."
He said CCMC is an all-volunteer organization with administrative costs running between 2 and 5%.
"We are always looking for volunteers who are passionate about helping cancer patients and their families," Poirier said. "Some areas where volunteers can help are at our kickball and hockey tournaments as timekeepers, referees and at the raffle and basket table."
Poirier said anyone looking to help volunteer with the Kick it to Cancer kickball tournament or the Stick it to Cancer hockey tournament are asked to contact Barbara Salmela at salmela432@gmail.com.
Other areas he said needs volunteering help are basic grant writing and computer skills for creating letters and forms.
Donations can be send to CCMC at P.O. Box 626, Ishpeming, MI, 49849.
For further information, visit online at cancercaremqt.com.
U.P. Pink Power
Upper Peninsula Pink Power is a group of women paying it forward to help people across the U.P. who have experienced a travesty.
U.P. Pink Power committee member Dawn Lambert said the original intent of the organization was to help women battling breast cancer in the Gwinn area.
"Those ladies did it for quite a while until their families started evolving and they got busy with life and didn't have the time to do it anymore," Lambert said.
She said the new group of women who stepped up to run the organization decided that they wanted to take it a step further and pay it forward to people going through hard times in their lives.
"So not just breast cancer," Lambert said. "U.P. Pink Power helps people going through travesties of multiple reasons."
Lambert said some travesties U.P. Pink Power helps with are house fires, car accidents, motorcycle accidents and a variety of illnesses that put people out of work.
Around 2009, the organization began taking money raised from the Pink Power Walk and buy automatic external defibrillators to pass out to people or businesses across the U.P. in the case of someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.
"We did that for probably five or six years and then a few years ago, we decided to just focus on paying it forward to people going through travesties," Lambert said. "So that's where we are at in today's world. The money raised from our walk the last Saturday of April and then the money raised from our Pink Power golf outing."
Last year, U.P. Pink Power raised $50,000 during the Pink Power Walk with 300 walkers. Due to this year's weather, Lambert said there were 280 walkers but still raised over $40,000.
"I just think it's amazing that our community supports us and believes in us to help us that much," Lambert said. "It's a very good feeling."
The act of paying it forward and community support has been with Lambert since she was young.
In 1975, Lambert's family home caught on fire and it lost everything. She said she remembers all the donations her family got from the community.
Then, in May of 1994, Lambert's mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.
"I was just like, 'Oh my goodness, all these people came to help,'" Lambert said. "So for me, the most rewarding part is being able to give back to our community. We live in an amazing community (where) people are so willing to help and be there for support. That just puts a smile on your face."
As for challenges, Lambert said the biggest one the organization faces is not being able to help somebody.
"You know, we would love to be able to help everybody that comes to us but like I said, you have to have a structure and guidelines and if you don't, it just kind of gets blown out of proportion," Lambert said. "So not being able to help that person that possibly will have their lights get shut off or evicted but we have to have guidelines on who we can and we can't help."
To find the Pay it Forward form, visit the organization's website at uppinkpower.com/forms.html.
U.P. Pink Power can be found online at uppinkpower.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/uppinkpower. The organization can also be reached via phone at 906-869-3937 or email at uppinkpower@gmail.com.
Donations can be sent to U.P. Pink Power at P.O. Box 907, Gwinn, MI, 49841.
Dreyma Beronja can be reached at 906-228-2500 ext. 548. Their email address is dberonj@miningjournal.net.