Dec. 10, 2014:

The Cancer Support Team

To the Editor:

I am writing to you as the executive director of Cancer Support Team urging your support for The Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe during its annual fundraising campaign. The Community Fund provides support to local organizations providing vital health care, education, and social services to youth, children, families, and seniors.

The Cancer Support Team is the only Westchester-based home care agency licensed by the New York State Department of Health specializing in oncology. Cancer Support Team's mission is to enhance the quality of life of patients and families affected by cancer. We provide our services to residents of lower Westchester County free of charge and without regard to insurance coverage. Our core services include skilled nursing, care management, pain and symptom control, nutritional guidance, education, individual, family, and group counseling, referral to community agencies, patient advocacy, financial and transportation assistance, and bereavement services. 

Whether providing more than 2,300 skilled nursing visits to cancer patients, providing professional social work counseling services to help people cope with the effects of a cancer diagnosis, linking cancer patients to other community resources, distributing financial assistance grants for child care, food, or transportation expenses, or assisting with over 1,000 trips to chemotherapy or radiation appointments, we couldn't meet the growing demand without The Community Fund. 

The Community Fund and Cancer Support Team have a shared commitment to local Westchester communities. Your contributions will support local giving for local needs, will greatly impact the quality of life for your neighbors, and will continue to make our services possible.

Rosalie Canosa, LCSW
Executive Director
Cancer Support Team

The Bereavement Center of Westchester

To the Editor:

The Bereavement Center of Westchester would like to acknowledge the generous support that The Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe has given to us. They have been a steadfast and loyal supporter of the work we do for many years.

This past year The Community Fund was a major sponsor of our Tree House Program in Bronxville held at The Chapel School. The Tree House is a bereavement support program for children between the ages of 4 and 18 whose parent or sibling has died and their surviving parent or guardian.

It is an open-ended program offered every other week from September through May, without a fee to the families. After sharing a light meal, families go into peer support groups led by trained volunteers under the supervision of BCW professional staff. As with all of our programs, our hope is that they learn that they are not alone and that they find hope and healing.

We are truly blessed to live in a community where there is such great support for programs like ours that depend on funding from organizations like The Community Fund.

As the holiday season approaches, please be generous in your support of the fund's annual appeal.

Patty Donovan-Duff
Director
Bereavement Center of Westchester

Editor's note: MyhometownBronxville does not fact-check statements in letters to the editor, and the opinions do not necessarily reflect the thinking of its staff. Its objective in publishing letters to the editor is to give air to diverse thoughts and opinions of residents in the community.