Introducing Forever Friends of Hope

Forever Friends of Hope Foundation Incorporated is a registered charity in Saskatchewan that has been operating for ten years.  We started after a friend passed away from cancer.  I would like to introduce you to us and what we do.  We are in the process of planning our biggest fund raising year ever.  I would love you to follow us along.

We started in 2002.  My friend passed away in September.  Her kids were just a little older than mine, about six and three.  We were looking for something to do, actually do so that our hands were as busy as our hearts.  We joined the Breast Cancer Action Saskatchewan run that year.  That run has now become the CIBC Run for the Cure.  We did that for three years.  We set up a non profit organization.  We fund raised, started our auction and tried to make a difference.

On the third year of raising upwards to twenty thousand dollars per year for the CIBC Run for the Cure.  We lined up for our team picture and the photographer said "Say Money!"  and I was done.  I started thinking about all of the stories we had heard over the years.  Horrible stories of people with no prosthetics because they have no money.  Did you know that a woman's spine will curve to the point where it is visible to the naked eye within one year if she doesn't have the right prosthetic.  Stories of people being declared terminal and cashing in their life insurance policies to catch up on the bills before they died.  Stories of people losing their houses because they can't work.  All of these stories added up to a new idea for FFOH.  A new direction.

Research is fantastic.  It has saved thousands of lives and changed the way we treat cancer and the people with cancer.  However it is also a huge industry.  Funded by donation dollars it is an organism all its own.  It is run by people who's jobs count on not finding a cure.  I am also not saying these people don't have the purest of intentions because I am sure they do.  I am saying that there are many sides to the cancer fight.  It can not be fought only on the research front.  It also has to be fought in peoples homes. 

The new direction for FFOH was helping people directly.  We changed to a registered charity.  We started helping with only breast cancer.  My worst fear has always been saying no to people because we ran out of money.  We then began to find out that the circle is very hard to break into.  Because there is an actual fight over fund raising dollars there are a lot of restrictions on who is allowed into the circle.  But that is for another blog. 

We decided to help with bills, prosthetics and wigs.  We wanted to help with peoples lives.  Day to day expenses that cause people so much stress.  Money is no big deal when you have some.  It is a huge deal when you have none.   Our hope is that when you take away some of the financial stress, people can focus on getting better. 

We have no paid employees.  We have no building or office space.  We have a free email account.   I have a great boss that doesn't mind when I talk to our clients while I am at work.  We have a board of nine women and a membership of many more. 

Our tenth year is set to be our best yet. 

Thank-you for spending your time with me today.