From the President
My four-year old is relishing holidays – she is finally old enough to enjoy and understand traditions, such as trick or treating, trading Valentine’s and hunting for Easter eggs.
When she was mourning the passing of Halloween and buckets full of candy, I reminded her that we were now able to prepare for Thanksgiving. We started making a list about what we were thankful for in our lives. I imagine our list isn’t so different from yours:
Family
Friends
Our Home
Good Food
Our Health
For people going through cancer treatments, Thanksgiving can be stressful – they may focus on traditions that aren’t kept or what might be different from holidays past. We have a wonderful opportunity to share our holiday spirit with three families battling cancer this Thanksgiving and hopefully help them focus instead on what is most important to them.
Read more in the newsletter to be a part of our holiday service project at Tinsel and Toddy. We look forward to seeing you there as we gather items to help three families have a delicious and stress-free Thanksgiving meal and a variety of gifts under their Christmas trees.
I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, November 19th!
Alison
Thank you, AACA!
Thank you to all of the cheering station volunteers who came out to support our Fit to Fight team at the In Their Shoes Walk on Saturday, Oct. 17th. It was a cold and rainy day, but you showed up and OUR TEAM DID AN AWESOME JOB! Cheering Station: Sarah Doughton, Amy Chisholm, Ashley Morrow, Jessica Harris, Sarah Peters, Lisa Hollingsworth, Samantha Rigby, Beth Brown, Cassie Malone, Tonia Gordon, Kelly Jones and Vickie Scotland.
We appreciate you so much,
Virna Mendoza and Natalie Harris, In Their Shoes Chairs
A Big Thanks!
A big thanks to those that helped out with our October Day of Service. On October 24th we were able to help out a variety of organizations and people in our community. Some members got a little sweaty, some tried on a variety of marvelous hats, but all gave back in a big way!
Debbie Butler, Abby Hughes, Jennifer Wootton and their husbands helped several local cancer patients with yardwork.
Becky Drayton, Lindsey McKinney, Julie Miller, Ashley Morrow, and Lauren Richards worked to organize materials for the new ACS Patient Resource Room.
Leigh Garrett, Anisa Jimenez, and Meredith Miller helped with the Camp Sunshine Event at Washington Farms.
Thanks again! Don’t forget to log your hours using your Google docs link! And be on the lookout for LOTS of volunteer opportunities with the upcoming holiday service projects!
Becky Drayton, Community Service
Holiday Service Update
It’s that most wonderful time of year again and it seems to be here even earlier this year! We have some great holiday service opportunities coming up. Please consider participating in at least one of these volunteer efforts:
Tinsel and Toddy Service Details
AACA will be sponsoring three families for Thanksgiving and Christmas where at least one family member is in the midst of their cancer treatment. Our families include a 19-year old, who is going to chemo, a father of five, who recently entered Hospice, and a husband and wife who are both going through radiation.
At Tinsel & Toddy on Thursday, November 19th we will be collecting monetary and gift card donations for the three families that will help supply a Thanksgiving meal. Please plan to bring a gift card from either Publix or Cracker Barrel to help us provide a special meal for these families. If you don’t have time to buy a gift card, cash or checks will also be greatly accepted! We will also use this event to provide a list of Christmas items that we will want to donate for the families. Please plan to take a minute to stop by our Angel Tree and grab an item to drop off at a later time.
St. Mary’s Hospice House Service Details
We will also be helping to decorate the Christmas tree at the St. Mary’s Hospice House on Thursday, December 3rd. We have enough volunteers to help decorate the tree, but we need snacks to take with us, such as cookies, cheese straws, etc.
We are also collecting donations for the staff and 12 patients. We would like to donate Christmas mugs with hot chocolate mix for the staff and some small items for each patient (lotion, Chap Stick, slipper socks). There will be a specific list and sign-up sheet at Tinsel & Toddy or you can email Leigh if you are interested in donating food or gift items.
Loran Smith Center Service Details
Our final event will be the Love and Laughter Luncheon at the Athens Regional Loran Smith Center on Wednesday, December 16th from 11:30am-1:00pm. We need several volunteers to help donate food for the luncheon (holiday hors d’oeuvres have been requested). In addition, we need volunteers to attend the luncheon with the 35 patients and families that will be there. Please email Leigh if you are interested in serving or donating food items.
As you can see, we’ve got plenty of opportunities, both large and small, but equally important! Pleaseemail Leigh or email Sheila if you have an interest in donating in any capacity. We really appreciate all the support and enthusiasm to help make the holidays a special time for these wonderful families and patients!
Leigh Vail, Holiday Service
November Birthdays…Happy, happy from AACA!
November Birthdays:
Jacelyn McCall 11/6
Jessica Gambrell 11/7
Amanda Nash 11/8
Jacquelyn Rothman 11/8
Susan P. Horn 11/9
Erin Whitlow 11/13
Kathryn Rodrigue 11/17
Heather Lindell 11/19
Natalie Glenn 11/19
Lindsey McKinney 11/20
Laurel Alberty 11/21
Denise Sims 11/22
Kasey Dillard 11/25
Julie Miller 11/27
Mary McDonald 11/27
Barb Wright 11/28
Newsletter
Do you have news for the monthly AACA newsletter? Committee updates, fundraising opportunities, ways to support AACA and our members, member news or other information? If so, please email Natalie Glenn.
