JFCS is pleased to announce that it recently received a $75,000 grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation in support of the JFCS Cancer Support & Wellness Program. The Gulf Coast Community Foundation grant is designated to help provide JFCS funding to continue to provide counseling and supportive services for individuals and families in our service area affected by cancer. JFCS will leverage this grant to help raise additional donations from the community to support its Cancer Support & Wellness Program.
The Cancer Support & Wellness Program includes a wide variety of cancer support and networking groups for cancer patients and caregivers, grief support, cancer recovery exercise and therapeutic expressive arts. JFCS has been offering these programs and services since October 2015 when the Center for Building Hope closed its doors. In March 2017, JFCS partnered with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System to expand its wellness and exercise classes for patients, their family members and caregivers at the health system’s HealthFit Center. JFCS Cancer Support & Wellness programs and support groups are offered in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Lakewood Ranch and Port Charlotte.
“JFCS is most appreciative of the support received from Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Last year, 650 individuals attended support groups and workshops and received more than 7,900 services including group therapy, mind and body classes, expressive arts and educational workshops. Through the generosity of Gulf Coast Community Foundation, JFCS is able to help individuals reduce their stress and enable them to focus on healing as they make their journey to wellness,” said Heidi Brown, President/CEO.
“JFCS really stepped up to fill a void when it began providing cancer-support services in our region two years ago,” said Mark Pritchett, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. “The success of those services and expansion like the wonderful new partnership with Sarasota Memorial show that the confidence we and our donors put in JFCS was well-placed. It’s a smart investment for Gulf Coast to continue supporting this much-needed work through our Community Health Endowment Fund.”
For information about the JFCS Cancer Support & Wellness Program, contact Bambi Furtado, Program Director, at 941.366.2224 or by email BFurtado@JFCS-Cares.org
