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20th Annual Beth C. Wright Walk For Life - Addison This event is POSTONED but Registration Is Open!

2nd Annual Beth C. Wright Walk For Life - Ellsworth This event is POSTONED but Registration Is Open!

The Walk For Life in Ellsworth and Addison have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year is to be the 20th Walk For Life held in Addison, and the plan is to build on the sense of excitement and hope that pervaded the first Walk For Life held in May 2001. Beth Wright’s vision to ease the burden of those who lives were affected by cancer, while she was battling the disease herself, has lived on and grown exponentially over the past two decades.

The commitment through the years of cancer survivors, their families, friends, neighbors and community members in Hancock and Washington Counties have made the Beth C. Wright Center what it is today.

We are looking to hold the Walks in September or October. The planning committees are meeting every two weeks and monitoring the situation. Committee members agree that there will be a Walk For Life. What it looks like will be determined by many things beyond our control, but the Walk will go on.
MAY ZOOM EVENTS

~ Join Us ~

2nd & 4th Thurs. of the month at 11 am
May 14, 28

Each Tues. & Thurs. at 11 am
May 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28

4rd Friday of the month at 1 pm
May 29

1st Sunday of the month at 2 pm
May 3

1st Wednesday of the month at 6 pm
May 6

Each Monday at 3 pm
May 4, 11, 18

3rd Friday of the month at 10:30 am
May 15

Each Monday at 3 pm
May 4, 11, 18
Taking Extra Measures to Make Video Conferencing
More Secure on Zoom
Amy Kurman, Program Director
As you may know, the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center has moved many of our support groups, presentations and meetings to online offerings using Zoom video conferencing during this pandemic. We would like to share with you some things that we are learning about Zoom and simple measures that their founder Eric Yuan recommends to all users to help keep things safer, while Zoom works to increase their security.
 
Although we have been confident with the security of our HIPAA compliant Zoom account and we have not had any problems in the past year, we want to be extra cautious as more and more people are using this video platform.
 
We will now be using:
1.  A 6- digit  password  for each meeting. Look for that when you get the link and jot it down in case you need to key it in when you enter the class/meeting.  Most often you will not need to use it.  
2. A  "waiting room"  - After you click on the link, you will have to wait for the host to allow you in. This gives the host control of who enters the meeting. This will restrict the group to only the people who receive the link and password. So please join the class/meeting 10 minutes early if you can.
3. A  "lock meeting"  feature - Once everyone enters the meeting and the class begins, the meeting can then be locked so that no one else can enter. Activating this lock and the time allowed will be at the host's discretion, probably 5-10 minutes. This protects the privacy of the group and prevents disruptions to the class/meeting after it has begun.
 
Other things to remember to help us keep this offering secure and running smoothly:
  
  • *This is most important!   * Do not share the link with anyone by forwarding the email or posting it on social media. If you know someone who wants to join the class/meeting, have them contact the Beth Wright Center at 664-0339 or info@bethwrightcancercenter.org.
  • Do join class early. At least 10 minutes before the start time.
  • Please use your mute button to cut down on background noises. Otherwise, we can here your phone ring, dog barking, etc. Once you get a chance to say hello and check in, it is very helpful to keep yourself muted in a larger group. You can always unmute yourself if the host welcomes questions and comments.
 
Thank you for your cooperation with adhering to these measures. If you have any questions or concerns please call the office at 664-0339 or email:  info@bethwrightcancercenter.org .  Michael and Amy are available to walk you through the steps to join a meeting.

We are so thankful that there is this technology that enables us to stay engaged and we hope to make the best use of it to keep us connected until we can safely meet again in-person.  

Hello from
Michael Reisman, ED
I hope you are doing well during this difficult time. I would like to bring you up to date on the happenings at the Beth C. Wright Center.

As most of you know, since March 14, the Center has been closed to all activities. Our staff has been working its normal hours this entire time. I have been at the Center from 9:00 – 5:00 Monday through Friday to answer the phones, while Amy and Nadine have been working from home.

The Beth C. Wright Center has moved many of its programs online using its HIPAA compliant Zoom software. All of our support groups have been meeting and in fact the numbers participating in these groups has increased. Great thanks go to all the facilitators of these groups for their smooth transition to using Zoom.

The Center has presented a wide variety of programs through Zoom. Jen Harry discussed the techniques of mindfulness that can help people deal with the anxieties and uncertainties presented by the coronavirus. Janet Vachon, diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer 5 years ago and given 8 weeks to live, gave an inspirational talk about the powers that we all possess within ourselves to peacefully survive....
physically...mentally...emotionally and spiritually through our journeys, and Allen L’Italien, the Executive Director of the Lafayette Family Cancer Center in Brewer, talked about the lessons learned from the pandemic. He provided, in an honest and caring manner, insight into changes happening at the Lafayette Center that will make for safer cancer treatment for patients.
Jan Watson, RN, gave us all some insightful ways to administer self-care during the difficult times in life. In addition, our Blue Hill yoga class and the Be in Motion exercise class in Machias have moved online.

David Walker and Samantha Williams have learned on the job have to lead these classes virtually. Those in attendance have also shown their ability to adapt and are enjoying the opportunity to stay involved.

We at the Center have taken away the lesson that we must continue to offer our programs online even when things return to “normal”. Our online classes not only enable people to adhere to social distancing guidelines, but they also address the traditional barriers faced by the people we serve of attending classes in person such as transportation, distance needed to travel, and weather among other things. You can access the meetings via computer, tablet, cell phone or landline. If you are interested in these online programs and being kept up to date on new ones, please call us with either your email address or phone number.

The Center will continue to be closed for programs through May 31 as the emergency order continues. This month we will be planning for how we will reopen taking the necessary health precautions to make all of you feel comfortable coming to the Center. It will be great to have people around the Center taking part in activities.
Protective Face Masks Available If Needed
Many individuals across the state and nation have offered to donate their time, materials and skills to making protective masks for those in need. Sewing Masks for Maine, a grassroots effort, organizes people who can sew, with others who can pick-up and deliver them to health care workers and first responders. 

Six volunteers associated with the Center have offered to donate their time, materials and skills to this cause and the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center is now a drop-off/pick-up site for this group. 

As of April 16, volunteers in Hancock County have made over 425 masks for distribution to nursing home staff, and homecare and hospice workers.  They continue to work on filling requests for healthcare workers in both Hancock and Washington Counties. Statewide, Sewing Masks for Maine has made and distributed 7,000 masks, but still has requests for 14,000 more!

If you would like to volunteer to sew masks, or drive to pick-up and deliver them contact:

On this website you can fill out a form to volunteer. There is a recommended mask pattern with instructions and a video tutorial. Organizations and businesses can also submit requests for masks on this website too.

If any of our high-risk clients are in need of facial masks, please call the Center and let Michael know at 207-664-0339 or email him at info@bethwrightcancercenter.org.
exotic_fish_aquarium.jpg
New Friday Feature on
Our Facebook Page - Virtual Vacations
For the past two weeks we have offered a new feature on our Facebook page so we can travel virtually to some of the spectacular places arount the world right from our own living rooms.

"We figured that it might be nice to explore from our computers places that we might never go to during this pandemic. If people like it enough, perhaps they would like to plan a real-life vacation when we go back to being able to travel." Nadine Lewis, Communications Coordinator of the Beth Wright Center said.

The first week we went on a virtual tour of Let's take a relaxing tour of Yant Flat, Utah, USA .

Last Friday we took a Virtual Vacation, relaxing at the  Aquarium of the Pacific  in Long Beach California and watch their Wrasse and Anthias Fish Cam.

Check out our Facebook page each Friday to see where we will be traveling to each week! If you have any suggestions let Nadine know by emailing her at nlewis@bethwrightcancercenter.org


IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Chi Gung for Wellness

Amy Kurman ~ Program Director
While the “Stay Safe at Home” order keeps us from holding our regular classes at the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource center, we are finding ways to help you stay engaged with your favorite activities. 
 
Chi Gung is a mindful practice of movement that can help us take a break from the worries of the day. Chi Gung is a gentle, moving meditation that combines physical postures, stretching, and breathing techniques while focusing the mind to gain a deeper sense of calm. This coordination of body, breath and mind is thought to improve physical fitness, relieve stress and promote over-all well-being. 

Chi Gung is an ancient practice based on traditional Chinese medicine which recognizes and activates the body’s natural vital energy: Chi . Other benefits of Chi Gung are improved balance, pain relief, increased energy and increased brain function. 

The National Health Institute recommends Chi Gung (Qigong) and Tai Chi for people living with cancer: Research results indicated that practicing qi gong may improve quality of life, mood, fatigue, and inflammation in adults with different types of cancer, compared with those receiving usual care.
Qigong practices activate naturally occurring physiological and psychological mechanisms of self-repair and health recovery.

This a gentle exercise that people of any age or any level of physical fitness can do. It can be practiced anywhere at any time wearing comfortable clothing.

Nancye Files has been leading a weekly Chi Gung group at the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center for several years. Whether you are new to Chi Gung or if you have been practicing with Nancye, we would like to help you practice Chi Gung at home. Nancye has found several videos online that she can recommend. 

She says there is “an excellent and timely (3/16/20) YouTube video by Roger Janke, ‘Viral Qigong for Immune Enhancement’ ". This is a longer video that shows how to do each movement step by step with explanations of how and why they work. Her other suggestions include YouTube videos of varying length by:
 
Roger Janke
Jeffery Chand
Lee Holden
Francesco and Daisy Lee Garripoli

Another resource available online that you may like to try is Qigong with Paul Weiss of the Whole Health Center, Wednesdays, 8-8:45 am, starting April 22. He is offering these free sessions online each week while all in-person classes are suspended to keep “our energy flowing and renewing with basic qigong exercises.” For more information on this offering, please call the Center 207-664-0339.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE ALL
DETAILS ON OUR OFFERINGS
BETH C. WRIGHT
CANCER RESOURCE CENTER
23 Commerce Park,
PO Box 322,
Ellsworth, Maine 04605
207-664-0339