Fall 2025 Newsletter

Bags & Blessings Newsletter

Fall 2025 Edition

Bags & Blessings is a faith based non-profit charity established to help bring hope and love to those individuals undergoing cancer treatments.

Robin's Reflections

Hello friends and supporters!

As we prepare to close out 2025, my heart is full reflecting on the incredible love and support we’ve received from our community this past year. We were thrilled to host our 2nd Annual Fashion Show in May, highlighting local survivors. Attendance grew, and it was truly a beautiful afternoon of celebration and connection. Be sure to save the date — May 16, 2026 — for next year’s event!

Throughout the year, we were also excited to introduce several Pop-Up Workshops focused on health, wellness, and safety — continuing our mission to educate, uplift, and empower. By the time we reached our Race in September, we were absolutely blown away by the turnout — nearly 700 participants joined us! What a meaningful morning it was: celebrating, honoring, and standing together in solidarity.

The sense of community that surrounds us is at the heart of everything we do at Bags & Blessings. Your ongoing encouragement, generosity, and presence make all the difference in helping us continue our mission.

Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce new campaigns that will build upon our existing programs and expand the impact of Bags & Blessings even further. Included in this edition, you’ll find highlights of our newest additions and how we’re connecting even more closely with patients each day here in Beaver County. We proudly introduced our newest bag for children diagnosed with cancer, and we’re so grateful for our partnership with Homer 9 & Sons and Johnstone Supply, whose generosity helped bless a local survivor.

We’re now busy preparing for our upcoming Christmas Bag distribution, and this year we’re thrilled to have added another cancer center to our deliveries! All of this took place in just one remarkable year — 2025 has truly marked a season of growth for Bags & Blessings, and we can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store!

May you and your family enjoy the remainder of this year. We wish you a beautiful Thanksgiving surrounded by love, and a joyful, Blessed Christmas from all of us at Bags & Blessings.

5k Race/Walk

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Survivor Walk being led by Terri Lenox, Michele Furgiuele, and Liz Smith

UPMC Display Stand Campaign 💗 💗 💗

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Bags & Blessings, in partnership with The Health Hut, continues our mission to be a supportive resource for those in treatment. We are proud to announce the installation of our new display stand in the lobby of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Brighton Township — another way for us to stay connected with patients on their journey. Together with The Health Hut, we’ll be offering a complimentary item to promote the importance of choosing healthier products and snacks that support overall wellness.

Pictured left to right:

Kelly Miller- Owner of The Health Hut

Robin Redfern- Founder of Bags & Blessings

Angela Ghaly-Nurse Manager

Community Partners Go Above and Beyond to Bless a Local Cancer Patient

EXCITING CAMPAIGN!!!💗 💗 💗

On Thursday September 25, 2025 Bags & Blessings had the pleasure to walk alongside with Homer 9 & Sons and Johnstone Supply to help a local cancer patient, Jackie Ritmiller.

We recently joined Homer 9 & Sons and Johnstone Supply to bless a local cancer patient in Beaver County. Our hope was to provide an air filtration system for someone going through treatment, knowing how important clean air can be for health and comfort.

These incredible companies surpassed our vision! Together, they gifted a brand-new furnace and air system to Jackie Ritmiller, a local cancer patient.

What a beautiful example of compassion in action! We are so grateful to Homer 9 & Sons and Johnstone Supply for their generosity, kindness, and willingness to partner with us on this heartfelt campaign. Their gift is not only bringing warmth—but also hope—to someone in our community who truly deserves it.

From left to right:

Eric Nine- Business Manager at Homer 9 & Sons

Jackie Ritmiller

Tyler Joyce- Senior Sales Manager at Johnstone Supply

Jo-E's Blessed Bear 💗 💗 💗

We’re thrilled to share the newest layer of community support from Bags & Blessings — our Jo-E Blessed Bear Bags for children in treatment!

To date, we’ve distributed over 1,350 bags to adults, offering comfort and encouragement throughout their journeys. Now, we’re expanding our mission to reach children who are bravely facing treatment.

Each Jo-E Blessed Bear Bag is designed to bring comfort during this difficult season and to introduce healthier, uplifting products kids can use.

Jo-E is named in loving memory of our founder’s late mother, JoAnn Eleanor O’Connor, whose life was marked by compassion and a heart for helping others.

If you know a child who has been diagnosed or is currently in treatment, we’d love to connect. Please reach out to us at bagsandblessings@yahoo.com.

Halloween Parade Float 🎃👻🧡

Bags & Blessings Committee members decorating the float for New Brighton's Halloween Parade that was held on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. We had a very special guest, 6 year old Nylah Harper who was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. This special young lady received a Jo-E bag from us. Thank you to Lake Forest Gardens for the donation of cornstalks, hay, and pumpkins to help make our wagon great for the parade!

PINK OUT EVENTS

Clay Shoot Fundraiser

October 4, 2025

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Jason and Kim Stuebgen for hosting the clay shoot fundraiser on Saturday October 4, 2025 in support of Bags & Blessings. Your dedication and generosity help us continue our mission of bringing comfort and hope to those in need. We are so grateful for your partnership and the impact you’ve made!

Blackhawk Lil Cougars Pink Out
October 11, 2025

On Saturday October 11, 2025 the Blackhawk Lil Cougars kindly presented a check to Bags & Blessings for their Pink Out! Thank you Blackhawk Lil Cougars for your support.

Pink Out Game at Ambridge

October 9, 2025

Alison Bittner, a senior at Ambridge, hosted a girls volleyball pink out game on October 9, 2025 at the Ambridge High School for her senior project and picked Bags as her charity to donate too.

Jennifer Gengarella was our committee member who attended representing Bags.

Wunder Bar Poker Run
October 11, 2025

The Wunder Bar Event was held on Saturday, October 11. in Midland. There were 6 bars that participated in the Wunder Bar Event.. This is the 7th event they have held and they pick a different charity to donate to each time.

Blackhawk Soccer

November 2, 2025

On Saturday November 2, 2025 the Blackhawk Soccer Association gifted us with a generous donation from their Pink Out event!

Derek DeCouto

Jessica Jones

Ray Richardson

Lina Houser
(Treasurer for Bags)

Tony Pritchard

Shawn-Joy Martin

Second Baptist Church & Congregation

October 26, 2025

We are deeply grateful to The Second Baptist Church in Beaver Falls and for their generous donation of $2,625 to Bags & Blessings. Their kindness is a true reflection of how our community stands behind our mission.

SERVICES & SUPPORT

Card Ministry

If you come across someone who has been diagnosed or is in treatment, please click this link to add them to our Card Ministry. We will send them a card of support and invite them to join our support group.

Support Group

Our support group offers a safe space connect with other survivors while learning how to cope with your diagnosis and treatment. The group is led by Kaitlin Simonette, LPC, NCC from Christian Counseling Associates. Click here for our schedule and to sign up.

NEWS & UPDATES

We're Back!

Our Bags and Blessings social media accounts went down shortly after our annual 5K — but our mission hasn’t skipped a beat. 💗

We’re still here, still serving, and still spreading kindness one bag at a time. To help us rebuild our online community and continue reaching those in need, we’d love your support:

💫 Like this post

💫 Follow our new page

💫 Share with your friends

💫 Tag us in your photos or involvement with Bags and Blessings!

Every like, share, and follow helps us grow our impact and remind others that hope and kindness are never lost. Thank you for being part of the Bags and Blessings family! 🌸

#BagsAndBlessings #SpreadKindness #CommunityStrong

Engage with us!

Thank you for following us as we continue to support the community. We ask that you please keep an eye out for upcoming newsletters and engage with us on social media!