Hello Friends!
The holidays are upon us -- oh my! On behalf of our staff, volunteers, and Board members, I send you all best wishes for a joyful season.
As usual, the past several weeks have been a whirlwind at HERS so it's no wonder December is nearly over and we're looking at the start of a new year soon!
Taking a look back, this year has been incredibly fulfilling despite the challenges we faced. I'm so proud of our team, grateful for our Board and volunteer support, and thankful for our patients' loyalty and understanding as we worked hard to provide them with professional, compassionate service, and ensure access to post-surgical products that help their physical and emotional healing.
I covered our challenges and accomplishments in my newsletter which arrived in mailboxes earlier this month. If you didn't receive yours, you can read our electronic version here. It's a thorough recap of our past year and an enjoyable read with your hot cocoa and holiday treats!
To highlight several accomplishments and developments this fall/winter season, please read on...
October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month)
We had an incredibly busy month which included community outreach and visits to community partners, including many organizations that raised funds for our patients. What a beautiful reminder of our supporters' creativity and determination to ensure our patients are supported through their healing process.
In addition to a large number of individual donors, many businesses, schools, agencies, and other organizations donated in October, including:
The Ashra Charitable Fund - Benevity Fund donors - Boundary Oaks Women's Club Nine Holers - Chik-fil-A (Redwood City) - City of Alameda Police Department - Deleon Realty - Desiree Maldonado & Team - East Bay Regional Park District Public Safety Department - Johnstone Supply - Kendra Scott LLC - Oakland Housing Authority Police Department - Our Lady of Guadalupe School (Fremont) - Pleasanton RAGE Girls Soccer Club - Premier Nissan of Fremont - Premier Subaru of Fremont - Raymond Intralogistics - Stratford School (Milipitas/GMP) - St. Stephen School
November/December 2021
We expanded our San Leandro location hours and continued pandemic safety measures including mask use, frequent sanitizing, curbside product pick-up, and fulfilling patient orders by mail.
In addition, December has been our busiest in the history of our organization! I'll provide a patient visit count in my next newsletter but can say, for now, that our team has been incredibly busy and has never seen our current volume of patient appointments and product need.
Those who are on staff and those who donate their time are equally important and incredibly loving and hard-working. I am continually amazed at their resourcefulness, work ethic, and capacity to "look on the bright side," and I am grateful to count them as colleagues.
Year-End/Holiday Fundraising
Last, this is a gentle reminder that our year-end/holiday fundraiser is in full swing. I know that this time of year brings a myriad of requests for donations and support. If you're reading this, you may be a patient or the loved one of someone impacted by breast cancer.
If you would like to support a patient's physical and emotional healing, please give now. Your gift will ensure that our Charitable Programs are funded into the new year.
HERS Breast Cancer Foundation
2500 Mowry Avenue, Suite 130
Fremont, CA 94538
We'll promptly provide an acknowledgement letter for tax purposes and let you know just how much we appreciate your support!
With all best wishes from our family to you, have a happy holiday season and a safe and healthy new year!
With gratitude,
