Dear Friends,
Thank you for making 2016 yet another remarkable year for the Breast Cancer Resource Center!
As our organization enters into its 22nd year of service, I’d like to reflect on how far we’ve come. On January 3, 2017, I celebrated my 13th anniversary of working at BCRC. When I started, we had six employees, one support group and a lending library. I managed volunteers part time and worked in “client services” which primarily consisted of telling callers where they could get help with paying rent or where to buy a wig or breast prosthesis.
Since then, the type of programs and breadth of BCRC services has changed drastically, as evidenced by our 2016 Annual Report. Yet, over the years, one thing has remained constant: the resilience of BCRC to quickly find and implement solutions when faced with a need or gap in service. This is the attribute I am most proud of and one that’s made possible by those of you who’ve generously donated your time and money to support the women we serve.
Because of this community support, we’ve been able to reach new bounds in 2016. We’ve given out just over $43,000 in emergency funding (compared to roughly $19,000 given in 2015) so women in treatment can still pay for basic needs like rent and utility bills. We’ve also expanded our number of partnerships within the community – increasing the resources we can relay to our clients. And we’re leading in the way in survivorship care in Central Texas.
Looking forward, we anticipate an exciting year of progress and continued expansion of BCRC programs. On behalf of our dedicated staff and Board of Directors, I’m pleased to share a few of the new developments you can expect in 2017:
- WE ARE MOVING into new space in February. While our Medical Arts Street location has served us well, we have outgrown it. Our new administrative office is located at 4807 Spicewood Springs Road. It doubles the amount of space and with increased territory, we anticipate adding more programs offered at this new facility.
- A new and improved look for our comprehensive care guides, Breast Cancer Companion and Metastatic Breast Cancer Companion, to make them more useful to our clients and the rest of their medical care teams
- The introduction of a pilot program, in partnership with Austin Cancer Centers, to implement infusion room visitation services in select locations
- The expansion of both our Educate & Empower and After Breast Cancer (ABC) programs into Williamson County
- The launch of a private, online forum on Facebook offered exclusively for our Stage IV metastatic clients, across all age groups
We’ve had such a great 2016 and I thank you all wholeheartedly for supporting us and allowing us to make a tangible difference in the lives of thousands of local women every single day.
As our Annual Report reminds you of our recent successes, I hope it also energizes you for the future. Armed with a motivated staff and Board of Directors, transformative programming, amazing volunteers, and the unshakable belief that No One Should Face Breast Cancer Alone — I’m certain 2017 will prove to be more fruitful than ever!
Sincerely,
Ray Anne Evans
Executive Director
