CEO Update
Dear Red Door Community Community,
On March 13, 2020, I sent you a letter announcing we would be temporarily closing the Clubhouse and providing our free cancer support program virtually. We had every hope of re-opening after a month or even a few months, but it has now been one year since we last walked through our Red Door on West Houston Street.
As Gilda Radner famously said, “It’s always something.” The last year was full of “somethings,” but despite it all we’ve had an incredible 12 months with our virtual program. Since the very first day of the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus has never wavered and we have provided our virtual cancer support program to members in the safety of their homes. Cancer has not stopped for the pandemic, and neither have we.
We announced the launch of our virtual support program on Monday, March 16th and in the last year we have …
- had more than 13,000 virtual visits.
- seen an increase in participation and attendance – up 45% across all activities.
- welcomed a total of 745 new participants.
- added new opportunities for individual counseling, with 335 sessions.
- provided 945 support groups, 772 healthy lifestyle workshops, 47 educational lectures and 6 social events.
- and we have added new bereavement support groups for members dealing with the loss of a loved one to COVID-19.
We are especially grateful to our wonderful donors for helping to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families during this unprecedented year of COVID-19. With your continued generosity, and through every ‘it’s always something’ that crosses our path, we will support, educate and empower cancer patients and their families – because no one should face cancer alone.
Stay safe and be well,
Lily Safani
CEO
