The Cancer Concern Center and the Mark Burg Band will present a Fall Fundraiser on Saturday, October 12, from 3 to 7 p.m. The fundraiser will take place at River Rock Marina Bar, Route 70 West, in Brick.
Tickets are $25 and will be sold at the door. The fundraiser will include live music by the Mark Burg Band and Friends, a free buffet, drink specials, and a 50/50 raffle. All proceeds will benefit the Cancer Concern Center of Point Pleasant Beach.
Please note that a fundraiser will not take place on September 21.
The Cancer Concern Center is a small non-profit that has been assisting local cancer survivors for more than 15 years. Unlike larger organizations, the Cancer Concern Center is completely focused on supporting women and men with cancer who live in the Point Pleasant area.
The Cancer Concern Center offers support groups, journaling, meditation, nutritional counseling, yoga classes, new wigs, and day-to-day emotional assistance at a small location on Route 35 South.
The Cancer Concern Center is not affiliated with any national non-profits. According to Board Member Heather Keefe, of Point Pleasant, in recent months, some cancer organizations have garnered negative publicity because of outlandish executive salaries and "robo-calls" for donations that, in large part, benefit the marketing company that conducts the calls. She said the Cancer Concern Center is entirely different.
"Local volunteers and donations enable the center to keep its doors open," Ms. Keefe states. "The operational budget for the Cancer Concern Center is just $60,000 for the entire year. But for a small non-profit, $60,000 can be tough to raise.”
Organizationally, Ms. Keefe says, the Cancer Concern Center was dealt several financial blows after Hurricane Sandy.
Last October, the center had been working with local businesses to launch a new fundraising campaign, Think Pink. After the storm, many small businesses were not in the position to donate money to the Cancer Concern Center.
Then, in November, the dinner dance venue canceled the fall fundraiser that the Cancer Concern Center had been planning, resulting in a loss of more than $20,000.
As terrible as the economy has been for local fundraising, nothing has impacted the Cancer Concern Center as severely as Sandy, according to Ms. Keefe.
“Many of the center's cancer patients and volunteers lost their homes to Sandy," she said. “Like so many shore residents, their lives were devastated by the storm, but at the same time, they were trying to deal with cancer or find time to continue volunteering with the Cancer Concern Center.”
"The End of Summer fundraiser on September 21 will provide a critical source of funds for the Cancer Concern Center," she added. “Residents and visitors can enjoy the Seafood Festival in downtown Point Pleasant Beach and then head over to The Patio in support of a local non-profit.”
For additional details about the Cancer Concern Center, please contact Lisa Montalbano at the center 732-701- 0250, or lbano@comcast.net or visit the Cancer Concern Center's page on Facebook.
