TINY SOCIAL CLUB BECOMES A SUPPORTER!
Marcella A. Hardin, host of On Time TV and spokesperson for Striving and Surviving Cancer Foundation accepts a check from the Tiny Social Club which held their annual Christmas gathering at Toby's Tavern and Grill in North Chicago, Illinois. Striving and Surviving Cancer Foundation Founder and President, Beverly McCray is delighted for the foundation receiving the new support and states " we will be able to help so many more people and I am so grateful, If only we had a thousand more Tiny Social Clubs we could really make a dent in Lake County."



Striving & Surviving Cancer Foundation
My name is Beverly McCray. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 1994, and my son was seven months old when I was diagnosed. I received chemotherapy for two years and radiation for four months. I was very weak and nauseated. My son was unable to attend child care because the child care agency where my son was supposed to attend when I returned to work stated to me that since I wasn’t going back to school or work, the agency would be unable to accept him. I stated to the agency that I was unable to return to work or school because I was diagnosed with cancer. I was unable to take care of my son properly. During this period, I began calling various organizations asking for help in caring for my son. Each agency I called told me the same thing: I must be working or going to school. Every organization that I called stated that they did not have any services and referred to me another organization. I was referred to organizations that I had already called. There are organizations that have programs for mothers who are chemically dependent on drugs; however, there are no programs for mothers who are chronically ill. Daycare providers will not accept a child unless a mother is working or attending school. After talking to various organizations, I felt that I had to be chemically dependent on drugs in order to receive any kind of assistance in caring for my son. I could not understand why there were services for people with drug addiction and none for cancer and terminally ill patients. A newspaper reporter did an article on my son and me to make the public aware of the need for services for cancer and terminally ill patients. Tanya Johnson read the article; she called and offered to help me with my son. I thanked her and explained to her my reason for doing the news article, and I explained to her what I wanted to do. After several conversations, I invited Tanya to join me as my partner.

The Striving & Surviving Support Foundation was founded in 2001 by Beverly McCray. Striving & Surviving Support Foundation is a 501©(3) organization. There are five board members.

Striving & Surviving Support Foundation began its first support group in 1998 for younger women who were diagnosed with cancer before age 45. The support group was sponsored with the YWCA along with Midwestern Regional Medical Center and Cancer Treatment Center of America in Zion.

The purpose of the Striving & Surviving Support Foundation is to provide encouragement, emotional and physical support for patients and their families and to make life more manageable for cancer patients and their families while undergoing treatment, by providing various services; also to provide continuous support and to educate the public, in order to increase public awareness through early detection for both men and women; in addition, to raise funds to promote education, financial support and various services for families. Striving & Surviving Foundation holds monthly support group meeting every second Saturday of the month in order to provide support and encouragement.

Striving & Surviving Cancer Foundation provides the following services
by Barbara Jackson, Tanya Johnson and Beverly McCray.

Emotional support is provided twenty-four hours a day. Telephone home and hospital visits are provided daily, cards and flowers are sent to the home and hospital. Transportation services are provided to appointments, shopping, etc., as needed. Financial assistance with transportation to medical appointments out of town and referrals are made on the patient’s behalf by making phone calls to various doctors and organizations to ensure appropriate care for optional services. Seminars and reading material are provided to educate the public. Our organization consults with other agencies to assist in providing services for cancer and chronically ill individuals.

The Striving & Surviving Cancer Foundation Support group meets every second Saturday at Park Place in Waukegan, Illinois

Support group phone number 847.473.4029
or email: s.s.cancerfund@sbcglobal.net

To make a donation to Striving and Surviving Cancer Foundation Click the donation button or please call : 847.473.0813