The Lloydminster Region Health Foundation and ‘I Love Alberta Boobs’ are teaming up to help provide local patients with financial assistance.
“One of our co-founders passed away this past summer, lost her battle with breast cancer, and we realized there was a lack in peoples budgets for certain things, for expenses they needed. We wanted to be able to help more directly,” says Brandy Schwenk, the Co-founder of I Love Alberta Boobs.
Schwenk adds, “quarterly, we’re going to give out one or two of these assistance funds, $500 each for now. We will do more if we get more help. There isn’t any specific criteria except you have to have or be living with breast cancer, men or women, it doesn’t matter. It can benefit you and you’re entire family, help out with expenses, food, clothing whatever it is you need at that moment.”
Previously, the group was donating to an Alberta Cancer Foundation program that helped fast tracked medications into cancer patients hands, which they say benefited local patients indirectly.
Along with this, incoming CEO of the LRHF Malcolm Radke says money raised will also be used towards other initiatives.
“From the Health Foundation perspective and the hospital perspective, we’ve got a few comfort care projects on the go and just general early detection type projects where we’re hoping to apply and get that assistance from [I Love Alberta Boobs,] depending on how their fundraising goes.”
He goes on to say, “anytime we can partner with a fundraising group that enables us to add services and add comfort care and add preventative early detection stuff right here in Lloydminster, that’s a huge benefit to our donors and to the community at large.”
Schwenk says, “right now, I see a lot of Lloydminster struggling. I’ve heard very many stories about people losing their houses; people not being able to feed their children; husbands and wives being separated because one’s in Edmonton or Saskatoon for treatment, one’s staying home with kids because there is no child care; we’ve just heard a lot of lack and that’s something we want to fill.”
‘Rock For a Cure’ will be back again after taking a break last year due to the economy. I Love Alberta Boobs is still looking for sponsors for the event.