How do you want to feel? This simple question pulled me out of the darkness of cancer and sparked an idea to volunteer in Africa seven years ago. Like a touchstone, I often come back to it to regain perspective as I surf the highs and lows of growing an organization. It’s also a question I ask every participant during the interview process for our programs.

This week on the blog, I want to share some of my defining moments of 2017 along with the opportunity for you to receive Perspective, Possibility, or Perseverance as a gift from A Fresh Chapter.

Join Our 2017 Giving Tribe & Receive A Touchstone for 2018

One of our traditions at the end of each program is a closing circle where each of our participants is invited to select an elephant (or similar token) to take home with them. This touchstone serves as a physical reminder of how they felt during their experience with A Fresh Chapter, as well as an opportunity to think about how they might bring that feeling into their lives at home. It has been my privilege to share closing circles with more than 150 alumni and over the years, I have collected Strength, Love, Peace, Joy, Grace, Faith, and Victory – just to name a few.

This year, while I was on the road, I collected touchstones in both Peru and South Africa to share with our tribe of donors, supporters, and friends. As I thought about today’s post, I realized that these tokens of our travels fit perfectly with the lessons I’ve learned this year. And, I wondered if you might be seeking more perseverance, possibility, or perspective in your life too?

Finding Perseverance, Possibility, and Perspective in 2017

Reconnecting With Perseverance in Peru

Meet Perseverance. A feisty little llama from Peru.

This year, I came face-to-face with a wall of burnout and I found myself questioning whether I could keep dreaming so fiercely about the vision of A Fresh Chapter. Then, I met Maria. With snow white hair, stooped posture, and a threadbare cardigan, she greeted us with a kiss on the cheek outside her home in Villa El Salvador. We walked through a damp room with dirt floors and out into the chill of an open courtyard that served as both kitchen and living room. Maria went into a shed and pulled out a fabric bundle half her size and showed us the placemats and table runners she had knit. Every Sunday, Maria swings this massive bundle behind her back and heads through the streets – hoping to earn enough money to buy food for the week. Our eyes welled up and we dug through our pockets and between us found enough soles to buy 5 or 6 placements for 30 soles ($10 USD). Tears streamed down her face as she thanked us for our purchases. Her gratitude reminded me how privileged I am to choose to invest my time and energy into A Fresh Chapter. She reignited my passion to do more – both for our participants and the volunteer projects we serve.

Discovering New Possibilities in South Africa

Meet Possibility. A wee wooden elephant from South Africa.

This fall, we returned to South Africa for our second Odyssey Program, where we spent time volunteering in the cancer community. One morning, I met with 15 social workers from across the public and private sectors. As we sat together, the gravity of the challenges they face sunk in. A lack of access to basic health care for more than 84% of the population feels like an impossible challenge and yet, at the core of A Fresh Chapter, we have a vision of transforming adversity into possibility and this vision knows no borders. Many of the activities we have designed to help people unpack and heal the emotional scars of cancer can be done anywhere – with limited resources.

As we step into 2018, we are committed to exploring how we can continue to transform the lives of men and women from North America, while also creating a deeper and more lasting positive impact for people affected by cancer in countries like South Africa and Kenya. Stay tuned for next week’s post where you will meet Kenyan advocate, Odiyo and learn more about our plans for 2018.

Finding Fresh Perspective in San Francisco 

Meet Perspective. A tiny, but mighty, giraffe from South Africa.

In life, I think we build what we wish we had. Earlier this year as I grieved the loss of Rebecca – another beautiful A Fresh Chapter alumni, I began to wonder how other leaders and advocates across the cancer community cope. I couldn’t help but see the emotional scars of cancer from a different perspective. Not only do patients, survivors, and caregivers need support, but so do the advocates and leaders who serve them. This sparked the idea for our ReFresh Experience – our first 5-day program designed to address burnout in advocates and leaders, while fostering friendships and future collaborations across the industry. I am incredibly grateful to our first ReFresh Tribe for reminding me of the power of believing in a new dream. I now see that A Fresh Chapter can (and should) continue to grow and evolve as we discover fresh ways to serve where we are most needed.

I am also grateful to my friend Dana who helped me find this year’s question, “If this were easy, what would it look like?” This question always brings fresh perspective to even the stickiest of situations.

Donate & Receive Your 2018 New Year’s Gift From A Fresh Chapter

This year, we want to share our tradition with you. For our first 100 donors who give $100 or more to help fund our 2018 scholarships for those financially and emotionally devastated by cancer, you will have the opportunity to receive one of our featured touchstones of 2017: Perseverance, Possibility, or Perspective. You could keep this gift for yourself or share it with someone in your life who might need a little boost in the New Year.

We have limited quantities of each of our 2017 touchstones and can’t wait to share them with our tribe of donors. Please help us fund scholarships so more people like Laura – a melanoma survivor from Alabama, Maddie – a breast cancer survivor from Colorado, and Odiyo – a cancer advocate in Kenya, can heal the emotional scars of cancer and create a ripple of good in the world. Be one of the first 100 to donate $100 or more before December 31, 2017 and you will receive your touchstone as a gift in the New Year. May the year ahead bring you a willingness to persevere for a cause you believe in, the possibility to find new joy and meaning in your life, and the ability to see opportunities from a fresh perspective.