It has been a week of many mixed emotions. We are grieving the loss of three members of our community, people who brought so much light to the world, people I’m so very grateful to have known.

It has also been a week of celebration, a week where we wrapped up five Ignite Experience programs (our free, virtual 10-week core series)—including our first two that were customized for Kenya. 

I found myself crying twice on one day last week: First tears of sadness when I thought about the losses, and then tears of gratitude when a woman in Kenya told me that AFC has forever changed her life. She said that what she learned over the past ten weeks in Ignite has given her new tools and a language to validate her experience. She is sharing the tools with her son and her friends, and she’s feeling empowered—like cancer is no longer something she needs to feel ashamed about. 

When the losses feel like too much, I try to come back to a place of gratitude. I am so very grateful for the many people who have contributed their time and donations to make our programs possible.

For GivingTuesday this year, we’re sharing our community’s experiences of gratitude for AFC as a way to help raise awareness about our programs. We’ve developed graphics (like mine, shown here) for our alumni and donors to share with their online communities, using the hashtag #Grateful4AFC. If you’d like to participate and have us make your very own personalized graphic as part of our year-end campaign, please email anna@afreshchapter.com as soon as possible with a photo and a short sentence or two (up to 30 words) about why you’re grateful for AFC. 

Since COVID-19 hit, we have been able to double our alumni community and truly scale our impact through virtual programs such as the 10-week Ignite program, which gives survivors, thrivers, and caregivers the opportunity to find connection, growth, and belonging through this virtual experience. We also expanded our work with Kenyan cancer patients and advocates to customize the Ignite Experience for the Kenyan culture. In a country where 42,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year – and only 3% of people get access to psychosocial support – this program matters deeply.

AFC has big plans to scale our impact in 2022. We are actively expanding Ignite to transform 120 lives, including in Kenya. We’re also growing our Empower Workshops, which offer 1- to 2-hour standalone events, with a focus on underserved communities.

And we’re putting I.D.E.A. (inclusion, diversity, equity, and access) into Action through building long-term sustainable partnerships with non-profits and health centers serving the Black, Hispanic/Latinx, LGBTQIA+, AAPI, and Native American communities.

You can learn more about our upcoming programs and how you can get involved at #Grateful4AFC. And as always, you can email me at terri@afreshchapter.com.

Your support makes all the difference, allowing us to offer a way to help facilitate healing and growth for our participants along with others who understand what they’re going through. Thank you for changing the world with us!

All my best,
Terri