Mission:

The mission of the Cancer Support Center is to provide free comprehensive resources that help people improve their quality of life during the cancer experience.

Vision:

The Cancer Support Center is devoted to maintaining a warm welcoming environment while ensuring that visitors have immediate access to our free programs and resources. The professional staff strives to help people affected by cancer process through their experience in a way that is as supportive and healing as possible to achieve the highest quality of life. The Cancer Support Center is a community based volunteer-driven, donor-supported organization.

Beliefs and Philosophies Statement:

-We believe in offering our services to anyone affected by cancer regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability or ethnicity.

-We believe that the services at the Cancer Support Center must be provided at no cost to individuals with cancer, their families and friends.

-We believe in the importance of community which consists of contributors, volunteers, staff, participants and referral sources. We believe in the value of each component of our community and what it has to offer in maintaining a warm, welcoming, healing environment.

-We are ecumenical in that we are not exclusively affiliated with any hospital, religious organization or group physician practice.

-We believe that the best approach to designing programs is based on an understanding of the needs of participants. We believe in taking a holistic approach, which includes the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of each person.

-We believe our primary purpose should be the improvement of the quality of life, regardless of prognosis, while accepting participants’ treatment decisions.

-We believe in working in alliance with the established medical community. We work to complete the circle of care by complementing conventional medical treatment with emotional and psychological support.

-We believe individuals should be educated about their treatment options and that the Cancer Support Center should not offer specific treatment recommendations.

-We believe in the concept of “wellness” as a guiding principle of the Center. We try to live it in our personal lives, at an organizational level and by teaching it to our participants.

-We believe in taking an active approach to cancer that leads to a fighting spirit that is based on realistic hope.

-We believe that support groups, and individual and family therapy should be facilitated by trained, licensed professionals who provide services that meet the highest professional standards based on current research findings.

-We believe that the individual response to the cancer experience is unique and that subsequent needs will differ as a result. We therefore encourage participants to work with a professional staff member to design an individualized path through our programs and services that best meets their needs.

-We believe in an approach in working with participants that primarily emphasizes coping with the emotional effects of cancer. When necessary referrals to other professionals may be made.

-We believe we serve as an information resource for cancer survivors and their families by providing access to the most current information on cancer we can find.

-We believe that personal information shared at the Center must be kept in confidence by all who participate in the programs at the Center.

-We encourage and facilitate participants to do ongoing personal assessments of their needs and experiences, to maintain realistic goals for themselves that will increase the quality of their lives.

-We believe that cancer support work is best done in a warm home-like environment that is mindful of the various physical limitations of our participants.

-We believe that every aspect of the program should be regularly reviewed by staff in keeping with acceptable professional standards.