Dear  ,

When a woman is in active breast cancer treatment, often she needs to drive to the hospital every day for chemotherapy or radiation treatments. We all know public transportation in San Diego isn't as comprehensive as it could be, so having a car is vital for many women. Even small costs, like a car insurance payment or just a tank of gas can be difficult to pay when a woman is trying to keep a roof over her head. Our grants regularly go towards things like: gas gift cards, car payments, and car insurance payments.

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2018. We helped a lot of deserving women in 2017, but the task continues. We hope to raise even more in 2018 so we can give out more grants, touch more lives, and make an even bigger difference in the San Diego community. To help achieve our mission, we are announcing a date for our popular purse bingo fundraiser as well as the addition of two very  talented new board members.

Keep reading to see how we used your donations in 2017, to meet our new board members, and to read about a U.S. Navy Veteran who wrote that breast cancer was "a battle I surely never expected to fight."


Sincerely,                                                                                          

Vembra Holnagel
President, Shades of Pink Foundation California

In This Issue
 
"I am applying for this grant to keep a roof over my head." Tracy
Tracy's Story













Tracy served our country in the United States Navy and was always able to make ends meet until she received a diagnosis of Stage II breast cancer almost a year ago.

Now, the military veteran is fighting a new battle as she faces chemotherapy, radiation, a lumpectomy, and infusions of Herpecin. 

The treatments have left her too weak to work and forced her to rely on donations from friends and her two adult children. Her son, a truck driver, is on the road for long stretches of time, but he tries to help by putting a few of Tracy's bills on his credit card each month. 

At SOPFCA, we want to thank Tracy for her service and give her the time and space she needs to fight and win her battle with cancer. Her SOPFCA grant went toward rent and her car payment.


Photo credit: The Library of Congress on Visual hunt /
Say Hello to Our New Board Members

SOPFCA is a labor of love and survives because of the energy, focus and commitment of our all-volunteer Board. That's why we are so excited to introduce you to two fabulous women who have risen to the challenge to serve on our Board this year. 


Kristine Quart



As a new board member, Kristine will be hard at work finding and securing funding opportunities from the community, local businesses, and through available grants.

She has long been involved in breast cancer research funding activities, but SOPFCA caught her eye because of the help it provides for individuals in her community.

Kristine says, "We have made great strides in treatment over the years, but we need to remember that it is patients who deserve compassion and assistance during their time of personal and medical crisis."

Kristine is a Pharm D. who works as a freelance medical writer and educator. When she isn't volunteering, she enjoys photography, scrapbooking, and spending time with her daughter, Gabrielle and her much loved dog, Dash. 


Margie Holmstrom


Margie has been working with SOPFCA since 2015 as a member of the Grant Committee. Her background as an executive director of a different nonprofit that provided financial assistance to those with Stage IV cancer gives her unparalleled experience and insight into SOPFCA's mission.

Margie is now excited to play a larger role in SOPFCA as one of our sitting board members. She explains that her decision to become more involved stemmed from wanting "to work more closely with enthusiastic and motivated members of the board who are so passionate about raising funds to help women financially as they go through cancer treatments."

In her free time, Marjorie enjoys playing golf and riding her bike. 
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Shades of Pink Foundation California
[email protected]
858-356-4204


Shades of Pink Foundation California is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) California nonprofit Corporation.

 
 2017, a Year in Review 

The numbers for 2017 are in. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to keep the volume of grants and the amount of each grant high in 2017. Here is a quick look at our major achievements: 

In 2017, SOPFCA gave away $37,351 to 36 deserving grantees with an average amount of $1,494 per grant. This works out to three grants awarded each month. 

Our grantees ranged in age from 40 to 73 years old, and 22 of them had children living with them at home. 

A majority of our grants went toward paying rent and mortgage, the number one concern for most grant recipients. 

Again, we'd like to thank donors like you for making these grants possible.
Purse Bingo Is Back, Baby!

How to Support SOPFCA 

 Hope Partners
Monthly Giving


If you want to step up your donation game right here, right now, then make the commitment to give each month. Through Hope Partners, you can sign up online to make an automatic monthly donation from as little as $25 a month ($0.83 a day) to $75 a month ($2.50 a day) or choose your own amount.

One-Time Donation

If you want to honor someone close to you who battled breast cancer you can always make a one-time donation to SOPFCA in any amount you like

Amazon Smile

If Amazon has become your go-to everything store, then support SOPFCA just by purchasing all the things already on your shopping list. Visit Amazon through our Amazon Smile Link , and be sure to select Shades of Pink California as your charity.  The company will donate 0.5% of all your purchases to our organization. Bookmark our link to make it automatic.   
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