January 3, 2010 Marks Ten Years of Celebrating Life & Providing Free Programs & Services at The Gathering Place


The Gathering Place Celebrates 10 Years of Service to Those Touched by Cancer
Expands Programming, Celebrates Achievements

Cleveland, January 5, 2010 –-Ten years of service to Northeast Ohio residents facing cancer. That’s what The Gathering Place will celebrate this month when the esteemed cancer support center turns 10 years old.

Since its inception, The Gathering Place has provided free support programs and services to more than 17,400 local residents touched by cancer, including those directly affected by the disease, as well as their family and friends. Collectively these individuals have made more than 110,000 visits to the organization, participating in everything from yoga classes to support groups, art therapy programs, nutrition counseling, horticulture programs, lectures, and more.

“As we commemorate 10 years of service, we encourage both long-time participants and newcomers to stop by and learn about all the milestones we’ve reached and experience some of our new and popular programming,” says Eileen Saffran, The Gathering Place’s executive director. “We also want to thank the community for the support they’ve extended and celebrate the many lives we’ve been able to touch.”

Among the organization’s many milestones:

·    East and West Side Locations – The Gathering Place opened its doors in January 2000 in a 6,100-square-foot storefront in Beachwood. Since then, the organization has moved to an expansive 12,000 square-foot facility and added a second location in West Lake.

·    Community Support/Collaboration – The Gathering Place’s annual operating budget has grown from $360,000 to $1.8 million. The organization does not charge for its services and relies solely on the contributions from generous organizations and individuals. The Gathering Place also has been fortunate to collaborate with local hospitals, cancer-related organizations and acclaimed experts to present unique support programs. All of this would not be possible without the organization’s 350 active volunteers.

·    Norma’s Garden – In 2005, The Gathering Place opened Norma’s Garden, a restorative healing garden located on the grounds of its East Side facility, designed around cancer support programming. Programs offered in the garden include everything from meditation to yoga to children’s activities.

·    Lending Library – Unlike support centers in other communities, both Gathering Place locations offer lending libraries staffed by a medical librarian who has both library and psychology-related degrees. This allows the librarian to not only help visitors decipher complex medical terminology and paperwork, such as pathology reports, but provide counsel on the various emotions associated with a diagnosis. Each library offers a wide array of up-to-date cancer-related magazines, videos, books and other resources.

·    Cancer Speaks – In 2007, The Gathering Place developed Cancer Speaks, a reflective photo exhibit featuring the intimate portraits of more than two dozen people touched by cancer. Designed as a traveling art exhibit, Cancer Speaks has been used by health-care organizations across the country and even recognized with prestigious awards.

·    Someone I Love is Sick – In 2009, The Gathering Place developed and launched Someone I Love is Sick, the first customizable book designed to help very young children understand and cope with a parent’s or grandparent’s cancer. The book resulted in a Today Show feature, earned an endorsement from Lance Armstrong and garnered purchases from parents and professionals nationwide.

The Gathering Place will celebrate its tenth anniversary by expanding its already vast assortment of programs. Having recently hired an expert in exercise and nutrition, The Gathering Place will increase its nutrition and exercise offerings with workshops that focus on lifestyle changes after a cancer diagnosis, as well as workshops addressing healthy living to help reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. Additional new programs also will launch in the first quarter to compliment all of the organization’s current, popular services.

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