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Why Me

Love and Support for Families with Childhood Cancer

40th Anniversary Open House & Playground Ribbon Cutting

On May 15th, we celebrated our 40th anniversary and revealed our newly renovated playground. During the event, Sherry’s dad, Terry, was presented with a key to the city by Mayor Joe Petty and an official citation, presented by Senator Mike Moore, for this incredible feat of supporting childhood cancer families in Central New England for the last forty years. While the weather wasn’t in our favor to be outside for the ribbon cutting, Bob Sweeney, Executive Director of the Boston Bruins Foundation, still led the ceremony indoors where everyone could stay dry.

Nothing that Why Me has done or will continue to do is not without the support of our community. We are immensely grateful to the local businesses within our community – Charcuterie Woo , Seven Saws Brewing , UP Balloon Decor , and Card My Yard Holden – for their contributions to the event. We also thank Worcester Public Schools for assisting attendees in making paper cranes, which will be strung with hundreds more and hung in the playroom at Sherry’s House.

Our playground, made possible by the generous support from the Boston Bruins Foundation, the John & Susan Duquette Charitable Foundation, the Consigli Foundation, UltiPlay Parks & Playgrounds, Inc., and our 2024 Heart Dance attendees, is more than just a recreational space. It symbolizes hope and resilience for the children and families we serve, providing a safe and fun environment for all Why Me kids to play. More photos to come.

Annual Appeal 2024

December 2024

Dear Friends,

Next year, we kick off our 40th anniversary of supporting childhood cancer families in Central Massachusetts. Why Me’s services have spanned four decades, thousands of families, and it all started with one girl. Sherry Shepherd was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and spent four years battling multiple recurrences until her passing in 1985. While childhood cancer changed the trajectory of Sherry’s life, it never defined her. She was bubbly, joyful, optimistic, creative, and incredibly compassionate. While undergoing cancer treatment herself, she became determined to walk across the country to raise money for other kids fighting cancer. Sherry was so determined that she drew a map and planned which states she would go through. She even made a list of everything she would need; this included 1 small camper, 10 pairs of sneakers, multiple pairs of socks, and t-shirts, along with “plenty of food and plenty to drink.” Sherry never made her 6,000-mile trek; instead, she focused on how to help children in her local area, creating Why Me. Sherry has left behind a legacy full of kindness, hope, and a child’s spirit that has transcended forty years.

In 1985, Why Me started with the small things, the important details, such as helping with a bill, purchasing a wig, and assisting with transportation for hospital visits. As the years passed and the number of families grew, Why Me continued to focus on those small details, including laughter and community. We brought families together for holiday parties and clown clinics, filling a hotel ballroom with laughter and smiles. Backyard barbeques and weekends on Cape Cod helped families form bonds and build community.

Fast forward almost forty years, and our services continually weave Sherry’s legacy into the hearts of every family we support. We continue to visit families at the hospital clinic and in-patient each week with coffee and donuts. We continue to bring parents together monthly for support groups, giving them hope and letting them know they are not alone. Our longest-running family event, the holiday party, brings hundreds of parents and children together. Each year, the hotel ballroom encompasses the spirit of children – filled with crafts, dancing, costume characters, and joy.

You can create memories, give families hope and support the important details, the small things. Just think of the difference you can make. A donation of…

♥$100 will buy a newly diagnosed teen a hospital bag with essentials for treatment and a gift to lift their spirits.
♥$250 will buy groceries for a family in residence at Sherry’s House.
♥$500 will provide lunch for our monthly bereaved mom’s luncheon.
♥$2,500 pays for one outing for our Teen Group.
♥$5,000 will sponsor our fall family event, Carnival Day.

This year, with the assistance of our friends, supporters, and donors, we helped our Why Me families root for the Bravehearts, gave five graduating seniors scholarships for their next chapter, held a summertime drive-in Movie Night with sprawling views at The Haven in Rutland, see reptiles and paint by instruction during two weeks of summer camp, spend a not-so-spooky evening in our backyard at Sherry’s House for our Halloween Stroll, cheer with excitement at the Railers, and so many other experiences.

In these last 39 years, we have helped over 1,000 families through the shocking words, “Your child has cancer,” and that number continues to grow at record rates. You can be a part of continuing to create special memories and new support services through a gift to Why Me. Please make your tax-deductible checks payable to Why Me and send them back in the enclosed self-addressed envelope or go to www.whyme.org to make a secure contribution. Please note Annual Appeal in the comments section.

Thank you for investing in Why Me and our future. Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a happy and healthy holiday season.

Warm regards,

 

Rebecca Kuczarski
Executive Director

“Do small things with great love” – Mother Teresa

 

 

Annual Appeal 2023

November 2023

Dear Friends,

Why Me’s story is one of resilience, starting with a few dedicated volunteers, a handful of families, little money, and first-hand knowledge of the support services that would be most helpful. We persevered through the years, building Sherry’s House while the need for our services grew. In 2020, we faced adversity head-on when the Covid-19 pandemic changed how we supported our families. Through the years, we continue to adapt to new challenges that come our way.

This year, on a frigid Sunday morning in February, a sprinkler pipe in the playroom at Sherry’s House burst. Water poured down all over our beautiful paper cranes, into the kitchen, and down the ductwork into our office. The extensive damage brought the playroom down to the studs and made way for kitchen and office renovations. For the nine months that Sherry’s House was under renovation, our staff worked tirelessly, remaining focused on meeting the needs of our families without interruption.

Resiliency continues to be essential in our everyday work. If you look in the eyes of a child battling cancer, you will see tenacity and resilience, longing to be a normal child. The fact is a family that has a childhood cancer diagnosis is anything but normal. These families are isolated, fractured, and just trying to get by, which is why our services are so important. We bring families together, help them create new memories to last long beyond cancer treatment, and reassure them they are not alone.

You can be a part of creating these memories and giving families hope. Just think of the difference you can make. A donation of…

♥ $100 will buy take-out for 1 family in residence at Sherry’s House. After a long day at the hospital, this will give them a night off from cooking.
♥ $250 will purchase 1 month of chips, cookies, and other snacks to be brought to the hospital for clinic visits.
♥ $500 will send a mother and father away to our annual Bereavement Retreat weekend. This weekend is for them to focus on their grief and the child they lost.
♥ $2,500 pays for one week of entertainment at our Summer Camp.
♥ $5,000 will provide 5 graduating Why Me teens with a scholarship for their future endeavors.

This year, with the help of our friends, supporters, and donors, we helped our Why Me families root for the WooSox from a suite, drop the puck at a Worcester Railers game, get princess makeovers, search eagerly for Easter Eggs at our annual Easter Egg Hunt, catch fish at our annual Spree Day, cheer with excitement at the Celtics, and so many other experiences.

In these last 38 years, we have helped over 1,000 families through the shocking words, “Your child has cancer,” and that number continues to grow at record rates. You can be a part of continuing to create special memories and new support services through a gift to Why Me. Please make your tax-deductible checks payable to Why Me and mail them to 1152 Pleasant Street, Worcester MA 01602. You can also make your secure contribution online, here. Please note Annual Appeal in the comments section.

Thank you for investing in Why Me and our future. Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a happy and healthy holiday season.

Warm regards,

Rebecca signature

 

 

Rebecca Kuczarski
Executive Director

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” – Maya Angelou

 

Annual Appeal 2022

December 2022

Dear Friends,

Ten years ago, I lost my four-year-old daughter to Leukemia. Sophia was an absolute ray of sunshine. The youngest of my three children, she was carefree, kind, thoughtful, and adoring of her older siblings, Ethan and Hannah. Upon Sophia’s diagnosis, our lives became fraught with uncertainty. Our world turned upside down emotionally and financially.

Ethan, Hannah, and Sophia

We were a Why Me family for the seven months that Sophia was on treatment before her unexpected passing – attending the Holiday Party and Easter Egg Hunt and participating in the parent support group. We got by with the support of our community, but once Sophia was gone, we worried about what support, if any, would still be available.

There’s this saying you hear around Why Me, “Once a Why Me family, always a Why Me family,” and it rang true. We were given bereavement support, not just for my husband Eric and me but also for the kids. We met other bereaved families, and our children formed life-long bonds. This support was pivotal in our healing.

Five years ago, I joined Why Me as the fundraising manager. This August, I became the Executive Director and now oversee the creation and maintenance of programming that was helpful to our family, bringing me full circle with the organization. Hospital visits with coffee and donuts, the presents that showed up when Sophia landed in the hospital right before Christmas, and all the small things in between, were such a relief to us and continue to be for other families like ours.

I can assure you that a childhood cancer diagnosis leaves an impact that lasts a lifetime. Just think of the difference you can make! Every clinic visit, support group meeting, and family fun event would not be possible without our extended community of Why Me supporters.

My family is just one of over 800 that Why Me has supported in the last 37 years. You can be a part of continuing to create special memories and new support services through a gift to Why Me. Please take a moment and read through our annual appeal, highlighting a few of our families and their personal journey with childhood cancer.  It also includes some of our family events and fundraisers from the last few years and some dates to note for 2023. Consider making your tax-deductible donation to Why Me here, or mail in your contribution to us at 1152 Pleasant Street, Worcester MA 01602. Please note Annual Appeal in the comments section.

By supporting Why Me, you are investing in our future, so we can continue to help children like my Sophia. Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a happy and healthy holiday season.

Warm regards,

Rebecca Kuczarski

Executive Director

“For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” – Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb

 

Covid-19 pandemic – one year later, thanks to our community

Greetings to our Why Me Families, Volunteers, and Supporters –

This has certainly been an unprecedented twelve months. One year ago, we all put our lives on hold and hunkered down for two weeks.
Weeks turned into months, rooms in our homes became offices and schoolrooms, and familiar routines gave way to evolving uncertainty. Perhaps most disruptive was the loss of in-person contact. We all stopped visiting each other, talking face to face, and a good old hug became an elbow bump at best.

We have all done our best to maintain our careers, relationships, and sanity.  As I write this letter, spring is in the air, spirits are lifting, and hearts are hopeful that our toughest days are behind us.  Many of us are getting our vaccine, schools are moving toward full in-person learning, and businesses will follow. We have all come to appreciate that which was lost and we look to the future with optimism.

I would like to thank all our supporters from the bottom of our full hearts. Together we have made the most of a difficult time and emerged stronger for it.

Family Fun Events that we have had in place for years had to be re-imagined to accommodate new realities. These safety constraints were critical for our families given their fragile health and compromised immune systems. With that came indomitable spirit and grateful hearts for whatever we came up with. We made the most of our wonderful grounds at Sherry’s House with the Haunted Halloween Stroll, Holiday Drive Thru, and Angel Tree Walk.  We spent many evenings gathering virtually, whether for support groups or fun – including bingo, cooking and trivia nights.  How wonderful that we have been able to continue our traditions and reaffirm that it doesn’t matter where or how we gather but only that we come together to support each other.  As most of our fundraisers were cancelled last year, all of this was made possible through the generosity of our donors and supporters. To every single one of you who helped us provide love and support to our families, thank you.

We are making plans for Family Fun Events and all our popular events and gatherings just as soon as it is safe to do so. To our dedicated volunteers, get ready! We will be in touch in the coming months to let you know what we have in store for you and ask that you be patient for just a little longer.  If you are not signed up to volunteer with us but would like to, please download the application here.  If you would like to get involved from afar, check out our website for fun virtual fundraisers or send us some items from our wish list to keep our pantry stocked.

We are so excited for the light at the end of the tunnel. Better times are coming.  Thank you for standing alongside us through this unpredictable year.

Be safe and be joyful,

David Hagan, Executive Director