1. Transportation

In 2021 we made HUGE strides in achieving our goal to grow our transportation program.  We began a new partnership with SNAP, increased our volunteer base to about 60 drivers and were averaging about 200 rides per month for patients.  This new partnership with SNAP allowed us to offer rides into Idaho and grow our program to offer services to Post Falls, Hayden and Coeur d'Alene.  Towards the end of 2021 we had been awarded a grant from the STA that will help us grow even more in 2022.  We will now add a part time dispatcher to our staff that will be fully responsible for facilitating rides for patients with our volunteers.  This is going to allow for more time from our Patient Outreach Coordinator, Emily, to work on continued growth of more volunteers, volunteer retainment and management.  We hope to be able to fill even more rides in 2022, grow our staff and volunteer base so no ride is left unfilled.  We will be targeting once again smaller rural communities and across the border into Idaho.  We will be growing our abilities to serve patients within this program and will be offering LEP services as well.

2.  The Grant Program

In 2021 we gave out more than $40,000 in grants to patients in emergent need paying things such as rent, power, childcare, car payments, phone bills and even clothing. We worked with local businesses that were able to donate services such as tire mounts and carpet installation that allowed us to use money towards other patients. In 2022 we are going to maintain our $40,000 budget with an additional $10,000 specific to Lincoln County residents. We would like to continue to work together with community partners to gather donations where we can and help that money go further.

3. Cancer Can't Take Christmas

We have some of the most amazingly generous donors that continue to allow this program to grow far beyond what we could ever imagine.  In 2021 our donors were able to provide over $50,000 worth of gifts to 21 cancer families in need of some love all over the Inland Northwest.  This program now reaches from Wenatchee/Moses Lake area to Omak/Tonasket and then all the way over Spokane through Idaho. It is truly amazing the blessings this program brings during the holiday season and what a difference this makes for families battling cancer with children in the mix.  Our goal for 2022 is to maintain the growth we have seen over the last 3 years and be able to support at least 20 families for the Christmas season all across the Inland Northwest.  

4. Lodging

In 2020 during the Covid shut down we watched other non-profit organizations close around us and resources for cancer patients in our community dissolve. In an attempt to support patients, we picked up a program that was closed when the American Cancer Society closed here in the greater Spokane area. The loss of a hotel partnership program was a huge loss for our community. In 2021 Cancer Can't began partnering with those same hotels in our area to provide a place to stay for patients who were traveling for treatment. Through these new hotel partnerships, we were able to provide 82 hotel stays to patients last year. In 2022 the Cancer Can't board is taking BIG steps to invest in filling this need in our community. We are now providing a budget of $10,000 to be used to lodge patients in our community this year.  Additionally, the board is making steps toward long term solutions and looking at beginning a lodging facility.  

5. Continue our partnership with the Charitable Pharmacy and provide financial assistance as needed. 

6. Cancer Can't fundraising is coming back with a bang in 2022 with our Black and White Gala.  We will be hosting in an outdoor facility as a great healthy compromise to covid restrictions and safety of our donors.  We however, feel strongly that it is time we gather again to support cancer patients in our community.