Cummings Grant Award
From right to left: Mayor Arthur G. Vigeant, Mary Lou Woodford, and Karleen Habin
The Cancer1Source (Cancer Resource Foundation, Inc.) is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. This Marlborough-based organization was chosen from a total of 590 applicants during a competitive review process and will receive $100,000 over ten years.
In the United States, cancer remains one of the expensive diseases, with a more significant burden of costs associated with multi-modality care and treatment (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, counseling, and medical specialties). In Massachusetts, from 2009 through 2013, there were 183,009 newly diagnosed cancer cases. It is estimated that there are 400,000 cancer survivors in Massachusetts (MDPH, 2021). Most cancer survivors are followed by oncology providers for a minimum of five years or for life. Cancer specialists have recently created the term “financial toxicity” to signify the financial impact of cancer care and, consequently, the negative impact on not only quality of life but, in some cases, survival.
Cancer1Source envisions a world where all persons impacted by the word “cancer” have access to any product or service that will enable them to reach the highest quality of life possible, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, or income, or geography. The Cummings Foundation grant will further allow Cancer1Source to increase funding for co-pay assistance. Furthermore, this grant will enable the opportunity to expand financial resources for those cancer patients in need, whether it be food, prepared meals, travel, prosthetics, or medical co-pays such as appointments, scans, or tests. Cancer1Source, since 2009 has been instrumental in providing more than 2,500 individuals in Massachusetts with free cancer genetic/genomic testing services, meals, wigs, prosthetics, medication assistance, and lymphedema garments.
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the three largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation operates its charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn and Veterinary School at Tufts, LLC in North Grafton. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Karleen R. Habin
617-816-1738