Shouting from the Rooftops, local nonprofit, Strength for Life receives $20000

Shouting from the Rooftops, local nonprofit, Strength for Life receives $20000

Buried in with the ‘day to day’ junk mail and mixed with bills, laid this envelope.

Oh, I remember we applied for a grant some six months ago…it was a thin envelope , one sheet – another denial?

I opened it and nearly fainted.

A $20000 check, in support of Strength for Life, to advance our work.

As you can well imagine this is not an ordinary event for our small nonprofit.  We work hard to at what we do best – train cancer patients/survivors to regain range of motion, strength and endurance. The ancillary parts of running a nonprofit are not our forte – like grant writing. There is an art to that.  For Strength for Life to be honored by The Island Outreach Foundation  is a true blessing.

Since 2007, when Strength for Life was officially formed, we have helped over 1000 cancer patients and survivors regain their “strength for life”. We hold classes at Stony Brook Cancer Center, Winthrop University, Mather Hospital, STARS Rehab (part of NSLIJ), Long Island Cancer Wellness Center, and our newest locations at the Southampton Hospital, the Dolan Family Center and the Commack JCC.  We have reached out to Peconic and Brookhaven and this grant gives us the confidence we can support all these endeavors and then some.

Strength for Life is very active with support groups throughout Long Island and we are on the advisory committee for the Suffolk County Cancer Awareness Task Force.  In addition, we were voted 2013 LIWA (Long Island Women’s Agenda) Organization of the Year and we are proud to share that Strength for Life has a ‘5’ star rating on “Great Non Profits” with comments from our clients stating they had a “life changing”, “powerful” and “nurturing” experience.

We will be hosting our 13th Wellness Retreat next weekend at the Hyatt Windwatch in Hauppauge, offering 20 new cancer patients/survivors an overnight escape from their daily responsibilities and renewal of mind, body and spirit offered by our array of classes.  They will be introduced to many complementary therapies including Yoga, Reiki, Meditation, Sound and Energy Healing and Feng Shui. We always say we may bring them together but they are what make the magic happen – the camaraderie at these retreats is ‘priceless.”

Since we are a small grassroots nonprofit, relying heavily on our fundraising events, this very generous grant from the Island Outreach Foundation will help fund our future retreats, our extended classes and the equipment we provide to each survivor so they may continue their exercise prescription at home.

Please visit our website at www.strengthforlifeNY.org to learn more about our classes and retreats and read the testimonials provided on Great Non Profits.