For families navigating a childhood cancer diagnosis, the challenges can extend far beyond medical treatment.
A utility bill, car repair, groceries or even making sure siblings have what they need for school can become additional sources of stress. For more than four decades, the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation has worked to fill those gaps while providing families with a consistent source of emotional support.
The organization will continue that mission with its eighth annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Golf Classic on Monday, Sept. 28, at RiverWinds Golf Club in West Deptford.
Proceeds from the outing will remain in South Jersey, helping ECF provide services to families throughout Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic counties.
ECF was established 43 years ago by the Vizzoni family following their own experience with childhood cancer. Joseph and Susan Vizzoni lost their 7-year-old son Emmanuel, known as “Manny,” to Burkitt lymphoma in 1981. During his treatment, the family saw firsthand how few resources existed to help families manage the emotional and practical challenges accompanying a diagnosis.
They founded ECF in 1983 to provide other families with the support they had needed themselves.
One feature that distinguishes ECF is its case-worker model. Families are connected with a case worker who remains a consistent point of contact throughout their cancer journey rather than providing assistance only at the time of diagnosis or treatment.
That relationship allows ECF to respond to individual needs as they arise, according to Paige DeYoung, who helps coordinate the foundation’s South Jersey operations.
The needs can be emotional, financial or practical. A family may need assistance paying a utility bill one month and household goods another. Other requests can include furniture, car repairs, groceries or items that help children and their siblings maintain some normalcy during treatment.
That personalized approach is why DeYoung describes ECF as a “high-touch” organization.
Its programs extend to the entire family. ECF holds family picnics and holiday celebrations and conducts an annual backpack drive for children and their siblings. In one case, the organization was able to provide a laptop to a young person heading to college – an example of the long-term relationships staff can develop with families.
ECF serves children from birth through age 18 and continues assisting patients who remain in its program after they turn 18. Support is not limited to a particular type of cancer.
Families also do not need to come to ECF through a specific hospital or medical provider. Referrals can come from social workers, relatives, neighbors or families themselves.
DeYoung said one of the organization’s biggest challenges is simply making sure people know that help is available.
She described ECF as a “best-kept secret,” something the organization hopes to change through increased community outreach and events, such as the golf classic.
There is room to help more families. ECF’s current South Jersey caseload is approximately 30 families, compared with a typical average of about 46. That capacity has made outreach an increased priority, both to families who could benefit from the foundation’s services and businesses and community members who could support its work.
DeYoung serves as an intermediary among case workers, volunteers and fundraising efforts. She also oversees a food pantry program serving families across South Jersey and recruits volunteers to assist with efforts such as food distribution.
Money raised through the golf outing helps make those programs possible. Funds can support staffing and food pantries as well as family events and direct needs, from keeping utilities on to helping repair a family’s car.
The Sept. 28 golf classic will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m., followed by a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start. Breakfast and lunch are included.
Individual golfer registration is $200, with foursomes available for $800. Sponsorship opportunities are also available, and supporters who don’t golf can purchase lunch-only tickets for $75, donate auction items or make a direct contribution.
The event coincides with September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, making the outing about more than fundraising. ECF hopes it can introduce more South Jersey residents to an organization that has spent more than four decades quietly supporting families during some of their most difficult moments.
For DeYoung, increasing that awareness means potentially reaching another parent who doesn’t realize assistance is available – whether the family needs someone to talk to, groceries in the pantry or help with an unexpected bill.
More information about ECF and its services is available at emmanuelcancer.org. Registration and sponsorship information for the outing is available at givebutter.com/ECF-8th-annual-pediatric-cancer-awareness-golf-classic.
