Get our newsletters

Cancer Support Community Greater Philadelphia celebrates 30th anniversary

Posted

The Cancer Support Community Greater Philadelphia (CSCGP) is celebrating 30 years of helping cancer survivors, their families and friends.

The organization serves anyone in the five-county greater Philadelphia area. CSCGP serves people of all ages, who currently or in the past had any type and stage of cancer, their family members, and friends.

The Wellness Community of Philadelphia (in Fairmount Park) opened in 1993, with Gilda’s Club Delaware Valley (in Warminster, Bucks County) opening its doors in 2003. Both were independent nonprofits affiliated with national organizations. Ten years ago, the two merged and officially formed CSCGP in 2014.

CSCGP is a community of people who’ve experienced cancer and who combat the isolation of those with the disease and empower them to live their best lives. Programs also aid and involve their caregivers, family, and friends, as well as those grieving the loss of loved ones.

Programs, which are offered free of charge, include: support and networking groups, educational workshops, mind-body wellness programs, children and teen programs.

Kelly Harris was hired by Gilda’s Club Delaware Valley when it started 20 years ago. Today she is CSCGP’s chief executive officer. In the beginning, programs were only offered at the organization’s facilities.

“I would say the biggest changes over the past 30 years is the expansion into serving cancer patients in hospital settings, providing programs in schools, as well as expanding our mission to serve more underserved people in underserved communities,” Harris said.

The COVID-19 pandemic also posed historic challenges and opportunities. “The worst thing in 30 years was COVID because those we serve were affected by COVID as well as increased isolation and decreased screenings,” Harris said. “The best thing may also be COVID because we had to increase our virtual presence. We now can serve those who are too sick to travel or unable to reach us because of geography.”

Last year CSCPG gained 205 new members, served over 1,300 people and offered 1,125 programs. There were about 13,000 attendees to CSCGP’s in-person and online programs in 2022, up from 9,727 the prior year.

CSCGP could not serve the area’s cancer survivor community without its past and current employees, volunteers, board members, donors and, members.

“We’re here to lighten their load and make what may be the biggest challenge they ever faced easier to handle,” a press release from the organization stated. “Our members make us think and laugh, appreciate our blessings, and we mourn the ones we’ve lost over the years. Our members are why we’ve kept up our work for 30 years, and we’ll be here for them in the future.”


Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.


X