Giving Back as a Cancer Survivor
Volunteering at Angel Foundation is more than a deed well done - it is an investment in the lives of real families facing the very real challenges of a parental cancer diagnosis. For June Schatz, serving as a long-time volunteer at Angel Foundation means the opportunity to be a part of something greater than herself – the chance to make a difference by empowering our pre-teen program participants to find strength, hope and encouragement as they learn to live with a parent who has cancer.
Serving in the pre-teen group allows June to help create a safe and supportive environment for the children by listening, caring and simply being there when they want to share their thoughts and feelings about their parent’s cancer. As a volunteer, June often helps the children with art projects and science activities focused on specific topics of healing such as dealing with change, managing feelings in a healthy manner, the importance of support and self-care, and drawing meaning from the cancer journey.
“The children that go through the program and then go on to become teen mentors inspire me the most,” says June. “You see these children grow up and become young adults that really make a difference with the younger children in the Facing Cancer Together program.”
Throughout the years, June has witnessed the impact that Facing Cancer Together has had on her own children as well. Soon after her breast cancer diagnosis in May of 1998, she and her family received support from a Minnesota Oncology program that would later become Angel Foundation’s Facing Cancer Together program. It was through this that they gained the skills they needed to grow stronger through the cancer experience.
“My kids liked the program so much that my daughter decided to volunteer as a teen mentor, [and] my son still does a lot of the art work for Facing Cancer Together events,” says June.
As an employee at Minnesota Oncology, June gladly informs newly diagnosed patients who have school-aged children about Facing Cancer Together and how it can provide the emotional support and skills they need to stay strong throughout their journey.
“Since I started working for Minnesota Oncology, I see how Angel Foundation has helped some of our patients through some very hard times in their lives, whether it is [through] the Facing Cancer Together program or helping with money problems,” says June.