AMY'S TREAT IN ACTION
Your Donations at Work, Fundraising Event News & How You Can Help.

A Dazzling Day in April!

Our Fifth Annual Amy in Bloom Fundraiser

Our fifth annual Amy in Bloom auction fundraiser took place on a brilliant Sunday afternoon in April. We offer our deepest thanks to all those who gave up their day to come out in support of our mission and we are indebted to all those who made this day possible: our incredibly generous auction item donors, compassionate sponsors and our devoted volunteer support staff. A special thank you to our event speakers: Michelle, Diana and Kellie who spoke powerfully about how Amy’s Treat has impacted their lives and also to Melissa Waterhouse for her amazing music. Kudos to our Auctioneer Kathy Kingston who remains unequaled!

Click here to view photos from this successful event.

The Power of Kindness Was Overwhelming

“Dear Amy's Treat,

This gift is in memory of my beloved husband, Dave. Only once during his entire illness did I see him overcome with emotion. That was when he opened the card containing Amy's Treat gifts. The power of kindness was overwhelming. It is my hope that through his spirit others will be touched in this heartfelt way.”

With Love & Gratitude,
Candy

Spring Has Sprung

Respites with Rina at The Boston Flower Show

27 patients, family and friends were treated to a day roaming around this grand old Boston tradition at the Seaport World Trade Center on Thursday March 15. It was a fantastic place to find some spring gardens in full bloom after the teasing unseasonably warm winter weather we have enjoyed. A great chartered bus ride form Dover to Boston generated much camaraderie and connecting. After roaming around the beautiful gardens and exhibits, participants enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the Legal Seafood Test Kitchen across the street. Their staff was amazing and that experience was the crowning glory of the day. Many thanks to the stellar service that Great Bay Limo gave us, as always, as well as the Paragon Group who runs the Boston Flower Show. Their donation of tickets as well as their commitment to community is outstanding. It was truly a memorable day.

Please click on any of the following photographs to enlarge.

“It’s difficult to break the news to your child upon being diagnosed…..Thank you for letting us spend this special time together”

Dear Amy’s Treat,

I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to Amy's Treat and all of the folks at the Seacoast Cancer Center. It's been over three years now since my last treatment...my health is good, and I feel blessed.

Just prior to my first treatment in 2008, Amy’s Treat made possible for one of my daughters, Talia and I to attend a Celtic-Pistons playoff game in Boston.

It’s difficult to break the news to your child upon being diagnosed... I found it personally painful no matter what age they are to burden them with such thoughts.
Thank you for letting us spend this special time together. I wanted you to have this photograph from that night.

Gerry

A Very Merry Night… Indeed!

Respites with Rina at A Christmas Carol

Scrooge and Marley welcomed more than 200 participants from Amy’s Treat and The NH Chapter of the Starlight Children’s Foundation for a spirited and magical night of theater, food and community on Sunday, December 4th as the Seacoast Repertory Theater hosted the non-profits for a private showing of their wonderful rendition of A Christmas Carol. Many, many thanks to Craig Faulkner, Carol Bridges and the talented actors and crew from Seacoast Rep, to the Labrie Family of The River House Restaurant who kindly donated the incredible food and Chef Gerry Walsh for pulling it all together so nicely, to Jim Jalbert, Jamie Lesniak and their superb drivers from C&J who transported many of our theater goers to and from the event in style and comfort and to Kelly Donohue and Favorite Foods for platters of desserts that helped to cap off a perfectly memorable evening.

Please click on any of the following photographs to enlarge.

Making A Difference – Learn What One Of Our Community Giving Partners Has to Say…

"While Timberland’s giving focus is generally on outdoor organizations, we’ve had the privilege to make a small difference in the Seacoast by partnering with Amy’s Treat. This year, we heard about a patient named Jessica for whom warm winter boots and clothing would be a treat. As Jessica’s energy levels are low these days, we met with her parents and took them on a little shopping spree through our company store. I watched her mother’s eyes fill with tears as I told her we could spend up to $1,000 on retail items. She couldn’t believe what a difference this would make to Jessica. We picked out a jacket, boots, socks, scarves, gloves, and hats that will keep Jessica warm as she continues her treatment and faces the cold winter ahead. As we rung up the items, Jessica’s mother gave me the longest hug I’ve received in a while. I know all of us at Timberland who have been involved with Amy’s Treat feel blessed to offer even some small assistance to our neighbors in the Seacoast community. "

Sarah Flaherty
Community Engagement Coordinator
Timberland LLC

Thank You Amy’s Treat……”We had a BLAST!”

Michelle Sayers enjoyed two special nights out thanks to Amy’s Treat and a couple of very generous donors who offered up their season tickets. Realizing a dream to watch the Red Sox and Patriots in person, Michelle shared her memorable night at Gillette with her sister Jessica and with her Dad at Fenway. Amy’s Treat also arranged for transportation to and from both stadiums.

Leading Scorer

Coming Soon ... Amy's Treat, Lorraine's Corner

July 30th - Joe B. Parks Riverwalk, Dover, NH

Steve Goren, Roger Cogershall, Elizabeth Fischer and Evie King at the future site of "Lorraine's Corner" a meditative healing garden which will be constructed at the Joe B. Parks Riverwalk Public Gardens. Bernadette Norton's inspired design will feature plant materials that promote both healing and quiet meditations. Lorraine's Corner will be a place away from a hospital setting for anyone who seeks comfort, hope and reflection whether or not cancer is at the root of their meditation.

Lorraine's Corner is named in loving memory of Lorraine Goren, who as a volunteer gave so much to Dover, the Seacoast and New Hampshire. Among her many accomplishments, Lorraine was Chairperson of the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days for Strafford County, NH Association of Hospital Auxiliaries Volunteer of the Year, Dover Citizen of the Year, DAR Excellence in Community Service Award recipient and was an actively involved board member of many civic groups. Lorraine understood the power of community and lived it.

Roger Cogershall and Evie King are the owner/operators of Syringa Plus. Elizabeth Fischer represents the Joe B. Parks Riverwalk Public Gardens Committee. Landscaper Bernadette Norton of Landscape Thru Your Eyes is the designer.

Click here for pictures!

Amy's Treat Delivers a Trip to Oz

July 29nd - Prescott Park, Portsmouth, NH

From the pages of the Seacoast Online

July 29, 2011

PORTSMOUTH - A special crowd watched Dorothy and Toto trek down the Yellow Brick Road on Thursday.

More than 200 cancer patients and their family members were treated to a free viewing of "The Wizard of Oz" at Prescott Park by the nonprofit Amy's Treat. The organization aims to enrich the lives of cancer patients treated at the Seacoast Cancer Center at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover. Some attendees were Prescott Park Arts Festival regulars and others had never checked out the summer shows before. They all joined together to forget about the disease, if just for one night.

Chris Woodbury, 75, of Ogunquit, Maine, attended with eight grandchildren in tow. Woodbury has persevered through 36 radiation treatments in his fight against prostate cancer, and today is his last day of treatment, he said. "This is a wonderful opportunity to bring these kids," who were visiting from Colorado, he said. Ingrid Porter, of South Berwick, Maine, made her first visit to the park Thursday with her mother, Heidi Porter, 72, a patient at the cancer center. "I'm really touched by what Amy's Treat has been able to do," she said. She said Amy's Treat does a lot for cancer patients, like giving her mother a $35 gift certificate so she could go out to lunch with a friend. Those gestures return some normalcy to lives rocked by cancer, she said.

Mike Meserve, an Amy's Treat board member and radiation therapist, said he sees so many people in trying times, and Amy's Treat helps in small ways, like providing chocolates or organizing fly fishing trips.

Thursday's trip to the park was by far the largest for Amy's Treat, he said, and would not have been possible without the help of John Moynihan, the park's general manager, and Seacoast Trolley, which provided transportation from Dover to Portsmouth.

The charity is named after Amy Maliszewski of Newmarket, who battled cervical cancer and died in 2007 after it spread throughout her body, said her daughter, Rachel O'Neill, 27. "She had this great light inside of her. She inspired this," she said. Maliszewski's partner, Lenore Rogers, said cancer patients make hard decisions every day, often about paying the bills. Amy's Treat is a resource to make those decisions easier, she said. "This is a community. We're all pulling for one another," she said.

Kellie Mueller, 42, of Newington, a patient who received a combination of chemotherapy and radiation and has her last day of treatment today, said attending the show felt like a big celebration. "I never met Amy, but I feel like I did because of what they've done in her name," she said. "She must have been an extraordinary person."

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