Cancer Friends Ministries

  • Cancer Friends provides hope, encouragement and spiritual nourishment to cancer patients, survivors and care partners. We pray for you, we listen to you, and we match you with your own individual support person called an encourager. We invite you to become a part of Cancer Friends, as someone who uses our services or a volunteer

    Blessings, Your Cancer Friends Leadership Team

    Give to Cancer Friends Contact Cancer Friends

GET SUPPORT

Our services are ALWAYS free of charge. We recognize that everyone’s cancer journey is unique.  We tailor support based on your needs. You need not be a member of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church to receive support

What We Offer

  • Regular Prayer Your name included on a continuously updated list where many are praying for all those who wish to be prayed for
  • 1 on 1 interaction on a mutually agreed schedule with an assigned Encourager who understands.  Any or all of the following interactions are available to you
    • Phone calls
    • Emails
    • Texts
    • Conversations (phone or in person)
    • 1 on 1 prayer
  • Monthly Support Group Zoom MeetingBible Study and Support Group meetings are transitioning to be combined where participants participate in spiritual reflections, encouragement and a Bible study, affiliated with the national organization Cancer Companions. This meeting is focused on the unique challenges cancer patients, survivors and care partners face.  Participants and supporters interact with each other as desired.
  • Quarterly luncheon with a short program focusing on topics of interest that serve the cancer community. A time for Cancer Friends to get together to care and share.
  • Monthly greeting cards are sent from the Cancer Friends Card Ministry to all on the Prayer list.  This is in addition to cards/correspondence from their Encourager.
  • Other ad hoc support as needed, such as a monthly food package for those facing both cancer and food insecurity or transportation to treatments, advocacy, etc.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Choosing To Have Joy Is Not Naively Thinking Everything Will Be Easy.  It is Courageously Believing That There is Still hope, Even When Things Are Hard

Morgan Harper Nichols

VOLUNTEER WITH CANCER FRIENDS

Volunteers are the heart and legs of Cancer Friends.  Without volunteers, the work to provide encouragement and compassion to help relieve the suffering of cancer patients, survivors and care partners would not occur. 

Our desire is to fully staff Cancer Friends so that its services will be available to anyone who needs or wants them. 

And we need your help.  You need not be a PHUMC member to volunteer.  Anyone who has a heart for this work and the willingness to follow through is encouraged to become a Cancer Friend.

Volunteers come from all walks of life.  They include former patients, former care partners, family members, social workers, health care providers and researchers, anyone who wants to serve.

I did not find Cancer Friends until after my husband’s death from colon cancer.  I wish I had known about it earlier since it was exactly the type of support we needed.

When I called about volunteering, they matched me with a job that utilizes my skill set.  My assignments help me feel useful. I am doing my best, as a volunteer, to make sure that everyone who needs this kind of support knows about the great work of Cancer Friends

Cynthia Hester
Cancer Friends Volunteer

Want to get involved?

Of the cancer patients who engage in the Cancer Companions program, 91% reported a decrease in anxiety AND a 79% decrease in depression. AMEN Studies show lowering a cancer patient’s anxiety and depression will improve their: Cancer treatment tolerance, Quality of life, and Overall survivorship

Source:  WWW. Cancercompanion.org

DONATE TO CANCER FRIENDS

Your donation will help fund Cancer Friends’ caring and sharing mission to spiritually and emotionally support those dealing with cancer – patients, care partners, survivors and family members.

Christmas Tree Ornaments

A special ‘Cancer Friends’ tree is erected during the Christmas season.  You can donate funds for an ornament to be placed on the tree.  The money raised helps fund the work of Cancer Friends throughout the year. You can fill out a Cancer Friends Tree Ornament Form by printing an mailing this linked form with the corresponding amount.

Honor A Loved One

This is a wonderful, heartfelt way to honor a patient or care partner whose life has been impacted by cancer.

Memorialize Someone You Care About

Donate in memory of someone who lost their life to cancer. We can even send a personalized card to the honoree or family acknowledging your generous gift.

Honorarium Ornament

Ornaments are placed in honor or someone dealing with cancer or someone who has helped along the way.

  • Patient
  • Survivor
  • Care partner
  • An oncologist or favorite nurse
  • A minister or someone in your church
  • The person who provided rides to the cancer center or doctor
  • The neighbor who brought meals

Memorial Ornament

Ornaments are placed in memory of someone you cared about or loved. 

100% of the funding goes for the mission of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church Cancer Friends ministry. All donations are tax deductible. PHUMC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and no goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution other than intangible religious benefits.   

Memorials and Honorarium

If your gift is a memorial or an honorarium, include the relevant information in the memo section of the payment screen.  (For instance, in memory of Bess Couch.  Let us know if you would like Cancer Friends to send a note to her.)

To donate by check:

Payable to:                          Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church

Memo:                                 Cancer Friends (include memorial or honorarium, if applicable)

Mail or bring to:                4823 Woodlawn Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205

ABOUT CANCER FRIENDS

Our Story

Nearly three decades ago, a member of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, Bobbie Butler, was in the hospital recovering from a mastectomy when a friend came to see her.  The friend was a breast cancer survivor who shared her experience, information, comfort and hope with her very frightened friend.  Bobbie kept this exchange in her heart until several years later, she shared an idea with Fay Jean Royce, to create a similar bond with others who were diagnosed with cancer.  With the encouragement of Rev. Mike Morey and Pastor Emeritus Vic Nixon, Bobbie began pairing newly diagnosed cancer patients with someone who had personal experience with the same type of cancer.  As an outgrowth of these interactions, Cancer Friends was founded in 1994.

Since its beginning, Cancer Friends has maintained a comprehensive list of people who want to be prayed for.  Over nearly 30 years, thousands of people have received support from 100s of volunteers.

Our Services Are Available to Anyone

You need not be a member of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church to receive support.

Cancer Friends, a Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church Caring Ministry, serves anyone dealing with cancer.  

Each patient, survivor or care partner is, with their permission:

  • Added to the PHUMC Cancer Friends prayer list
  • Matched with their own individual encourager/volunteer
  • Invited to participate in monthly Zoom-based support group meeting as well as quarterly luncheons
  • Have other ad hoc needs met, as possible

Volunteers Are the Heart and Legs of Cancer Friends

The strength of Cancer Friends is the commitment of the volunteers who support those who wish to be involved with us.

The organization is made up of individual encouragers, and other volunteers who utilize a variety of tools to provide hope through spiritual and emotional support for cancer patients, survivors and care partners. Physical support may be provided as COVID and other immuno-compromised protocol allows.

OUR ACTIVITIES

We support Home for Healing by adopting a family around Christmas and attending the Block Party.

We support UAMS by participating in the Be A Part of the Cure Walk. We also provide food from our Food Pantry once a months to families of patients affected.

We support the Texas 4000 ride for cancer by sponsoring their time riding through Little Rock.

We support Arkansas Children’s Hospital by providing toiletry and hygiene kits for patients who have to stay overnight.

We reach out to area churches offering our services and support to those who might need them.

We reach out to area cancer centers offering our services and support to their patients

CONTACT US

EMAIL: cancerfriends@phumc.com
PHONE: 501-664-3600