The Leelanau County Cancer Foundation (LCCF) will hold its second Gala of Grace fundraising event on Wednesday, June 18 from 6-8 p.m. at The Barn at French Valley Vineyard. Funds raised will help support and “ease the daily burdens of families in Leelanau County grappling with the emotional, physical, financial challenges of cancer.”
The gala will feature musical entertainment once again, a live and silent auction, as well as cuisine from Leelanau’s Island Thyme Catering. One of the biggest items that will be up for auction this year includes a tour from Skip Telgard, owner of the Bluebird Restaurant and Tavern in Leland, of their building’s new kitchen, as well as a dinner for four with him and his wife. Other big items up for auction includes a golf round for four people at Northport Creek Golf Course, a pontoon ride on Lake Leelanau, four hours of housecleaning, and the popular “cookies a month for a year,” which is where members of the LCCF board will bake a couple dozen cookies each month (from July through June) and the winning bidder will receive them.
“I feel like Leelanau County is such a warm embracing community and people care about their neighbors and that’s the draw of this is that you are helping your neighbors,” said Terry Gremel, LCCF board chair. “It might be your next door neighbor, someday it might be you, but you know you’re helping someone in the county. Even if you don’t have cancer in your family, which is a really rare thing, people know that cancer can be a devastating illness and that the people that need help are so grateful… We’re all very passionate about what we do and we’re all very proud of this organization and thankful to the people of Leelanau County who are willing to support our work.”
LCCF raised about $12,000 from last year’s gala fundraiser and had more than 100 attendees present, a great turnout and success that Gremel said they hope to continue to build on at this year’s event. While the gala serves as one of the organization’s main fundraisers, Gremel said they’ve also been fortunate to have the support from many donors and other local nonprofits, such as the Leelanau Township Community Foundation, which recently awarded LCCF with a $15,000 grant. This year, the annual Northport Run for Cancer Funds set for July 4 will also be giving the money it raises to LCCF so that 100% of its contributions stay in the county and directly benefit Leelanau residents.
Mike McMillan, Northport Run for Cancer Funds race director and LCCF board member, is a two-time cancer survivor himself, and said they’re just really proud to be able to contribute to an organization that aims to assist those in need in Leelanau County.
“I can’t say enough about what they (LCCF) do and the fact that we’re able to put 100% of our dollars towards that — it should be meaningful to the community,” McMillan said. “(As a cancer survivor) I’ve got a deeper appreciation for the work that they’re doing for the community. Fortunately, we did not rely on secondary assistance, but there are a lot of folks that require it.”
The LCCF helps those affected by cancer in many ways, including through monetary assistance with regular expenses like mortgage or rent payments, auto and health insurance payments, home/lawn maintenance and auto repairs, and travel costs. Gremel said there’s no “rubber stamp” of what they can help those in need with, and that she spends time speaking with people to help figure out their most crucial needs to best help their situation.
LCCF has helped nearly 200 county residents in the last 11 years. Since May 2016, the organization has helped neighbors with grants totaling almost $140,000.
“For some people, it’s gas cards and paying for their hotel room when they go away for treatment to a big center. We also help people with things as basic as their electric payment, insurance, tires for their cars, car repair, just about really anything you can think of that people might need help with, it just depends on their situation,” Gremel said. “Last year was our biggest year of being able to donate money because people have been so generous with us that we’ve been able to increase the amount that we can help people with. We gave out about $70,000 last year. Right now, our limit is $3,000 per family… So we’re hoping to build on that so that we can help more.”
Tickets for the gala are $75 and can be purchased online at www.leelanaucountycancerfoundation. org/a-gala-of-grace or by calling 231-645-2120.
