For families in the FPS program, we offer ongoing support beyond the respite that assists them as their journey with cancer continues. This support continues to address our seven health pillars through in-person events, online education, and access to additional resources, including bereavement care.

For example, FPS partners with corporations, individuals, and schools to provide holiday cheer through gifts and direct financial support to FPS Families experiencing financial duress and/or the loss of a spouse or parent. Volunteers are critical to this effort and, with their assistance, do family-to-family outreach to ensure our FPS Families’ financial and emotional health is boosted during the holiday season. Each year, we provide reminders of hope, like our annual “angel” mailing, which includes handmade angel ornaments sent to grieving FPS Families.

We provide complimentary in-person events each year to bring together our Respite Recipients and members of our donor and volunteer community!  With over seven hundred attendees at these events, we ensure our families have adequate opportunities to continue to explore ongoing friendships and support and continue to promote the take a break mantra and experience a boost in psychosocial, emotional, physical and family health. We invite our healthcare professionals to these events as well, giving the oncology professionals a safe space to strengthen their relationships with their patients outside of the clinical setting.

We understand that for some, the acceptance and management of grief is part of a family’s respite journey. We are here to respond with kindness, dignity and support. Our resources impact spiritual, emotional, psychosocial, and family health. We offer peer-to-peer support with our Carry on Club, a social club for surviving partners in our Respite Program. We offer seminars and events in addition to support and love to help our community members process their loss and grief. We also extend this support to other surviving partners beyond our community.

We also produce a monthly FPS Family Newsletter, which provides educational resources, uplifting stories, event invitations and health and wellness information for families.  We also share materials and webinars via our private Facebook group, which targets patients and caregivers.

Most importantly, to assess the unique needs of each family, our patients and surviving partners are put on a call schedule managed by our Program Team in which we connect with them at least four times a year in the first year of respite and bi-annually thereafter.  This outreach process also involves a coordinated effort of volunteers. It provides a basis for us to recognize what other resources, if necessary, should be shared with a family in our program.