By Sandy Priester.
Last week, LifeSpark reached a major milestone. We have surpassed 200 participants per year, nearly double the 126 people we served in 2015. With nearly 2,000 sessions given, this means that this year, over 200 individuals with cancer and/or their caregivers received weekly Reiki and Healing Touch sessions for several months each. In the challenging and terrifying journey with cancer, our gentle, hands-on sessions support peace, hope, and healing.
We attribute a number of factors to this accomplishment. In October 2015, we introduced a new model that included 1) making our services totally free, 2) going into people’s homes when they are too sick to come to us, and 3) partnering with Elements Massage Studios. In addition, we have received more publicity and free marketing this year than ever before.
However, it was the support and help from so many of you that made this possible. Thank you LifeSpark Reiki and Healing Touch providers for delivering the sessions! You are the fire and the heart of LifeSpark, and without you, this would not have happened. Thank you to those who donated space for these sessions including 14 Elements Massage studios, Denver Health Medical Center, Memorial Hospital, and five churches.
Thank you to our donors, whether you gave $5 or $5,000, to our sponsors, whether you donated cash or talent, and to our major funding partners: Cancer League of Colorado, and the Wolcott Family Foundation. More people served means increased expenses. You believed in us and supported us financially, which allowed us to pay for the increase in coordination, oversight, and follow-up.
Thank you, volunteers, who have helped with events, marketing, and operations, and thank you, Jackie and Angela, our talented staff, who every day pour their heart and soul into making sure that providers, participants, and sites are well taken care of. Thank you to our Board of Directors, who took the leap last year with a new model of service without knowing if the funding would follow (it mostly has). And finally, thank you individuals enrolled in our program, for your openness to receive. This is no small feat in our modern world.
It is because of each and every one of you that we have been able to serve so many. We have many challenges ahead, and our wait lists are growing. But I have faith in this community of like-minded and open-hearted beings (YOU) who have come together to make a difference and change lives. Thank you. Your support means the world to me.
