Acts 2 Care Pack Party- by Jennifer Wallis

When I first heard that the non-profit organization Tenaciously Teal was providing Care Packs to cancer fighters going through chemotherapy, my first thought was, “How can I help?” I have had several friends and family members who have been touched by cancer and I’ve seen the debilitating side effects of chemo. If there was anything I could do to ease the burden, I wanted to do it.

At my first “Care Pack Party” with Tenaciously Teal, I met the founder Tarah Warren. As she shared her story about how she is in remission from Stage 4 Ovarian cancer, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.See Tarah’s story here. The Cancer Care Packs mean a lot to the cancer fighters receiving them. Packing a small bag with helpful items such as a puzzle book, Gatorade, a protein bar, fuzzy socks, Chap-Stick, a cross and a heartfelt note may seem like a small act. But to someone sitting in a chemotherapy room who may be scared, alone, sick and literally fighting for their life, receiving that bag can let them know that in that moment someone cares about them. The pack may be that little piece of encouragement they need to keep them fighting for another day. When I became involved with Tenaciously Teal, I knew that I wanted to share the amazing things they are doing with my Acts 2 church family. Acts 2 already makes a big impact in our community through programs with Skyline Urban Ministries, The Hope Center, Infant Crisis Services, the YMCA and many others. I knew my church family would want to be involved with the work that Tenaciously Teal is doing, too. Tarah and I met with Pastor Andy and we happily set up a Cancer Care Pack party at Acts 2. It’s so wonderful when two organizations can pool their resources to help even more people and make a bigger positive impact to share God’s love.

Sometimes when you think of “missions” you may think of going to an exotic place to help those who need it. While Acts 2 does that too, our missions programs also help those in our own community. You don’t have to hop on a plane to help others. Sometimes, a few minutes of your time in your own community can change a life forever. That’s what our partnership with local organizations such as Tenaciously Teal has given us all the opportunity to do – serve others close to home.

Jennifer Wallis