July 17, 2008
William Raveis Pledges $750,000 To Expand Navigator Program for Cancer Patients
SHELTON, CT - The William Raveis Breast Cancer Research Fund, sponsored by the William Raveis Charitable Fund, Inc. has recently pledged $750,000 to the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The monies are dedicated to support the Navigator Care Program which pairs newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with a trained volunteer who will assist them through each step of their care, literally navigating them through the process. Volunteers accompany patients to medical appointments, chemotherapy treatments, radiation, surgery, support groups, and more.
The diagnosis of cancer brings strong emotions to the forefront, often in overwhelming and unforeseen ways. Carolyn Deal, president and COO of William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance knows the feeling firsthand from her own ten-year fight with the disease.
“When you’re first diagnosed, you only halfway hear the things people are telling you. You don’t even know what questions to ask,” she says. “And you quickly find that the more you ask other people, or the more you look online, the more overwhelmed you get, because everyone’s cancer is different.”
Since its inception four years ago, the William Raveis non-profit organization has raised more than $1 million dollars to advance the search for a cure. The recent $750,000 pledge supports a program that is local and current.
According to William Raveis, Chairman and CEO, the company has always supported
-more-
research and education, but the Navigator Program helps people ‘right here and now’. “The big picture is vital,” says Raveis, “but so is making sure that we assist individual patients and their families through our philanthropy. The collective dedication of our
sales associates, employees, vendors and clients has been nothing short of outstanding, as we witness such positive outcomes to our fund-raising efforts. Knowing this is only the beginning, we’re excited to see where the navigator program will go in the years to come as it continues to expand and grow.”
“Raveis’ support is so important because it allows us to expand the scope of our program and help more of our patients,” says Carolyn D. Runowicz, M.D., director of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center and past president of the American Cancer Society. “We’ve seen how useful it has been for patients with breast cancer and recognize the need to provide this service for all of our patients. This program is a real resource for our patients and helps to empower them to become more active partners in their treatment and recovery.”
Nancy Baccaro, A.P.R.N., coordinates the Health Center’s navigator program and says the service can make all the difference for patients at any stage of their journey through diagnosis, treatment and care.
“When patients enter the health care system with a complicated condition such as cancer, it can be overwhelming. But through the navigator program, we have an opportunity to decrease that anxiety; guide and direct a patient; and, most important, give the patient knowledge,” says Baccaro.
“We’ve seen how cancer affects our company,” says Lorraine Megenis, vice president of operations at Raveis. “A very high percentage of our 2,000 sales associates are female. If they haven’t gone through cancer themselves, their sisters, mothers or friends have. We feel the support given to patients through the navigator program is a necessity.”
That support is something that Carolyn Deal believes would have been helpful in her own case.
-more-
“When I learned about the Navigator Program, I remember thinking how useful this would have been for me,” she says. “To have someone guide you through the process,
represent you, help educate you to options, help prepare you, and offer that support, well, that just adds so much for the patient. Cancer is a long process. Supporting the Navigator program lets us make a difference to thousands of cancer patients today.”
The William Raveis Breast Cancer Research Fund is presently preparing to launch the 2008 find-raising raffle which includes prize packages of jewelry, trips, big-ticket electronics and more.
Sponsored by the William Raveis Charitable Fund, Inc., the William Raveis Breast Cancer Research Fund is a private, non-profit organization created in 2004.
The fund continues to grow through company wide fundraisers, monetary donations, office fundraising events and employee contributions. William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance also donates a portion of each real estate commission to the fund, as well as a portion of each dollar spent through the William Raveis Rewards American Express® and Visa® cards.
For more information and to view a video on the navigator program, visit raveis.com.
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The diagnosis of cancer brings strong emotions to the forefront, often in overwhelming and unforeseen ways. Carolyn Deal, president and COO of William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance knows the feeling firsthand from her own ten-year fight with the disease.
“When you’re first diagnosed, you only halfway hear the things people are telling you. You don’t even know what questions to ask,” she says. “And you quickly find that the more you ask other people, or the more you look online, the more overwhelmed you get, because everyone’s cancer is different.”
Since its inception four years ago, the William Raveis non-profit organization has raised more than $1 million dollars to advance the search for a cure. The recent $750,000 pledge supports a program that is local and current.
According to William Raveis, Chairman and CEO, the company has always supported
-more-
research and education, but the Navigator Program helps people ‘right here and now’. “The big picture is vital,” says Raveis, “but so is making sure that we assist individual patients and their families through our philanthropy. The collective dedication of our
sales associates, employees, vendors and clients has been nothing short of outstanding, as we witness such positive outcomes to our fund-raising efforts. Knowing this is only the beginning, we’re excited to see where the navigator program will go in the years to come as it continues to expand and grow.”
“Raveis’ support is so important because it allows us to expand the scope of our program and help more of our patients,” says Carolyn D. Runowicz, M.D., director of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center and past president of the American Cancer Society. “We’ve seen how useful it has been for patients with breast cancer and recognize the need to provide this service for all of our patients. This program is a real resource for our patients and helps to empower them to become more active partners in their treatment and recovery.”
Nancy Baccaro, A.P.R.N., coordinates the Health Center’s navigator program and says the service can make all the difference for patients at any stage of their journey through diagnosis, treatment and care.
“When patients enter the health care system with a complicated condition such as cancer, it can be overwhelming. But through the navigator program, we have an opportunity to decrease that anxiety; guide and direct a patient; and, most important, give the patient knowledge,” says Baccaro.
“We’ve seen how cancer affects our company,” says Lorraine Megenis, vice president of operations at Raveis. “A very high percentage of our 2,000 sales associates are female. If they haven’t gone through cancer themselves, their sisters, mothers or friends have. We feel the support given to patients through the navigator program is a necessity.”
That support is something that Carolyn Deal believes would have been helpful in her own case.
-more-
“When I learned about the Navigator Program, I remember thinking how useful this would have been for me,” she says. “To have someone guide you through the process,
represent you, help educate you to options, help prepare you, and offer that support, well, that just adds so much for the patient. Cancer is a long process. Supporting the Navigator program lets us make a difference to thousands of cancer patients today.”
The William Raveis Breast Cancer Research Fund is presently preparing to launch the 2008 find-raising raffle which includes prize packages of jewelry, trips, big-ticket electronics and more.
Sponsored by the William Raveis Charitable Fund, Inc., the William Raveis Breast Cancer Research Fund is a private, non-profit organization created in 2004.
The fund continues to grow through company wide fundraisers, monetary donations, office fundraising events and employee contributions. William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance also donates a portion of each real estate commission to the fund, as well as a portion of each dollar spent through the William Raveis Rewards American Express® and Visa® cards.
For more information and to view a video on the navigator program, visit raveis.com.
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