Local Non-Profit Organization “Boxes of Hope” Holds Open House To Showcase its New Headquarters in Downtown Lock Haven
By Emily Wright
LOCK HAVEN – Boxes of Hope, a breast cancer 501c3 non-profit organization, hosted its first open house event Saturday afternoon, inviting the community to see its new headquarters at 18 E. Main Street, Suite 4 (2nd floor) in downtown Lock Haven. Attendees were treated to light refreshments, giveaways, door prizes, and a silent auction for a chance to win a gift basket or gift certificate donated by several local businesses. On Thursday, April 18, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., Boxes of Hope will have a Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony to officially open the new office.
The Record had the opportunity to speak with Boxes of Hope founder and president Traci Fotorny, a breast cancer survivor herself, to learn more about the organization’s mission, how to volunteer or partner with Boxes of Hope, and what’s in store for the organization’s new office.
“With our new space, we want to host support groups and Bible studies that are geared towards cancer patients,” Traci said. The organization also has plans for this fall to partner with a licensed counselor who will provide services to patients in need of a professional to help guide them as they go through their cancer journey. Traci said that Boxes of Hope will also continue to host tea party fundraisers as they have in the past.
Traci will celebrate seven years of being a cancer survivor this October, and it was her own battle with breast cancer that inspired her to establish Boxes of Hope. She completed treatment and in May 2019, she sent her first “care package”, which was stuffed with thoughtful and practical gifts for another woman who was undergoing treatment for breast cancer at the time.
Traci didn’t know the woman personally; in fact, a mutual friend had asked her to pray for the woman because of how badly she’d been struggling to get through her treatments. In response to that simple prayer request, Traci felt led to put together a box filled with items that benefited her during her breast cancer treatment, as well as items that she thought would lift the woman’s spirits. Then, she sent it to the woman she’d been praying for. Traci shared that she included a personal letter with words of positivity; telling the woman not to give up on treatment and encouraging her to keep fighting. She emphasized that despite the circumstances, there is hope.
After receiving the care package, the woman contacted Traci and expressed that she had reached a point in her cancer treatment where she felt that she had no hope and was ready to give up. At just the right time, Traci’s care package arrived, delivering a message that the woman needed when she needed it most. “It was like you sent me a box of hope,” the woman said to Traci. With that, the name for the 501c3 non-profit organization “Boxes of Hope” was born.
Boxes of Hope aims to walk alongside breast cancer warriors and survivors during any point in their journey to provide them with a support system and offer them hope and encouragement. The organization also provides its signature “Boxes of Hope” care packages, which are stuffed with mastectomy pillows and other thoughtful gifts for those who are going through breast cancer treatments or who are recovering from breast cancer surgery. “As of today’s date, we’ve sent 1,307 care packages and over 827 mastectomy pillows to women in 48 states and Canada,” Traci shared.
The new Boxes of Hope headquarters features a “Packing Room”, where care packages are assembled before being shipped out. With a spacious Packing Room, Traci shared that rows of tables and chairs can be set up in an assembly line for volunteers and Boxes of Hope board members to complete the task.
The Boxes of Hope team consists of Traci, Jill Caslow who serves as Vice President and Treasurer, board member Donna Jeirles, and Rachel Ellis, who serves as the secretary for the organization.
During the open house, rows of folding chairs lined the walls of the Boxes of Hope Packing Room, each adorned with an engraved plate in honor of or in memory of a breast cancer warrior. With an abundance of dedicated folding chairs already, the Boxes of Hope team came up with another way to not only raise funds to support women fighting breast cancer but to also continue honoring them on what they call the “Dedication Wall”. Traci and her team are well on their way to decorating many of the bricks that make up the interior walls of their new space with their latest initiative, the “Dedicate a Brick Fundraiser”. For a $20 donation, a brick on the Dedication Wall will receive an engraved plaque in honor of a breast cancer warrior or survivor. Each engraved plate can have up to 34 characters per line, up to four lines.
Boxes of Hope is also collecting donated pink gowns for a photo shoot that will be held with the mission to empower women who are undergoing breast cancer treatment by dressing them up, pampering them with a makeup application, and setting up a professional photo shoot. Members of the organization are asking the community to donate unwanted pink gowns in any size for the photo shoot. They ask that anyone who would like to donate a pink gown send an email to info@boh4bc.org or send a text to 570-502-2524 to make arrangements to drop off the gown.
There are several ways to support Boxes of Hope, including making a monetary donation, volunteering to help put together care packages, or donating new items to be included in care packages. Those with sewing or crocheting talents can help by making mastectomy pillows, drain aprons, face masks, and hats. Interested folks are welcome to use their own patterns or Boxes of Hope will provide one upon request.
As Boxes of Hope continues its mission at its new hub, Traci emphasizes that the organization relies solely on the generosity of others. Many local families, businesses, and churches have provided support to the initiative by becoming a “Partner In Hope”. A Partner In Hope commits to making a donation in the amount of their choice every month to help Boxes of Hope continue its mission. According to Traci, this initiative helps Boxes of Hope continue to “spread hope and encouragement to breast cancer patients, and to let them know they are not alone on their journey”. She adds “Together, we can spread hope one box at a time!”
The ladies at Boxes of Hope would like to send a special thanks to the businesses that sponsored the open house event by donating gift baskets for the silent auction and giveaways:
A & S Waxing Studio, LLC
Berry Clean
Bliss Massage by Liz
Coco’s Beauty Loft
Fresh Start Chiropractic Wellness Center
It Is What It Is
Jackson Productions LLC
Momoyo Otsu
Ouija Tattoo
Small Fries Photography
Tri-County Church (TCC)
Wild Willies Treat Company
To ask questions, learn more, or find out how you can help, call the Boxes of Hope office or visit the organization’s Facebook page or website.
Address: 18 E. Main Street, Suites 4 & 5 (Second Floor), Lock Haven, PA
Facebook: facebook.com/PinkBoxesOfHope/
Phone: (570) 502-2524
Email: info@boh4bc.org
Website: www.boh4bc.org
For donations and related info: www.boh4bc.org/donate
