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Team Towanda Foundation president Judith Melchreit underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2001 with an army of devoted friends and family beside her every step of the way. Among the hundreds of kindnesses these women provided to Judith and her family, none was more appreciated than the "Casserole Cavalry" her friends formed to deliver meals to the young family during the six months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. When treatment was complete, Judith and a handful of her friends came up with the idea to develop a cookbook to sell in order to raise money for a local breast cancer walk. The decision to include the incredible story of the network of friends who came together to help during the course of the illness soon elevated the project to much more than a collection of recipes. Judith describes the final product as a "love letter to her friends."
From this humble beginning, a simple but powerful idea grew. The unexpected success of this cookbook led to the formation of Team Towanda Foundation in February 2002. Today, Team Towanda Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization with the annual support of thousands of men and women and the participation of top doctors and hospitals. Team Towanda Foundation exists to inspire friends and "Pink Ribbon Warriors" to draw upon the power of friendship, laughter, and kindness in the fight against breast cancer.
We achieve this by distributing our inspirational book, The Charge of the Casserole Cavalry and other related projects to
- Serve as guides to help a friend through a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment
- Share ideas and suggestions of encouragement, support and friendship to "Pink Ribbon Warriors" and their friends and family
- Raise money for breast cancer detection and services for uninsured, under-served women
More:
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One of my artist friends drew a picture of an Amazon/Nordic warrior woman. She carried a pink sword, had a pink ribbon on her breast, and had big lightening bolts coming out of her breasts. "This," I was told, "is the mental image you are going to carry into the battle of your life. This Pink Ribbon Warrior is going to fight the battle with you." And so Towanda was born. She was an incredibly powerful visual to hold in my mind while I waited for the chemo drugs to do their work.
— Judith Melchreit |
