NEWS from The Corvallis Clinic
Sept. 24, 2014
Judy Corwin 541-754-1374
CORVALLIS – A pair of business owners, a current and past health care professional, a student and a teacher are among the six people nominated for The Corvallis Clinic Foundation’s 2014 Sue Merrill Spirit of Survivorship Award for making significant and sustaining contributions in local cancer care.
The award, named in honor of Sue Merrill, founder of Project H.E.R. (Help. Enlightenment. Resources.), will be presented at The Foundation’s Puttin’ on the Pink Style Show on Oct. 11 at The LaSells Stewart Center.
The nominees are as follows:
Holly Almond, a family nurse practitioner at Samaritan Hematology & Oncology Consultants, who has been involved in numerous community events for cancer survivorships. Almond was nominated by Garry Breckenridge. “Holly is a solid, integral contributor for the Corvallis community and the oncology population, and she is passionate about patients and patient family outcomes,” Breckenridge said.
Cath Kendrick is a math tutor, cancer survivor, and a dedicated volunteer mentor with Project H.E.R., who instills hope and confidence in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Kendrick was nominated by Maya Abels. “Cath always makes time for other people’s needs and offers her kindness and support,” Abels said. “She has a calm and soothing approach, and is known for her intuition in responding to different types of patient needs.”
LuAnn Kessi is the owner of JanniLou Creations quilt shop in Philomath, where she hosts a class for cancer survivors called Permission 2 Play. Kessi was nominated by Julie Hansen. Each month, Kessi and other volunteers offer cancer patients an outlet to express their creativity “with random abandon,” Hansen said. “It is a time where a survivor is truly free. Free from treatment. Free from the thought of cancer. Free to refill the soul with the beauty of creation.”
George Norek, MD, is a retired oncologist, whose life passion both privately and professionally has been devoted to improving the quality of life for those with cancer. Dr. Norek was nominated by John Erkkila, MD. “He influenced the transformation of the stark medical environment of the chemotherapy treatment rooms to places of light, tranquility, peace and healing,” Dr. Erkkila said. Dr. Norek teaches the balance of body, mind and spirit through the art of Shodo calligraphy.
Alexandra Perry is a senior at Santiam Christian School and is Miss Oregon Teen USA. Perry, whose mother is a cancer survivor, started Cook for Cancer, a program that provides meals to local cancer patients and their families. Perry was nominated by Elizabeth Doyle. “She decided she had to find a way to serve women and their families as they began their journey to fight breast cancer,” Doyle said. Perry raises money to make meals at Dream Dinners in Corvallis.
Steve Uerlings of Barker Uerlings Insurance in Corvallis recognized the importance of support for cancer patients and was a charter sponsor of Puttin’ on the Pink when it began in 2006. Uerlings was nominated by Mike Corwin. “One of his greatest passions is giving in the area of health care,” Corwin said. In addition to making a difference in the lives of nearly 3,000 local breast cancer patients, Uerlings is also leading a community effort to build a new cancer center.
Every-other-year, the Spirit of Survivorship Award honors a person who embodies a passion for initiating and promoting awareness of needed changes to cancer care services, and who goes above and beyond through work or service as a volunteer. Nominees can be patients, health care professions or individuals who have served cancer patients in Benton, Linn or Lincoln counties. Their efforts are altruistic in nature, and not for financial gain. Nominees can be men or a woman, and do not need to be a cancer survivor.
The Corvallis Clinic Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide resources in the mid-Willamette Valley that support health education, preventive health care, and the delivery of health care to at-risk populations.
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