Latino Community Foundation - Video Grant Report by Cancer Kinship

Speaker: Yoli Origel

Yoli Origel: Hello, my name is Yoli Origel, CEO and founder of Cancer Kinship. I'm also a 15 year stage three, breast cancer warrior who understands firsthand the importance of our work. I'm happy to share that we just celebrated our five-year anniversary last week, or what I like to call our "Kin-nerversary", which is an important milestone for our organization. This past year was a growth year for Cancer Kinship, which required significant investments in our infrastructure and programs. So, when we received the grant notification last December, we were at the tail end of the 2022 grant period and we literally were cash poor and working really hard to fill the gap between the 2022 and 2023 grant cycles. So the timing was incredibly perfect and came at a very critical time.

Yoli Origel: This grant allowed us to provide emotional support, critical resource connections, and free wigs through our new salon called "Kinner Beauty." This is now the primary entry point for newly diagnosed cancer patients experiencing traumatic hair loss. Our "Brave, Bold, and Boundless empowerment program also culminated in a fashion show that featured our clients as the stars. We are proud of our outcomes with more than 140 new clients served this year. It's important to mention that we serve cancer patients of any type and stage of disease, and 28 cancer types are represented of which 30% are advanced stage, uncurable cancers. Sixty percent of our clients are Latino and our programs are offered in both Spanish and English. Although it's hard to estimate how many clients were served with a $6000 grant, we estimate that 15 cancer warriors were supported this past year.

Yoli Origel: It's important for us to know that the Latino community believes in our mission work and are willing to invest in its own community. We believe that by supporting organizations like Cancer Kinship who serve our local Latino population, it's a strategic and impactful way to address the unique challenges faced by this population. The collective efforts of Latino philanthropists can deeply impact health outcomes and quality of life for our Latino community.

Yoli Origel: As part of this grant report, I uploaded two very impactful pictures of one of our clients, Miss Delia with her permission. She was referred to our salon by (Providence) St. Jude Cancer Center and was scared because her hair began falling out sooner than expected and didn't have anyone who could cut it for her. So through our amazing partnership with a local stylist, we arranged for an emergency head shaving and outfitted her with two cute new wigs. Even though the consultation began with tears and lots of fear, it ended with smiles, hugs and an unexpected question: "Would you like to be in Cancer Kinship's fashion show this year?" She said "yes", participated in our empowerment program, and on Saturday, September 30th, she rocked the runway in front of her family, including her elderly mother who came from Mexico to see her. This experience has given her the confidence to keep fighting the disease. Cancer Kinship truly does "transform fear into hope", which is made possible by supporters like the Latino Community Foundation and the Orange County Latino Giving Circle. Thank you for your support!