 | | | Image courtesy Cancer Support Community | | | | | | Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area (CSCSFBay) is approaching the groundbreaking stage of their planned cancer center in Lafayette. This center is intended to extend CSCSFBay's mission of providing free programs and community for cancer patients and their caretakers, family, and friends. Located on a parcel of undeveloped land west of the Lafayette Reservoir, this new center will be the first of their centers to use nature as a resource for healing.
CSCSFBay was founded in 1990 and is nationally affiliated with the international Cancer Support Community organization (CSC). They provide the holistic support, particularly psychological and financial, that is not supplied by hospitals. They have programs for nutrition, exercise, financial assistance, counseling, and support groups, as well as programs for the children of cancer patients receiving treatment.
They help anyone affected by cancer for free, receiving their funding primarily through three annual fundraising events, corporate and foundation grants, and individual donors. While other affiliates of CSC have raised money for centers, this is easily the largest center the CSC has built from the ground up.
"There's nothing like this in Northern California, it will be the first of its kind in terms of the psychosocial, emotional support care," said Libby Eppinga, the Director of Donor Support & Capital Campaign. "It is to meet the growing cancer statistics that we're going to see over the next 20 years."
The center will be two stories tall and 12,000 square feet, including classes with remote broadcasting, a demonstration kitchen, an arts room, a library, a social center, counseling rooms, and rooms for acupuncture and massage. On the property there will be walking trails, healing spaces, and a community garden for organic food. The rest of the land will be planted with native plants.
Nature has become increasingly integrated into the medical community as its health benefits have become more widely acknowledged. CSCSFBay started seriously looking for a place to build a new center in 2018 and found the parcel by the reservoir. Its combination of nature, accessibility, and proximity to the reservoir, community garden, and Orchard Nursery made it ideal. The owners, Ray and Angelina Leal, were originally going to sell the land to CSCSFBay but decided to donate it instead.
CSCSFBay is currently in the process of receiving building permits for the center. After submitting their plans twice, CSCSFBay received approval from the City of Lafayette in August and next will be submitting plans to Contra Costa County so they can put a shovel to the ground.
Said shovel is going to be part of a raffle at CSCSFBay's annual Gala in the Grove at Cal Shakes on Oct. 6 - the winner will receive an engraved shovel and a place at the center's groundbreaking. The Gala will feature Rob Tufel, the former CEO of CSCSFBay, who will give a presentation on the center's progress and Emily Chuah, a breast cancer patient finishing her final semester at Berkely Law. All ticket proceeds will go to supporting CSCSFBay's programs.
The center is expected to begin building late this fall or next spring. CSCSFBay's is eager to have local community members engage. Their long-term goal is for the center to be an intersection of the cancer community and the local community. Those who are interested now can contact Eppinga for a tour of the site or a coffee and chat about the center. For the future?
"I think any aspect of the property that you look at is a way for people to engage," said Eppinga. "I think that the possibilities are endless, but we won't quite know until we are living in that space." |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA