Our goal at Support Connection is to insure that no one affected by breast and ovarian cancer will have to face it alone. Therefore, our mission is to provide emotional, social and educational support services to women, their families and friends affected by breast and ovarian cancer. The support provided enables women to help each other and empowers them to become their own healthcare advocates.

IMPORTANT: Please see note at the end of this statement for info about our response to the COVID-19 crisis. We offer a wide-range of support services and programs, knowing that effective cancer support cannot be “one-size-fits-all." All of our services are free of charge. Our One-on-One Peer Counseling program offers individualized support and information This confidential service is free and unlimited. It is available nationwide via our toll-free support line or email, and in-person at our office. Peer Counselors are members of our staff, and are cancer survivors themselves. They're in our office Monday through Friday, 9am – 5pm. Anytime you call, email or come to our office for help or answers, you'll be connected right away with a Peer Counselor. Our monthly support groups provide a place to meet others who understand what you're going through. Group members can share information, experiences, and support in a warm, welcoming environment. We offer 12 different support groups every month. Our in-person groups meet at different locations in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties in NY. We also have two telephone groups; these take place via national toll-free teleconference, making them available regardless of where you live. We also have a year-round calendar of educational programs and social activities We have workshops focused on the needs of mind, body and spirit, to enhance your quality of life while living with cancer. We provide learning opportunities aimed at empowering you to better cope with diagnosis, recovery, treatment and beyond. We create places for you to enjoy a relaxing activity with a group of women who have also heard the words, “you have cancer." We hold educational forums that are open to the public, offering the latest information pertaining to breast and ovarian cancer. Some of our educational forums are provided via webinar, making them available nationwide. NOTE: When the COVID-19 crisis hit, Support Connection immediately made adjustments to our service delivery so the people we serve would still have our support. We set all staff up to work remotely, including our Peer Counselors, who have been fielding large numbers of calls and emails every day from cancer patients and survivors who are overwhelmed by trying to manage their unique health needs while our health care system is severely overtaxed. Support groups were transitioned across the board to toll-free teleconference. In-person programs were replaced by webinars and teleconferences. Coping with cancer under the best of circumstances is extremely stressful. Coping with cancer while also faced with the challenges brought on by COVID-19 is almost unbearable. We understand this, and are committed to being here for those who need us. We will apply these changes to our program for as long as it is necessary.

We are uniquely qualified to offer essential support and guidance to those living with breast and ovarian cancer because of our distinctive “peer-to-peer" approach to service provision. We employ a staff of Peer Counselors: trained counselors who are also survivors of breast or ovarian cancer. Our Peer Counselors can talk with you about living with cancer from the perspective of someone who's been there. In addition, they've each spoken with hundreds of other women of all ages and different circumstances. This powerful combination of personal and professional experience enables them to bring unique wisdom to every conversation.

In addition to providing direct services such as one-on-one counseling, our Peer Counselors also plan and implement all of our other services. They choose the topics, speakers and formats for our educational and wellness programs. For our support groups, they lead groups themselves, or they train and supervise volunteers (also cancer survivors) to be support group facilitators. Everything we do, and every service we offer, has a peer-to-peer focus that is rarely seen.

In addition, our staff represents many years of experience. Our Executive Director was involved in the founding of the organization in 1996 and has continued to lead it ever since with a consistent focus on meeting the needs of those living with breast and ovarian cancer. Our Director of Services and Communication, who oversees our Peer Counselors, has been with Support Connection since 2004 and is also a breast cancer survivor. The 3 Peer Counselors on our staff have been with us since 2004, 2005 and 2012; they have all been cancer survivors for more than 14 years.

We are committed to evaluating our service provision on an ongoing basis in order to assess progress and insure that we are achieving our goals. We use the following tools for this purpose:

Contact Logs/Master Intake Database: Detailed information about every contact we have with a client is recorded on our Contact Logs and Master Intake Database. These records include information about each person we have contact with, such as type of cancer, type of info or support requested and provided, follow-up calls placed, etc.

Monthly and Annual Statistical Reports: Our contact logs are summarized and analyzed on a monthly basis enabling us to track trends and changing needs. An annual analysis and report is also completed and utilized for planning of future programming. These reports are reviewed and discussed by staff.

Client Survey: At the beginning of each year, a formal Client Survey is sent to every client we have had contact with during the previous year. It gives them the opportunity to candidly express what benefits they have derived from our program, how the program has impacted their quality of life, suggestions they have for change, etc. At the completion of each survey, we undertake a full analysis of all our programs and services.

Program Evaluations: At the conclusion of every educational program we offer, participants are given an evaluation form where they tell us if the program met their needs, what learned, and any other feedback they wish to offer. Results from all program evaluations are reviewed and compiled, and are used to inform future program planning.

What we’ve accomplished so far: We have built a unique, effective model for delivering critically needed support to those living with the many challenges brought on by breast & ovarian cancer diagnosis, treatment & the aftermath. We provide these services completely free of charge. Since 1996 we have helped thousands of women & families coping with these diseases. We have developed successful methods for meeting their varied needs: individual & group support, education & wellness. We have consistently been there for those who reach out to us. What’s next: To continue delivering these services for as long as breast and ovarian cancer exist. Our greatest wish is that we will someday no longer be needed. Until a true cure/prevention is found, each year hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed, leading to hundreds of thousands of survivors who will live with the after-effects of diagnosis & treatment forever. Therefore, our services will continue to be needed for many years to come.