UNITE FOR HER

Unite for HER's primary goal is to ensure that those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or ovarian cancer have access to direct hands-on services and educational programs to support them through treatment and beyond. At the core of Unite for HER's mission is the Wellness Program, through which newly-diagnosed breast and ovarian cancer patients are educated about the healing impact of complementary therapies, and then empowered to make choices to integrate those therapies that best support her unique needs into her treatment plan. For those with Stage IV or metastatic disease, UFH's goal is to provide continued support, including by providing the opportunity to receive fully-funded complementary therapies for as long as desired. We plan to serve 2100 participants in the greater Philadelphia area and an additional 840 nationally in fiscal year 2022.

Our hope is for those who have been through the Wellness Program to embrace healthy practices including improved nutrition, fitness, and self-care as part of a lifelong commitment, and to share those practices with family and friends. By providing information and creating opportunities for people to learn more about healthy lifestyle practices, UFH aims to promote greater wellness among breast and ovarian cancer patients and throughout the community.

Unite for HER's core mission is served by the Wellness Program, a partnership with hospitals and cancer care facilities through which newly-diagnosed breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients are educated about the healing impact of complementary therapies, and then empowered to make choices to integrate those therapies that best support her unique needs into treatment plan. The program begins with participant receiving a Care Box, delivered to their home. The box is filled with educational materials and many items which with empower them to begin to make healthy upgrades and better navigate their treatment plan. The Care Box also includes a Wellness Passport. This Passport allows participants to choose the therapies that they feel will best support healing, with options for acupuncture, private yoga and meditation sessions, oncology massage, Reiki, additional nutritional support, fitness club membership, psychological and/or sexual counseling over one full year (up to a $2,000 total value). Those with Stage IV or metastatic disease are offered continued support, and can renew their Passport every six months.

Participants also attend a Virtual Wellness Day where expert practitioners and UFH staff share information about how different therapies can be used to help alleviate the side-effects and symptoms of conventional medical treatment. Participants learn about cancer-fighting properties of different foods, herbs, and spices. Importantly, there is also time for camaraderie and community.

Unite for HER is currently serving more than 2,000 breast and ovarian cancer patients yearly through a network of 30+ partnering hospitals and cancer treatment facilities through the Philadelphia region, into Delaware and southern New Jersey. In fiscal year 2021, UFH began its national expansion, with a focus on underserved communities, planning to serve nearly 1,000 participants this year. This program is providing critical support through treatment, and is creating lifestyle changes that promote greater and lasting wellness.

Beyond our Wellness Program, we engage in outreach throughout the community to educate about the importance of healthy living practices in the prevention of disease and the promotion of wellness.

Our Wellness Program is well-honed at this point, and our staff is capable of handling continued expansion. Our shift to virtual and at-home services during Covid, have led to our ability to expand nationally and serve a larger community, particularly in underserved communities. We maintain an expansive list of specially-trained compassionate providers who work directly with our participants. We are well-known in the medical and wellness communities, and have strong partnerships with more than 50 hospitals, cancer treatment centers, and social service organizations. We are continuously updating the offerings in our Wellness Passport to reflect the needs of different communities and to ensure that all those with breast and ovarian cancer have meaningful access to our program.

Beyond our Wellness Program, each year we reach thousands of members of the community with our message about the importance of healthy living practices through educational talks and other outreach events.

Since our founding in 2009, Unite for HER has served more than 8,300 women with breast cancer in the five-county Philadelphia area, and into New Jersey and Delaware, as well. In the fiscal year 2021-22 we anticipate serving 1,700 newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients and ovarian cancer patients in our local program and 880 in our national reach. In addition, we will continue to serve another 550 in our metastatic and recurrent ovarian continuing services program, being always by their side. To date, virtually 100% of all respondents to our surveys about our Wellness Program have agreed that the day or whole program was a positive experience (90-95% "strongly agree").

The medical community has fully embraced the program, as seen by the rapid growth in the number of our hospital partners and our 100% partner retention rate. Dr. Bob Fried, surgeon at Paoli Hospital,, shared: "As a surgeon caring for many women with breast cancer I can relay to you first hand the significant amount of angst, anxiety and apprehensive they almost all have upon hearing the diagnosis. The Wellness Program allows these women to interact with other women who have had or have cancer and allow them to see and hear testimonials about complementary treatments. Unquestionably these experiences help to relieve much of the concerns about conventional therapy and, equally importantly, hear about the significant benefits of complementary treatments. Those that have participated found emotional, psychological and physical benefits from the additional modalities helping them complete the traditional 'gold standard' treatment for breast cancer."

We are providing both an opportunity and a template for students to serve in their community through our Students Unite for HER program. These students lead fundraising events, including many "pink games." We also provide outreach in the community by speaking with many school, community, and corporate groups about nutrition, avoiding toxins in household and beauty products, engaging in exercise, and other wellness practices.