Upcoming Events: Call (708) 798-9171 for more information or email here.

Hats, anyone? Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Women’s Board Annual Hat Luncheonat Olympia Fields Country Club. Tickets are $75. Call (708) 798-9171 for tickets or sponsorship info.

Walk of Hope: Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008
10th Annual Walk of Hope in downtown Homewood and Flossmoor. Soon, teams will be registering online at CancerSupportCenter.org. Click here for walker and team materials, pledge sheets, information and more!

Grand Opening of The Cancer Support Center in Mokena was a success!

The Cancer Support Center family hosted a ribbon-cutting and open house Friday, Feb. 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. at 19250 Everett Lane in Mokena to celebrate the first satellite of the Jennifer S. Fallick Cancer Support Center. Stop by to see our new space and hear all about our programs and services now being offered in Mokena. Please call (708) 798-9171 or (708) 478-3529.

Directions: From I-80, exit South on LaGrange Road to west/right on 191st Street to first left/south on Everett Lane. Go past Great Lakes Bank, Mr. Benny's, and you'll see an office building on the west/right side of the street. Our address is 19250 Everett Lane. We're on the first floor.

Click here for programs at both locations.

More about The Cancer Support Center from the Center's Winter 2006 newsletter: Opening a New Door of Support in Mokena

“It will only be 5 minutes from my home,” said Cindi Simpson, a Mokena resident and a two-year breast cancer survivor. She and her children have used our services, and they are thrilled with the news of the Center’s sattelite location opening nearby. She spoke about how this expansion of our services will benefit her family and others.

“Unfortunately, the need for a cancer support center is growing by leaps and bounds. My children and I have fully used services in Homewood. With the hectic schedules of children today, driving additional lengths can add more stress to an already unmanageable schedule. Women like me, who juggle raising their kids while going through treatment, don’t have additional time to spend sitting in traffic. A Mokena facility will have greater accessibility: more families will be able to participate in programs and use the Center’s resources. The Southwest area greatly needs this facility. Mokena and the surrounding areas are booming with growth – more families will be moving in as more schools are built. A higher population will unfortunately mean a larger number of people needing these services. It is nice to know the Cancer Support Center will be available to those in need. I look forward to having this Center close so that we can fully utilize it.”

As a community partner, Ingalls Health System has provided a generous donation to help us realize this dream. Seeing the Center as an extension of the services available to cancer survivors and their families, Ingalls is demonstrating their commitment to the work that we do. In an effort to provide the full continuum of care to its patients, Ingalls will have a nurse available in this new site to provide cancer screenings and education.

Later this month, we will open a second home in southwest suburban Mokena at 19250 Everett Lane. Our new space, shown above, is on the ground floor of this building. The staff and Board of Directors for the Center are excited to announce the opportunity to provide our free counseling and wellness programs in a new space devoted to our work.
The idea to open a second site came from feedback received through surveys from our participants over the last few years. While people responded that they would be willing to travel as much as 30 miles or 40 minutes to receive our services, the majority of people we serve can only realistically drive 15 to 20 minutes from home without adding undo stress to an already challenging cancer experience. This does NOT mean we are leaving Homewood.

We have been dedicated to Homewood for more than 12 years and have no desire to leave. The community support we receive makes our free services possible. By adding a second location, we feel that we can reach survivors and their families in other communities who do not have immediate access to the programs we offer.

In addition to providing closer services to our current participants, we hope that with outreach efforts we can be a new source of healing and support to families who don’t know about our Center. We will be looking for community support through new volunteers and the support of local businesses to help us offer our free services. It has been the efforts of thousands of people and the resources of millions of dollars to offer the level of care we provide in Homewood – and it has taken more than 12 years to get where we are today. We know that this is a formative time for us in Mokena, but we are full of hope about the good work we can do for people with cancer and their families.

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COMMUNITY LEADER, CANCER SUPPORT CENTER FOUNDER IS NAMESAKE OF HOMEWOOD SITE

Jennifer Fallick, co-founder and executive director of the Jennifer S. Fallick Cancer Support Center, passed away on Wednesday, May 12, 2004, at her home in Homewood after battling pancreatic cancer. Fallick is survived by her two daughters.

Very active in church, local theater, and a wide variety of other community activities, most people will remember Jenny as one of the driving forces behind the Cancer Support Center in Homewood, a nonprofit organization that offers free programs that focus on the social, emotional, physical and spiritual needs of individuals with cancer and their loved ones. The Center, founded in 1994, serves more than 70 communities in the Chicago Southland and Northwest Indiana area.

Fallick was one of the original founders whose vision built and guided the Cancer Support Center. Jenny struggled with her own personal experience as her husband, Steve Fallick, fought cancer and ultimately lost his battle at age 37. Jenny knew firsthand how devastating it can be for both the person with cancer as well as their family and friends. Jenny chose to make something good come of her experience. Her life's mission became to provide a place for people to find support, information, strength and hope.

Jenny's passion for the value of human connection will continue to be a driving force of the Cancer Support Center, which currently serves more than 250 people each week. She taught everyone who came in contact with her the true meaning of giving, and the wonderful rewards that result from reaching out to someone in need. Even through her adversity, Jenny managed to find the energy to be actively involved in the Center this year. It was her greatest hope that we celebrate the Cancer Support Center's 10th anniversary and continue to be here for people who are in need.

IIn lieu of flowers, donations in Jenny's memory can be made to the Fallick Children Education Fund, c/o Bruce Bozich, Client Fund Account, 11800 S. 75th Avenue #302, Palos Heights, IL 60463.

The Cancer Support Center recently unveiled its new name and logo in honor of Jenny. The official rededication of the Center was Friday, June 25, 2004, at the Center, 2028 Elm Road in Homewood. An evening of family fun and thoughtful rememberance was enjoyed by all. For more information, please call the Jennifer S. Fallick Cancer Support Center at (708) 798-9171.

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