Circle of Hope hosts annual Afternoon Tea
Circle of Hope celebrated their 15th annual Afternoon Tea recently with guests, a keynote speaker, silent and live auctions, and more at the Hyatt Regency Valencia.
This nonprofit helps those with cancer or recovering from cancer, giving them the opportunity and funds to focus solely on their recovery rather than their debt, according to officials.
“Nobody going through Circle of Hope will pay a dime,” said Laura Kirchhoff, executive director of Circle of Hope. “All services through Circle of Hope are free.”
In California, they are the only nonprofit that pays for medical treatment, according to founder Colleen Schaffer. Schaffer, who is a cancer survivor herself, struggled financially when she was diagnosed and never wanted anyone to worry about debt.
“Circle of Hope is teamwork. It is support,” Schaffer said.
Circle of Hope offers services with Hope’s Haven Cancer Wellness Center for self-care purposes. It is meant to help treat side effects from months of cancer treatment at no cost. “We include yoga, Swedish massage, dance class and a variety of other services for our clients,” said Marguerite Berg, program director of Hope’s Haven.
The event’s keynote speaker, Melanie Meyer, described her journey from diagnosis to recovery along with the importance of her faith.
Throughout the event, guests were able to bid in a silent auction for different packages. And for the first time, they performed a live auction near the end of the event.
The theme for this year’s event was “Celebrating 15 years of Hope,” which paid homage to the past tea events over the years.
Afternoon Tea was one of more than 31 events held during their 31 days of hope. In the month of October, they are doing more than 31 events to benefit City of Hope and their community.