If you’ve read my book, Lifesaving Gratitude, you know that advocacy was the answer to my malaise after my treatment wound down. And you know that the Cancer Foundation for New Mexico is my greatest passion.
It’s an organization with a mission of helping all northern New Mexicans get to their needed treatment. Long ago, a group of oncologists came to a group of community leaders and said, “People are getting diagnosed and then going home, never coming back for treatment. We’ve figured out that it’s because they can’t afford the basics – gas, lodging in Santa Fe, groceries. They have health insurance of some sort. It’s the additional expense that keep them from coming back.”
That’s why the Cancer Foundation for New Mexico was formed. 100% local and independent, the Foundation is a deeply caring group of people who know what it’s like to be diagnosed with cancer and to be frightened about how to go forward.
Tomorrow, February 6, 2021, at 6 a.m., the Foundation’s largest fundraiser begins.
The Sweetheart Auction, which is traditionally the largest (and coolest!) gala in Santa Fe, is virtual this year. Go online and sign up to get early VIP access to the over 400 items in the silent online auction, from dinner with Shirley MacLaine to Zoom calls with authors and cooking classes with chefs (four-time James Beard award-winning chef Cheryl Jamison is at the top of my list for bidding – I love her cookbooks like Tasting New Mexico and Texas Q).
Do you like art? Jewelry? We have the widest variety of original art and sculpture you’ll see in an online Santa Fe event this year, like this sweet piece by my friend Carole Laroche.
Another cool item is a Zoom meetup with bestselling mystery writers Doug Preston and Lincoln Child. This is a seldom offered meeting – Lincoln Child is especially private. But because he cares about this cause, he’s offered to visit with fans, and with their new book The Scorpion’s Tail just released, this is a great time to get to know both writers.
Can you believe these items?
And this is just a sampling. We have over 400! 400 items generously donated by people who believe in helping their neighbors get to their lifesaving treatment.
You can sign up for VIP access here. Or wait until Monday and see the items, perusing at your leisure until bidding closes on Thursday evening (February 11, 2021) at midnight.
Because we can’t gather at the Santa Fe Convention Center in person, you’ll get to watch the gala video on Thursday, February 11, at 6 p.m. With toasts and performances from the likes of Branden and James, Shirley MacLaine, and Ali MacGraw, you’re going to have a great time watching it. And you’ll get an even better idea of the Foundation’s work and mission.
You can also order a specially prepared and delivered dinner from my friend Hue Chan at Open Kitchen. Not only do you get dinner to go with the Gala Video Program on February 11, you’re also contributing to the cause – a portion of the proceeds from each dinner will be donated back to the cancer patients the Foundation serves. And Hue Chan’s meals are a treat – I order from her every week.
And finally, you can buy Dream Vacation Raffle tickets to destinations like Banff, Europe, Greece, or NYC (with a Hamilton performance and dinner with the cast) or a $5,000 cash prize. Should you be the lucky winner, travel is good through December 2023, and if you’re like me, you are ready to get outta town.
Yes, I’m an advocate.
I’m an advocate for cancer patients seeking treatment who can’t afford the basics like groceries, gas, and overnight stays. But I’m also a fan of great art, jewelry, experience, and fun!
Join me this week at the Sweetheart Auction. You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll feel good doing it!
Bunny Terry is a native New Mexican who grew up on a farm in northeastern New Mexico. Her first writing job was typing stories on index cards on her family’s Underwood, stories that were uncannily like the ones she read over and over in O Ye’ Jigs and Julips, her favorite childhood book. No one thought to save those index cards for posterity, although there is the theory sarcastically circulated by her siblings that they will certainly be worth millions someday. 