Please tell me the story of The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor and how this idea for The Brides Project began?
Bonnie: The Brides Project is celebrating 15 years this fall, and the CSC has existed in the Ann Arbor community for 18 years. We opened in 2007, dedicated to providing free cancer services to families, and we are an individual nonprofit that is part of a national affiliate network. However, we have to raise our budget anew every year. So, 15 years ago, we were looking for a sustainable funding model so that we weren't only reliant on donor dollars, grants, and special fundraising events. So, The Bride's Project was born out of that effort. It has taken off in our community and made a significant impact on the cancer support community, raising almost $4 million to provide free cancer support services since its inception.
Jan: We are volunteer-run, and that is how I joined The Brides Project. I came in as a volunteer, looking for a way to give back, found it, and absolutely fell in love with the mission and what we can do. We have about 40 active volunteers who help run The Brides Project. At the shop, we receive donated gowns from brides or from salons. We clean them, price them, and sell them to brides who get to take them on another dance down the aisle. I came as a consultant, and it just became part of my life and who I am, to be able to help not only the brides, but also to fund the CSC, which is the really cool part of it; everybody wins at The Bride's Project.
This is your 15th anniversary. How has The Brides Project been this year?
Jan: We have been, fortunately, busy this year. We are open seven days a week. We have been able to make many brides happy. Half of our stock is from brides. We have many wonderful brides who support us and fill the gaps where salons aren't able to, because salons have mid-range sizes, and brides come in all sizes. They come in, we see pictures, we cry a little about the dress going on. It's adorable, it's really wonderful how, even though they may have gotten a dress from us, they will bring the dress back to us. It's a nice community with our brides and salons, who, if I were running low on a certain stock, can reach out to. It's a wonderful relationship.
You work with Licensed Master social workers, salon owners, and a number of professionals around the area. Can you talk about who you work with, and the importance of establishing a community of support?
Bonnie: We have a network of partners that allows us to provide the highest quality cancer support services. We partner closely with Trinity Health and the Global Cancer Center, where we have a professional advisory board comprising several oncologists and other medical professionals with diverse areas of expertise. We have a staff of professionals, like Master level therapists. Our other partnerships for The Brides Project are different. That is a consistent donor network, where we have solid relationships with salons, and they regularly donate their overflow stock. We get salon donations from across the United States because they believe in our mission.
Jan: It's a wonderful place for us. Those salons are also very good at referring brides to us, because sometimes a typical salon price tag is more than a bride can handle. They are very supportive because they believe in what we're doing and our mission. Everybody wins in this situation: the bride gets a great dress, it's a great price, and it's sustainable. It's helping cancer patients when they don't need another bill, taking care of something important to help them move through their treatment.
How do you go about providing support, education and hope for people battling cancer?
Bonnie: We do that through individual therapy, social connection, and support groups. We have educational workshops with professionals in the community that discuss everything from advancement and treatment to clinical trials to empower the people we serve. And with that comes hope.
That is something gained through these connections. Hope is something that I think is important to understand and can change. I think people believe that hope only means a cure, and in some cases, that is true. Hope is individualized, so our professional staff is here to help people find out what hope means to them and navigate so that they can feel they're living the very best life they have with and through and beyond their cancer.
Is there anything else you want to put out there to the world?
Jan: From the bride's project perspective, we are always welcoming volunteers. If people want to help work with us, either as a consultant or as someone who helps clean dresses, we are always looking for that. And I think I can speak for the CSC; they are also looking for volunteers. The salons and the brides are supportive, and that helps us do what we can. Our funding goes to the cancer support community, and that is where we want it to go. We have an active social media. We're on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, which brings a lot of people, and also helps people learn about us. We want the money, not to go into advertising. We want it to go to cancer patients. That's where it's needed.
Bonnie: Awareness and involvement are the two key messages. If you've already gotten married, consider donating your gown. And if you know someone who's impacted by cancer, know the cancer support community is here to support you and your family. Help us make sure that no one has to face cancer alone. We are here to make a difference.
Learn more about The Brides Project.
