A cancer diagnosis first brought Kathy Brotzner to Wellspring Niagara and fortunately for the Niagara Falls resident it proved to make a big difference in her life.
Her husband, Frank, however, had expressed some initial concerns when Brotzner, who had been diagnosed with leukemia, decided she wanted to attend programs at Wellspring’s Pelham support centre.
“When I started coming, my husband didn't understand,” Brotzner said. “He kept saying, ‘I don't want you to be there. I don't want you to be sad.’”
But far from being sad, Wellspring was a place where Brotzner found help and people who understood what she was going through.
“It’s not sad,” she said. “It’s such a supportive place.”
That’s why Brotzner was at Wellspring on Friday, decorating cookies for the annual Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign. Proceeds from the sale of the $1.50 cookies in Pelham are going to Wellspring.
That has been the case has been for the past eight years as Stephanie and Bill McWilliams, owners of three Pelham Timmies locations decided to direct funds raised from the sales of the sweet treats to Wellspring.
The importance of the McWilliams’ support is not lost on Jacqueline Ireland, community engagement and events co-ordinator for Wellspring.
“It’s important to us as a charity and we are so lucky that Steph and Bill choose us every year,” Ireland said. “They have that personal connection to Wellspring.”
The McWilliams’s dedication to helping Wellspring came after the family relied on the non-profit’s services during the cancer journey of Stephanie’s father, Doug Burr. The peer support room at Wellspring’s Pelham support centre next to the Meridian Community Centre is named in his memory.
Another volunteer helping Friday was Brian Porter. His employer, Meridian Credit Union, has been a big supporter of Wellspring, with the financial institution sending a group of volunteers to help with cookies on April 30.
On a personal level, Porter, like most Wellspring supporters has his own story of cancer. In this case, it was Porter’s “nana,” Patricia, who passed away in the late 1990s and attended programs at Wellspring’s Toronto chapter.
That experience wanted to make him help in Niagara.
“Just talking to some of the people and you see the impact that Wellspring’s had on Niagara and Fonthill,” Porter said. “It makes it important.”
This is the first time he has volunteered for the Smile Cookie campaign and he’s having a great time, he said.
“The energy’s great.”
Porter has been most impressed by the efforts of the volunteers getting the cookies decorated and on their way to hungry customers.
“They seem to have it down to a bit of a science because they've been doing for five straight days.”
Last year’s campaign raised some $25,000 for Wellspring, which is part of a Canada-wide network of charities offering programs and supports for individuals living with all forms of cancer and their families. The goal of this year’s campaign is $30,000.
