If ever I must say goodbye
It’s just nearby I’ll always be
In every sky, in every tree,
In every bird that’s soaring free
I’ll be nearby
I will never leave you,
not as long as you will keep me in your heart

March 15, 2023

Today we celebrate 20 years of Elixir. This day represents so many things. While the date of our founding coincides with the date of Kevin’s death, the idea started long before. So, while it represents an ending, it also represents a beginning and a continuation. The beginning of Elixir, an organization dedicated to human connection and making life a little easier and a little brighter for those facing a difficult time; and a continuation of Kevin’s spirit.

While thinking about how to honor this day, I was contacted by Terri DeVincenzo who was a guest at our auction in October. She heard us mention the port pillows that we donate to local hospitals. She thought that would be a great project for the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church’s sewing ministry, of which she is a member. It just so happened that I had recently been contacted by a hospital looking to replenish their supply of port pillows. The sewing ministry met in February, and in just a few hours made over 70 port pillows. Members of the group included longtime friends and extended family, as well as people who have no connection to the Elixir Fund.

Then, just last week, I received a message on the Elixir Fund’s social media account that brought me back to the early days of Elixir. When I was first starting the Elixir Fund, I had a full-time job teaching at a community college in CA. I thought it would be nice to provide a day of pampering for patients and caregivers. Fortunately, The Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center was willing to work with me to find a way to do that. We called our program “Mini Makeover Days,” and I recruited professional make-up artists and massage therapists as well as partnered with the cosmetology department at the college where I worked, to recruit student volunteers.  These students received no credit or compensation, and came strictly out of the kindness of their hearts to offer hours of service. I was incredibly impressed, not only by their skills with hair and makeup, but also by their compassion. So often they spent their time listening to patients and caregivers who just needed some comfort.

The message I received was from a former student of mine and was also one of our Mini Makeover Volunteers. She was writing because she is applying for a teaching position in the same cosmetology department that she graduated from and where I recruited her from to volunteer for us. She was asking for a recommendation and said that volunteering for us had been one of the highlights of career, particularly now that she is a cancer survivor herself.
This is Elixir.

I am honored to be able to continue to share not only Kevin’s spirit, but the spirit of so many people that I have met through the Elixir Fund. The partnerships we have created, the programs we have been a part of and have developed, the one-to-one contact I have with patients and caregivers, the doctors and nurses… the list goes on.

You have made all of this possible through your financial and emotional support, attending our programs or events, fundraising for us, or just reading this email. On behalf of myself, the board of the Elixir Fund, and all of those we serve, thank you for helping us to reach this milestone.

We hope you will save the date Sunday, October 22, 2023 and join us for our 20th Anniversary Celebration at Mercer Oaks in Princeton Junction, NJ from 1-4pm.