The Copewell Foundation
Mrs. North Dakota International 2016 – Ashley Rae Klinger
My Personal Platform – The Cope Well Foundation
Hello again, everyone! Hope you’re all having a fabulous week! Today, I’m going to talk about the organization that I chose to represent as my personal platform; The Cope Well Foundation.
The Cope Well Foundation, which is dedicated to the emotional recovery of cancer survivorship, is a local, nonprofit organization based out of Grand Forks, ND. The main mission of Cope Well is to help those who have been affected by cancer overcome the emotional challenges of cancer survivorship, while bringing awareness to ALL survivors of ALL cancer types.
After I was diagnosed with Melanoma Skin Cancer in 2008, I realized that there’s a lot of focus put on the physical recovery of cancer survivorship, but the emotional recovery is often times overlooked, ignored and even misunderstood. After facing emotional challenges myself, I decided to use the experience in a way that could make a difference and have a positive, long-lasting impact on the lives of others. I began working with a variety of organizations to raise awareness about skin cancer and sun safety, but I didn’t feel as though I was doing enough. I knew in my heart that I was meant to do more, so I started visiting with other survivors about what was lacking in their survivorship journey, and the feedback I received always came back to the same thing; emotional support. After spending some time reflecting on my own survivorship journey, the concepts of The Cope Well Foundation were born.
From the moment one’s diagnosed with cancer, their survivorship journey begins, so no matter what stage of the survivorship journey one’s in, The Cope Well Foundation is here to help. Because we understand that every survivorship journey is unique, we have designed a Cope Well Member Program that allows one to participate in a variety of ways according to their specific needs. Our services, which are all free, include our Cope Well Mentor Program, our Cope Well Activity Support Plan and our Cope Well Counseling Program. Regardless of which services one chooses to participate in, our ultimate goal is to help enhance their overall emotional well-being.
Although not diagnosed, the affects of cancer also have an impact on those who support those in need, so our Cope Well Member Program is available to those individuals as well to show how grateful we are for their continued support and commitment.
The core principles of The Cope Well Foundation are based on the needs of our members and the challenges they face throughout their survivorship journey. It’s our members and the true difference that we’re making in their lives that is the driving force behind our foundation, and it’s our ultimate goal to help our members ‘Cope Well to Live Well’.
Getting involved with The Cope Well Foundation, on any level, is a meaningful and powerful way to honor and remember someone special who has been affected by cancer or to support one’s own survivorship journey. Anyone, anywhere can join our fight, so we have a variety of ways in which one can support our efforts and help those affected by cancer. Whether it’s as a Cope Well Mentor, Partner, Leader, Volunteer or Donor, it’s easy to make a difference!
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” ~ Winston Churchill
Until next time, continue to ‘make a difference’ and remember, together, we can ‘cope well to live well’.
Ashley Rae Klinger
