American Cancer Society

AtHome America and the HelpAmerica Foundation are proud to have donated funds to the American Cancer Society. From September 19-20, 2006, the signatures of millions of Americans were compiled into one Wall of Hope monument on the National Mall. There, the Wall of Hope is a focal point of Celebration on the Hill 2006 and will demonstrate the unity of the entire country in support of cancer survivors and their families.

CLICK HERE to read more about Celebration on the Hill 2006.

For this event, the HelpAmerica Foundation donated $500. In addition, members of the AHA Home Team collected signatures and messages of support at their Relay for Life event in Tinley Park, Illinois, on June 3, 2006. Those signatures will be posted on the banner and displayed later this year on the Wall of Hope.

The members of the AHA Home Team participated in the Relay for Life event in memory of Carmella Chickerillo, an AHA employee and the niece of two of AHA's current employees. Carm was diagnosed with a rare form of Squamous Cell Cancer in December 2003. She struggled through radiation, chemotherapy and thousands of dollars in medical bills. She was placed in remission on June 13, 2003, and even walked in a Relay for Life walk on June 14, 2003!

In January 2004, Carm received the devastating news that her cancer had returned. Worse yet, it had spread to her liver. She was not able to go through radiation again, and the only hope she had would come through her chemotherapy. By June 2004, the cancer had spread to her lungs. Carm passed away on October 28, 2004. She would have turned 49 this year, and left behind three children, ages 21, 18 and 15, when she passed away.

In her memory, a group of her friends and family formed a team — Amigos de Ocho II — and walked in the Relay for Life. The team is named in honor of Carm's love of Chi-Chi's restaurant, and they raised more than $3,000 for the 2006 Relay for Life.