Hello! My name is Greg Klimowicz, and with the help of many dedicated individuals, I was able to create the Crusade for Care in December of 2006 when I was sixteen years old.  However, the inspiration to form such a fund began about one year earlier.

          In 2005, I encountered a situation that most people have to face at least once in their lifetime – someone close to me was diagnosed with cancer.  My first encounter occurred when my grandfather was diagnosed with stomach cancer at Fox Chase Cancer Center.  During the six months in which he was fighting his battle, I noticed not only the physical but also the emotional changes in his health.  Although he understood little English, he was emotionally strengthened by the simple actions of care that others displayed toward him.  After he died, I realized that the smallest expressions of compassion are worth the most in the eyes of a dying patient, and how kindness is a universal language.   
 

          A few months after my grandfather’s death, my brother, sister, and I had to decide what to get my mom, a Pastoral Care Chaplain at Fox Chase Cancer Center, for her birthday.  We came to the agreement of making a donation of $100 to the Pastoral Care Department in her name.  I was shocked at how such a small amount of money was able to help so many cancer patients and their children.  My mom would share stories of how the purchase of puppets and coloring books helped the children of cancer patients; how she gave Angel Bears to patients who were distressed by their cancer diagnoses; and how the use of relaxation CD’s and journals aided the patients throughout their difficult journeys. 

          After these two experiences, I created a fund that would raise money for such simple yet significant items.   With the help of a dedicated committee of young men and women, my parents, local businesses, and the employees at Fox Chase Cancer Center, I was able to coordinate two intramural football fundraisers for local high school boys and girls.  These two events included about 150 participating teenagers each and raised a combined total of over $5,000.  Although the money raised at these fundraisers was important, I am most proud and inspired by the message that accompanied it.  As I reflect upon the course of the Crusade for Care, I am inspired to continue this mission as a result of the many people who have taken upon themselves this desire to come together to help cancer patients.   

         
          Through the Crusade for Care, my hope is that people will come to see how simple actions of care can inspire a community to help others.  I also hope that people are motivated by the belief that you may not be able to change the world tomorrow, but you can change the way that someone sees it today.  As the Crusade for Care continues, I strive to motivate others through the same inspiration that I have encountered so that they can share in the experience of transforming an idea into an action that benefits the community and brings out the genuine goodness of humanity, through which “together we can all do so much!”      

          Thank you for all of your help and support – both in the past and in the future!   

Gratefully,

Greg Klimowicz

Greg Klimowicz

Founder, Crusade for Care

(Updated: July 15, 2008)