The event was chance to educate, entertain and empathize. It was the second annual Tea for a Cancer fundraiser. The event was held at Best Western Plus. Event co-chairs Sandy Reinke and Kristine Rueckert said the tea party was to raise money for local cancer patients. The Tea for Cancer Foundation non-profit was set up to give families dealing with cancer a place to go for financial support.
A website was set up where local cancer patients and families may apply for a grant to help cover expenses. Reinke said the funds can be used for a variety of cancer-related needs.
Maybe a family needs extra gas money to travel to treatments. Maybe they want to hire a house cleaner while they are going through treatments. Reinke and Rueckert chose a tea party-themed fundraiser as a way of making the event more entertaining. The goal of the event was to educate, entertain and empathize. There are always cancer survivors at these events. The fundraiser was a huge hit before it even started.
The event was originally planned for , but a total of tickets were ultimately sold. The number of women attending in fancy hats was also up from the first Tea for a Cancer fundraiser. A special vote was taken among guests to determine who had the best hat. Jeanne Kretsch took home the prize for best hat.
Kretsch said she found the hat on a trip to Arizona and bought it with this tea party in mind. Typically, when a patient comes in for chemotherapy, a companion chair is placed next to them.
