For Pete'S Sake Cancer Respite

“Review of the 990 has been extensive, beginning with staff and accounting review to formulating a draft product. The drafts of both the 990 and audited financial statements were then reviewed by the fps finance committee with comments and suggestions directed to the fps treasurer. After review and approval by the finance committee and treasurer, the drafts are forwarded to the board of directors for review and comments. The audit and form 990 are considered final after the review period has passed.”

“As part of its standards for excellence accreditation, fps has developed strategies for monitoring and enforcing potential conflicts of interest. Annually, individual board member performance evaluations are distributed with the conflict of interest forms. The secretary is then charged with collection of these forms and reporting of results to the chair of the governance committee.”

“As part of its standards for excellence accreditation, fps has developed strategies for determining review of its current compensation structure which begins with the presentation of the preliminary budget to the finance committee and the board. This compensation review takes into account comparative salaries in similarly budgeted organizations. All salaries are individually listed in the preliminary budget based upon said comparisons. Final budget approval is then granted after the final budget presentation in june of each fiscal year.”

“Fps is proud of its financial integrity and its commitment to stewardship using the financial resources entrusted to us by our community of family and friends. As part of the commitment, fps believes in transparency and posts its audit and form 990 on www.takeabreakfromcancer.org and continually educates its stakeholders about its strategic initiative via the website.”

“Fps enables cancer patients and their loved ones the opportunity to strengthen, deepen and unify their relationships by creating unforgettable and lasting respite experiences. In fy25, fps responded to 496 inquiries from across the country and provided respite services to 135 patients and their families, resulting in 119 travel respite experiences with 388 travelers and 19 staycation respites experiences with 59 family members. Additionally, 59 people were served through direct ancillary services. Thus, fps served a total of 447 people through its direct respite travel and staycation programs this year. In addition, fps continued its support of prior respite recipients through its ancillary support program with over 36,077 touchpoints made to almost 3,000 families. Due to covid-19, two main changes to our respite program include our focused approach to community respites with our travel partner woodloch resort and the formalization of our staycation respite program. When the pandemic occurred, our swift reaction and relationship with our travel partner woodloch resort allowed us to fulfill our mission by sending patients, caregivers and loved ones to the woodloch destination exclusively. We also piloted a direct entry staycation program which has proven successful with our outcomes.”

“Families in the fps respite program are supported in several ways. Based upon the health of the patient, they either receive a travel respite or a staycation respite. Both are tailored to the family and the relevant needs as determined by the nominator and the fps program coordinator via conversations with the patient and caregiver. Following the travel respite or staycation respite, fps continues to provide ancillary support to the patient, caregiver, and family through its respite reinforced program. To be eligible for the program, a patient must be nominated by a member of his/her oncology team. Fps nominators use clinical assessment factors to best identify patients in need of respite. New nominators participate in a short educational program about the mission of fps. Some nominators serve as members of the fps patient advisory committee, charged with overseeing the entire patient program, program guidelines, and clinical assessment factors. Our top nominating medical institutions in fy25 include jefferson health, allegheny health network, lehigh valley, university of pennsylvania abramson cancer center, md anderson cancer center, temple health and montefiore health along with 25 additional medical institutions.”

“Pano certification: fps is a proud recipient of the pennsylvania association of nonprofit organizations (pano) standards for excellence certification. This award recognizes fps as an ethical and accountable organization dedicated to the highest level of excellence within the nonprofit sector and is bestowed only to the most well-managed and responsibly governed nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated compliance with the 56 specific standards for excellence based on honesty. Fps is one of only 140 nonprofits nationwide and the first nonprofit in montgomery county to hold this honor from over 11,000 registered pa charities. Fps is proud to hold this certification since 2005. In addition to our pano accreditation, fps received a four-star charity rating with charity navigator in march 2021 which means that fps has taken the steps to be accountable, transparent and financially healthy. Currently, fps holds 100% charity score which provides confidence to those who choose to give to fps. Also, fps maintains our platinum-level status with guidestar which demonstrates our commitment ot transparency and efficient, effective management and stewardship. Lastly, we encourage our stakeholders to read patient reviews in the fps profile on greatnonprofits.org.”

“Fps also provides emotional support to our fps families. In fy25, fps provided 36,077 diect ancillary support contacts and responded to 496 program inquiries. Furthermore, social media and the internet has allowed fps to reach over 12,750 people through indirect ancillary support. These touchpoints include phone calls, text messages, fps family events, facebook, patient self-care newsletter, and cancer care books and grief related resources as formalized in our respite reinforced program. Fps has been collecting outcome measures of its community respite model to gauge program effectiveness and the therapeutic benefits of respite. This data is critical in assessing the organizations continued advocacy of its mission and has become the basis for its strategic approach to changing the continuum of care for cancer patients and their families. Please review this data on the for pete's sake website under about us strategic initiatives https://takeabreakfromcancer.org/strategic-initiatives/ this data is continually updated. We believe that a cancer diagnosis affects the cancer patient, the caregiver and the family members in complex ways. Our hope for our patients and caregivers is that while on respite, they laugh a little louder, hug a little more and recognize that love defines their life story, not cancer. Our program is structured to effectuate meaningful change following a model for family health. This model includes family, mental, physical, psychosocial, emotional, spiritual and financial health. We strive to create a meaningful experience for each recipient and ask our patients and nominators to complete pre and post respite outcome measures. In addition to this community respite data, fps continues to use a measurement that has been in place since 2005. Such measurement indicates an overall rating in the improved ability to cope with cancer. One hundred percent of all nominating professionals recognize post-respite improvement in the patients and patient's family/caregiver's ability to cope with cancer. Specifically, they note a 49% increase in the patient's coping ability, a 44% increase in the caregiver's coping ability, and a 52% increase in the children's coping ability. As part of the fps commitment to transparency, fps posts its patient and nominator outcome measures on its website under the impact section. Respite makes a difference. Our respite data and outcomes have been recognized by the american society of clinical oncology (asco) and published in an april 2020 fps abstract, titled "individual and community respite as supportive care for adult cancer patients, their caregivers and their families". Fps has presented twice at the american psychosocial oncology society (apos) national conference on the therapeutic impact of respite on patients, caregivers and their families relative to strengthened communication, relationships, resilience, quality of life and coping with cancer. The presentation is titled "cancer families' intentional respite experience, family dynamics and positive outlooks". Fps also began a research study to correlate the significance of respite with improved outcomes related to overall family health including communication, treatment, mental health, relationships (both within family and treatment team) and other generalized daily activities. This study was completed during the fiscal year and the data is currently being scored and will be available upon completion. Capital campaign: fps is in the third year of a 25 million respite transformed campaign that will add 5 million to the current endowment and raise 20 million to construct the nation's first respite center for families facing cancer. Expecting to last three to five years, this campaign aligns with fps' 2030 strategic vision and strong outcome measures from woodloch respites. Every space lends for transformative experiences that will change the continuum of care for cancer patients. Dedicated spaces, including an art studio, pool, play”