HOPE rises through song for cancer research

We sing with Voices of Hope to raise money, awareness, and hope for the fight against cancer. We sing for our family members and friends who have fought or are fighting their battle with cancer, for those who have lost and for those who have won. We sing on behalf of those no longer able to sing for themselves; their voices gone silent much too soon.

On January 19th, Voices of Hope (VOH), a local non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for cancer research through musical performance, presented a check for $80,500 to Dejan Juric, MD, director of the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at the Mass General Cancer Center. This donation represents the collective voluntary effort throughout 2018 by a group of local individuals connected by the impact of cancer on their lives, and their common commitment to help find a cure.

Dr. Juric explained how support from VOH has enabled his team in the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies to conduct first-in-human clinical trials of several new therapies which have improved the outcomes of patients with certain advanced cancers. And how, after years of testing, the center recently made major strides towards approval of two new drugs for breast cancer, including one for triple negative breast cancer, one of the deadliest types of this disease. Dr. Juric shared, "You need to understand how amazing it is when a patient takes that leap of faith, allowing you to administer a drug which has never before been given to a human being. And then to see that this drug results in major response to therapy and no evidence of disease on scans...we live for those moments."

Many efforts contributed to this significant donation by VOH in 2018, including personal fundraising campaigns by members, the annual VOH golf tournament held at Hillview Golf Course in North Reading and sold out stage shows at North Shore Music Theater in Beverly with Stephen Schwartz's "WORKING a musical" in the spring and "Reflections of Hope", their fall gala.

This group of over 200 dedicated members voluntarily work year-round to attract donors who support their journey. Having successfully secured private and corporate sponsors including Fuddruckers and the Conquer Cancer Coalition of Massachusetts, these financial partners help extend VOH's impact by helping to offset the significant costs associated with theatrical production. With each performance, VOH adds to the thousands of people moved by the power and passion of their song and have joined their ever-growing community of hope for a cure.

Established in 2009 as a way to honor loved ones impacted by cancer, Voices of Hope has achieved a great level of success in raising funds through theatrical and musical performances large and small, in venues such as Symphony Hall, North Shore Music Theatre, TD Garden, Gillette Stadium, the Hatch Shell, and Fenway Park. Since it was launched ten years ago, VOH has donated $681,000 to cancer research and specifically over a half million to the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at the MGH Cancer Center.

Founder and president Greg Chastain says, "I am most proud of the fact that this organization not only supports cancer research but has become a tight-knit community where people from all walks of life and talent can come to sing, dance, tech, build, paint or just support each other in their daily lives. Many of our members are cancer survivors or family members/friends of survivors or are there supporting the memory of loved ones they have lost to cancer. Cancer is a club nobody has asked to be in but we have become a family that not only works many hours to support our goals and mission but is there to support others when they need it the most. Many tell us VOH is a second family who they love and can't wait to spend time with each week."

Everyone has been touched by cancer in one way or another in their lives, won't you please join this wonderful group in raising money for the fight against this dreaded disease?

To learn more about Voices of Hope, upcoming performances (such as the "Country 4 A Cure" concert and "TITANIC the Musical"), or how you can be involved and support their efforts, visit voicesofhopeboston.org.