You’ve heard of “eating local,” but have you thought about “giving local?” While national organizations have their benefits, the transparency and direct effects of donating to a local charity can’t be ignored. Organizations like Sense of Security and AMC Cancer Fund are doing work that benefits cancer patients in Colorado.

SENSE OF SECURITY Based in Broomfield, Sense of Security helps breast cancer patients pay their bills each month. “Some people who have breast cancer have insurance, and chances are they’re fine,” executive director Rita McCoy says. “Their company will help them though it. But most of our patients come to us because they can no longer perform the work they were doing before and lose their jobs. We want to cover their basic household needs so they can concentrate on going through treatment.”

Sense of Security has helped more than 800 patients throughout Colorado since 2000. Much of their funding comes from individual and corporate donors. “We cover the whole state of Colorado,” McCoy says. “We’ve found there is a flood of people who need this assistance. One of the ways we get people off the waitlist, so to speak, is to have more funders and donors to help.”

Get Involved: Sense of Security offers tax-deductible “Birds of a Feather” notecards for purchase, or RSVP to Penny Parker’s 3rd Annual Evening of Decadent Delights, a fundraising dinner at Coohills Restaurant on April 10th.

THE AMC CANCER FUND The AMC Cancer Fund, in Denver, raises money for the University of Colorado Cancer Center. “We have one of the top cancer centers in the U.S. in our own backyard,” AMC Cancer Fund’s Brianna Firestone says. “I think it’s important to fund that. If, god forbid, you or a loved one gets cancer, that’s going to be your best bet.”

The cancer fund is committed to making sure donors can see–and specify–where their money goes. “People can always call us and specify where money should go,” Firestone says. “If someone wants to raise money for a specific doctor or a specific type of research, we’re open to that.”

Get Involved: The AMC Cancer Fund holds the Gift of Life and Breath 5K in May, which raises funds for the early detection of lung cancer.

—Image courtesy of AMC Cancer Fund