When Lisa asked me to write a guest blog, she told me to write about whatever stood out to me as an intern. It did not take me long to decide what I wanted to write about. ColorCancer is special. After being an unpaid intern for a month, I can honestly say ColorCancer has become so dear to me. I wish I could work here forever. It is different than any other organization I have been a part of for many reasons; its a family, driven by passion, without boundaries.
ColorCancer is a family. Even as an intern I feel like part of a team that is truly valued and needed. Getting to work in an office where I can joke with my boss, and have flexible hours has made me feel like I am on this mission too. I want to see ColorCancer succeed, and I’ll work hard so that it will.
The staff of ColorCancer are some of the most passionate people I have met. I have never heard anyone talk about needing a bigger salary, but I have heard “With that money we could serve so many more cancer patients” plenty of times. Money donated to ColorCancer goes to serve patients in the greater Austin area directly, because that is what the staff is passionate about; helping people.
The last thing that makes ColorCancer so special is that ColorCancer truly has no bounds. We don’t care about economic status or income, if someone has cancer and gets referred to us, we provide cancer support. We don’t cap the amount of products a CaredFOR can choose, we just fill the need. The title CareBOX is misleading. Personally, I have delivered over 800 wipes to a baby enduring cancer treatment, and over $1000 worth of care supplies to ONE CaredFOR. ColorCancer serves all types of cancers, not just a select few. Any type of cancer is scary and we hate that, so we work to make it better.
I am happier working at ColorCancer than I have ever been working for a salary. It is so worth it, to donate my time and my money here. The thank you notes we receive and the looks on the faces of our CaredFOR’s families as we bring in box after box of care supplies are my paycheck and I am happy with that, because ColorCancer is so much more than a workplace for me. ColorCancer is a continually growing family with small pockets and big hearts.
Katie Montgomery
