Lauren Barnes

"CSC is the organization you don’t know you need until you need it."

Lauren Barnes

Promises Made, Promises Kept

As I prepared to write this letter to you, I wondered how I could best describe the past year and the work we’ve done. In the end, I realized it wasn’t so much an adjective but an attitude. A set of values that informs everything we do: Promises Made, Promises Kept.

As we met the on-going challenges of COVID and social change, we became a more nimble, proactive, and inclusive organization that in 2021 reached 1.6 million people impacted by cancer, providing over $50 million of free services to patients, families, and caregivers.

A Few Highlights

We kept our promise to underserved communities by expanding our outreach, programs, and support to communities as diverse and as different as the Navajo Nation in Montana and Wards 7 and 8 in Washington, D.C.

We kept our promise to the medical community by supporting oncology practitioners with practical and actionable guidance on managing burnout and other challenges that keep them from the work they love.

We kept our promise to patients around the country with new network partnerships that embraced them online and in person, offering community and connection, along with the most up-to-date, comprehensive, and accessible educational materials on clinical trials, treatment options, drug development, and research.

We kept our promise to the cancer community at large by continuing to work with all levels of government, including the White House, to ensure that patient-centered care remained at the top of their agenda and policy deliberations.

CSC is the organization you don’t know you need until you need it. For 40 years, we’ve been a trusted source of information and comfort, helping patients break through the noise and confusion that accompanies a diagnosis and beyond.

But we cannot do it without you—our partners, donors, and friends. Thank you for your unflagging generosity as we strive together to make—and keep—promises to all those who need us. Now and in the years to come.

Lauren Barnes Board Chair

I would like to recognize the enormous contributions of my fellow board member Ken Scalet, who served as interim CEO. Under his stewardship, our exceptionally talented team stayed focused on delivering the gold standard of care for which we are known and helped forge even stronger bonds between our network partners. We are grateful to him for taking such an active role in keeping CSC vibrant and responsive to the needs of the community we serve.