annual report 2006-2007:
president's message

In last year's annual report, we told you how 2005-2006 was a year devoted to building our “foundation” – a year in which we concentrated on ensuring we had the right mix of staff, solid policies, systems and procedures, and were maximizing occupancy rates, efficiencies and utilization of space in Sorrentino's Compassion House. We also consulted extensively with our colleagues in the breast cancer community, with women with breast cancer in Edmonton, and with our former guests. Our strengthened foundation and understanding of the needs of our current and former guests has enabled us to move forward in 2006-2007 in terms of planning for the future.

Our planning has focused on addressing two questions. First – now that we are satisfied that we can do no more to maximize efficiencies and the utilization of space in Sorrentino's Compassion House, how can we best address the growing need for accommodation for women with breast cancer in Northern Alberta? Over the past year, Sorrentino's Compassion House continued to operate at 100% occupancy and we turned down 58 requests for rooms, as compared to 16 in the previous year.

Recent projections by the Cross Cancer Institute forecast that by 2018, it is expected that 1,720 new breast cancer patients per year from Northern Alberta will be attending the Cross Cancer Institute for diagnosis and treatment compared with 1059 in 2003 – a 62% increase. We have also been advised that many more women than we are aware of would seek accommodation in Sorrentino's Compassion House, but do not even request a place when they learn we are at full capacity during the time of their treatments.

We are increasingly concerned about these numbers and how we will meet future needs if we cannot even meet the need now. To this end, in 2006-2007 we began to look seriously at building a second Compassion House and purchased the lot next to the lot we already own adjacent to Sorrentino's Compassion House. We agreed to conduct a feasibility study to formally assess the need and potential for building a second house. Our consultations continue as we file this annual report.

The second question we have been addressing in our planning is if there is more we could be doing to support our former guests when they return to their communities. Our guests have told us that they miss the friendship and support they received from each other throughout their stay at Sorrentino's Compassion House and further, that they were not prepared for the various post-treatment issues and concerns they faced when they returned to their communities. To address this need we formed a partnership with Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, and now offer former guests a program to help them cope with survivorship and to start to build their own community support networks. As a result, our former guests are supporting other women with breast cancer in their communities. We plan to continue to offer annual retreats to allow our former guests to re-connect and to learn more about post treatment issues and concerns, and developing peer support networks.

A milestone of note in 2006-2007 was the celebration of the tenth anniversary of Fashion with Compassion – The Perfect Ten. It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since our founding members launched the first fashion show that subsequently became the basis of the Compassion House Foundation. Again, this year we received overwhelming support from the Edmonton community and our many retail and corporate sponsors.

Finally, I would like acknowledge Carmelo and Stella Rago. We are so grateful to Carmelo and Stella, and their families, for their ongoing encouragement and commitment.

All the activities and successes of the past year have involved an incredible amount of dedication and support from Board members, staff, volunteers, neighbors and friends – thank you all. I am personally very grateful for the support I have received as President of the Foundation and look forward to continuing to serve on the executive in what promises to be a significant year ahead for our Foundation.

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne Berger
President
Board of Directors