Blanket Warmers for Cancer Patients
Tax deductible
Make a Difference Foundation is a Florida-based, non-profit organization committed to inspiring others to build a better world by making a positive difference in the lives of those in need.
Why Blanket Warmers?
It is not unusual for patients undergoing chemotherapy to experience feeling excessively and painfully cold during and following treatment. This 'freezing' is believed to be a side effect of treatment lowering the body's white blood cell count. Platelets are one of the three kinds of blood cells that circulate oxygen throughout the human body. If there are not enough of them, the body doesn't get enough oxygen, which means anemia can develop, causing a patient to feel cold, among other side effects. Loss of weight and iron deficiency which may result from chemo can also contribute to the body's inability to generate heat.
Make a Difference Foundation Co-Founder Dave Norris learned this firsthand when he underwent chemotherapy to combat stomach cancer at Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The unrelenting sensation of cold which caused him to dress in multiple layers and even wear mittens in the middle of Florida's hot summer, is an experience that Make a Difference Foundation is dedicated to help mitigate for other cancer patients.
More specifically, Make a Difference Foundation is committed to providing critically needed commercial blanket warmers to FCS, the largest independent medical oncology/hematology practice in the U.S., operating 90 cancer centers - 55 offering state-of-the-art chemotherapy - in the state of Florida and administering over 1 million patient visits each year. Since launching the Blanket Warmers for Cancer Patients initiative in December 2016, Make A Difference Foundation has raised nearly $50,000 from individual donors and corporate sponsors, allowing us to donate blanket warmers to six FCS chemotherapy centers located in Lakewood Ranch, Orlando, Gainesville, St. Petersburg, Pasadena and Seabring.
We Need Your Help!
While we are very grateful for the generous donations and support we’ve received thus far, our goal to equip all 55 FCS chemotherapy centers with blanket warmers will require total funding of $250,000. Please consider donating and please help us spread the word.
Thank you so much for taking the time to view our page. We are extremely passionate about this cause and we truly believe we can make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of cancer patients each year by providing them with much needed warmth and comfort. With your help, we can achieve this important goal!
Together, We Can Make A Difference!
Our Story
When first meeting our founders Dave and Bobbi Norris, it becomes immediately apparent that they are both extraordinarily kind, thoughtful people who are guided by an unwavering faith in God and love of family. Moreover, they are two people who have been blessed with successful professional careers which have rewarded them with abundance and financial prosperity, allowing them to travel the globe, experience new cultures and meet people in all walks of life -- none of which they have ever taken for granted.
In fact, bound together by the same core values and passion for helping others, Dave and Bobbi have always endeavored to identify opportunities that would allow them to "give back," "pay-it-forward," and generally do good for those in need. They achieved this by being doting, loving parents and grandparents and loyal friends and business partners; playing active roles in their church; ministering to inmates in local county correctional facilities; volunteering their time to many civic causes; donating dollars to various charities around the country; and generally extending simple kindnesses to people with financial, physical or emotional needs.
Never hesitating to ask "how can we help?", they were good people doing good deeds, leading fulfilling lives surrounded by people they loved and respected. Life couldn't be any better... until it was not.
In 2015, Dave was diagnosed with Metastatic Gastric Adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer that is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Despite being given a grim prognosis and knocking their lives topsy-turvy, Dave and Bobbi systematically approached Dave's care and treatment with the same conviction and positive attitudes that had come to define their lives up until that pivotal time. Given their deep trust in God's loving care and through relentless prayer, the miracle of modern medicine and the tireless support of their family, friends and world class care providers, Dave and Bobbi prevailed. Following months of aggressive, grueling treatment, tests revealed that no cancer cells had survived in Dave's body.
Profoundly thankful for God's healing grace, Dave and Bobbi determined that it was incumbent upon them to do more - to take their philanthropic efforts to the next level, committing to finding ways to inspire others to help them make a positive difference in more people's lives through simple kindnesses. Thus, the Make a Difference Foundation took flight.
Today, the Make a Difference Foundation is dedicated to raising funds and providing critical resources to actively support charitable programs that are squarely aligned with Dave and Bobbi's underpinning values; and offer people in need essential comfort, family assistance and opportunities for personal growth.
Visit our Media Center to view more photos, videos and local news coverage: Go to Make A Difference Foundation Website
Why Blanket Warmers?
It is not unusual for patients undergoing chemotherapy to experience feeling excessively and painfully cold during and following treatment. This 'freezing' is believed to be a side effect of treatment lowering the body's white blood cell count. Platelets are one of the three kinds of blood cells that circulate oxygen throughout the human body. If there are not enough of them, the body doesn't get enough oxygen, which means anemia can develop, causing a patient to feel cold, among other side effects. Loss of weight and iron deficiency which may result from chemo can also contribute to the body's inability to generate heat.
Make a Difference Foundation Co-Founder Dave Norris learned this firsthand when he underwent chemotherapy to combat stomach cancer at Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The unrelenting sensation of cold which caused him to dress in multiple layers and even wear mittens in the middle of Florida's hot summer, is an experience that Make a Difference Foundation is dedicated to help mitigate for other cancer patients.
More specifically, Make a Difference Foundation is committed to providing critically needed commercial blanket warmers to FCS, the largest independent medical oncology/hematology practice in the U.S., operating 90 cancer centers - 55 offering state-of-the-art chemotherapy - in the state of Florida and administering over 1 million patient visits each year. Since launching the Blanket Warmers for Cancer Patients initiative in December 2016, Make A Difference Foundation has raised nearly $50,000 from individual donors and corporate sponsors, allowing us to donate blanket warmers to six FCS chemotherapy centers located in Lakewood Ranch, Orlando, Gainesville, St. Petersburg, Pasadena and Seabring.
We Need Your Help!
While we are very grateful for the generous donations and support we’ve received thus far, our goal to equip all 55 FCS chemotherapy centers with blanket warmers will require total funding of $250,000. Please consider donating and please help us spread the word.
Thank you so much for taking the time to view our page. We are extremely passionate about this cause and we truly believe we can make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of cancer patients each year by providing them with much needed warmth and comfort. With your help, we can achieve this important goal!
Together, We Can Make A Difference!
Our Story
When first meeting our founders Dave and Bobbi Norris, it becomes immediately apparent that they are both extraordinarily kind, thoughtful people who are guided by an unwavering faith in God and love of family. Moreover, they are two people who have been blessed with successful professional careers which have rewarded them with abundance and financial prosperity, allowing them to travel the globe, experience new cultures and meet people in all walks of life -- none of which they have ever taken for granted.
In fact, bound together by the same core values and passion for helping others, Dave and Bobbi have always endeavored to identify opportunities that would allow them to "give back," "pay-it-forward," and generally do good for those in need. They achieved this by being doting, loving parents and grandparents and loyal friends and business partners; playing active roles in their church; ministering to inmates in local county correctional facilities; volunteering their time to many civic causes; donating dollars to various charities around the country; and generally extending simple kindnesses to people with financial, physical or emotional needs.
Never hesitating to ask "how can we help?", they were good people doing good deeds, leading fulfilling lives surrounded by people they loved and respected. Life couldn't be any better... until it was not.
In 2015, Dave was diagnosed with Metastatic Gastric Adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer that is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Despite being given a grim prognosis and knocking their lives topsy-turvy, Dave and Bobbi systematically approached Dave's care and treatment with the same conviction and positive attitudes that had come to define their lives up until that pivotal time. Given their deep trust in God's loving care and through relentless prayer, the miracle of modern medicine and the tireless support of their family, friends and world class care providers, Dave and Bobbi prevailed. Following months of aggressive, grueling treatment, tests revealed that no cancer cells had survived in Dave's body.
Profoundly thankful for God's healing grace, Dave and Bobbi determined that it was incumbent upon them to do more - to take their philanthropic efforts to the next level, committing to finding ways to inspire others to help them make a positive difference in more people's lives through simple kindnesses. Thus, the Make a Difference Foundation took flight.
Today, the Make a Difference Foundation is dedicated to raising funds and providing critical resources to actively support charitable programs that are squarely aligned with Dave and Bobbi's underpinning values; and offer people in need essential comfort, family assistance and opportunities for personal growth.
Visit our Media Center to view more photos, videos and local news coverage: Go to Make A Difference Foundation Website
Organizer
Bobbi Norris
Organizer
Bradenton, FL
Inmate Ministry Foundation Inc
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
