Everyday Akron Stories, Non-Profit Feature

Life Is Good No Matter What | Non-Profit Feature

Rachel Whinnery, creator of Everyday Akron

How and when did the non-profit get started? 

Life Is Good No Matter What was set up to honor Holly Sneider of Milan, Ohio, who died in 2011 at the age of 39. She was a wife and mother of 3 young children and always maintained a positive attitude – she would sign her (public) Care Pages with “Life is Good No Matter What” when providing updates.

In 2011, Holly passed away, but her dream to help others did not. In 2012, the 501-(C)(3), Life is Good No Matter What (LIGNMW), was incorporated in Akron and is dedicated to helping adults with cancer step away from the schedules, medicines, and treatments and live the life they have to fullest.

What are the mission and vision of the non-profit?

In short, our mission is to provide escapes and Good Deliveries to adults with cancer in Northeast Ohio.

Our vision for the future is to continue the mission inspired by Holly a decade ago. By deepening our local partnerships, strengthening our relationships in the medical community, and mobilizing teams of passionate volunteers, we are committed to granting 100 more escapes by 2023 to those who need it most.

What is your focus in now? Who do you help and why? 

As stated, we are focused on providing escapes and Good Deliveries to adults with cancer in Northeast Ohio.

We offer two forms of respite for adults with cancer in Northeast Ohio. First, our traditional escape, which we view as any form of a break from the stress, schedules, medicines, and treatments. And, secondly, our Good Delivery Program, which seeks to deliver good to those who may be unable to leave their homes.

Both traditional escapes and the Good Delivery Program are open to all adults battling cancer. Recipients can be nominated by someone they know or via self-nomination. Recipients must have a valid cancer diagnosis (any type of cancer, any stage accepted) and be an adult over the age of 18 years of age living in Northeast Ohio.

Whether it be a destination vacation or much closer to home, we aim to provide recipients respite from the stress of fighting cancer. We work closely with them to plan escapes or deliveries that meet their needs, wants, and healthcare requirements.

Where is the non-profit headed? What do you hope to accomplish in the future? 

By deepening our local partnerships, strengthening our relationships in the medical community, and mobilizing teams of passionate volunteers, we are committed to granting 100 more escapes by 2023 to those who need it most.

How can people get involved?

1) Refer Someone You Know (or yourself!)
Recipients are often referred by physicians and other medical personnel, as well as caretakers, family, and friends. Once a referral is made, medical eligibility is then confirmed with the prospective recipient’s health care team.

Life Is Good No Matter What respects the privacy of our recipients and follows guidelines to ensure patient confidentiality during the referral, interview and selection process.

2) Give Any Way You Can
We are indebted to the contributions of individual donors, corporate sponsors, planned giving, grants, and in-kind donations of goods and services such as meals, entertainment, sports tickets, frequent flier miles, and hotel points.

We cover the costs associated with sending the recipient and a select number of family members or friends. Per escape, the costs may range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the person’s wishes.

PLUS!
We welcome donations, volunteers for escape and delivery planning, and event support. Board member applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

We are celebrating our 10th anniversary of existence this year (2022), and we appreciate any community support we receive through donations or event attendance that will hopefully help propel us forward into our next 10 years!

Follow Life Is Good No Matter What on social media 

You can also visit the Life Is Good No Matter What website or contact the organization via email.

Special thanks to Julia Hada, Board Chair of Life Is Good No Matter What, for sending these answers and providing photos. If you’d like a non-profit you’re involved with to be featured on the Everyday Akron blog, sign up today.