The unique fundraising experience Oct. 15 will bring the community together while raising funds for Summit Health Cares’ Cancer Comfort Project, which offers programs and resources to help patients maintain their emotional, physical and spiritual well-being throughout treatment

Summit Health Cares will be hosting its second-annual Summit Challenge on Oct. 15 at Mount Carmel Society, located at 56 River Road in Berkeley Heights. This unique fundraising experience will bring the community together while raising funds for Summit Health Cares’ Cancer Comfort Project.

Summit Challengers will take on a multilevel obstacle course, running from one stop to the next and taking on challenges that will include jumping, crawling, balancing and climbing. The course will be surrounded by a festival of food, entertainment and a kid zone for friends, family and teammates to enjoy. People of all athletic abilities are invited to become a Summit Challenger as a Solo Challenger or Team to take on the obstacle course and help raise funds for Summit Health Cares’ Cancer Comfort Project. The Comfort Project offers multiple resources, from one[1]on-one patient navigation services helping individuals access community resources to movement and mindfulness classes; pet therapy; relaxing music and a Patient-in-Need fund, which provides grants to help with critical, nonmedical expenses. Everything the Comfort Project offers is to help reduce the stress and anxiety for patients and their families fighting cancer so they can focus on their treatment.

Everyone in the community is invited to participate and make an impact for the Summit Health Cancer Care Program.

“I am grateful to Summit Health Cares for the variety of programs they schedule monthly,” said Donna, a patient and participant in the Comfort Project programs. “I participate regularly in Qi Gong, Reiki and Jin Shin Jyutsu, and I believe they have helped me control physical symptoms related to treatments, manage my stress, maintain a sense of well-being and take a more active role in my own healing.”

While conventional therapies are helpful for many people fighting cancer, offering a range of additional services allows patients and families to build a comprehensive, whole-person approach that works best for them. Summit Health Cares’ Cancer Comfort Project offers programs and resources to help patients maintain their emotional, physical and spiritual well-being throughout treatment, increasing quality of life and chances of survival.

“Patients going through their chemotherapy journey are going through a very tough time,” said Gisele Raphael, RN, office supervisor in Hematology[1]Oncology at Summit Health. “They have all different kinds of needs, and these programs are helping them. The Summit Health Cares volunteers support the patients. They sit down and listen to their needs and always strive to find a way to help them.”

For information about the Summit Challenge, to register as a Summit Challenger, to join the Summit Challenge virtually, or to make a donation, visit TakeTheSummitChallenge.com.

Everyone in the community is invited to participate and make an impact for the Summit Health Cancer Care Program. For information about the Summit Challenge, to register as a Summit Challenger, to join the Summit Challenge virtually, or to make a donation, visit TakeTheSummitChallenge.com.

“Saying YES to participating in the Summit Challenge will bring us together as one powerful community in support of friends and families who are going through their cancer journey and help alleviate the associated burdens,” said Dr. Laura Balsamini, this year’s Summit Challenge Event Chair. She invites everyone to join her by stepping up to the challenge — where the reward to yourself and those with cancer is priceless!

The course will be surrounded by a festival of food, entertainment and a kid zone for friends, family and teammates to enjoy.

About Summit Health Cares

Summit Health Cares focuses on supporting our neighbors in underserved communities across New York, New Jersey and Oregon, helping them gain access to the medical, educational and social services they need to live a healthier life. The foundation was established in 2013 by Summit Health, New Jersey’s oldest and largest private multispecialty medical group. Learn more about Summit Health Cares at sh-cares.org.