It is along side my nephew, the founder of Summer Hope, and the rest of my family and friends that I am able to give back the HOPE I used to survive my battle with cancer to other mothers and their children who must endure the hardships that cancer causes. My two sons had to face the reality of my cancer diagnosis and treatment regimen. As a mother you never want your children to suffer. It's not fair and it's not easy, but they rose to the challenges, leaving me no choice but to do the same.

The Annie Alahverdian Fund’s A Mother’s Gift scholarship has been created by Summer Hope to acknowledge that the children of cancer patients are also, in their own way, survivors. Cancer is not an individualized disease; it affects family, friends and love ones alike. Every year, Summer Hope invites high school seniors across Long Island to write an essay on how cancer has affected their lives. We aren’t only providing a monetary award to the winners of the scholarship, but also an outlet possibly not otherwise provided to all students who submit an essay for consideration.This scholarship is very close to my heart, and I hope that many more seniors will take the opportunity to apply in the years to come.

In 2010, The Annie Alahverdian Fund for Mother’s with Cancer started an annual team at the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Jones Beach, to celebrate battles with Breast Cancer such as mine, and to remember those lost to Breast Cancer, like my mother and mother-in-law. The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Jones Beach is the biggest single-day walk in the country (a non-competitive 5K along the board walk of New York’s famed Jones Beach State Park), and we are proud to be a part of it. If you would like to honor someone who has been through the journey with Breast Cancer that I have faced, or remember someone who was lost to Breast Cancer please support our team by joining or donating.

Yours In Hope,
Annie Alahverdian
Board Member, The Summer Hope Foundation