Every year, The Ithaca Times commits one of its cover stories to a number of non-profits in town we think have missions worth supporting. After examining a number of the plethora of groups in town looking to make our community a better place, we’ve identified seven groups we think are worth your time – and money – this holiday season.

The Boutique at the Cancer Resource Center

As one of the most vital auxiliary service providers for cancer patients in Tompkins County, the Cancer Resource Center was the beneficiary of $1,800 in funds to purchase wigs at its free boutique, a unique resource for anyone going through cancer treatment who may have need of it. In stock: an assortment of hats, scarves, mastectomy bras and wigs, which the current grant received from the Community Foundation will go to fund.

“When women are going through cancer, it’s obviously something that can be affecting them physically, like losing their hair from chemotherapy,” said Megan Crow, Executive Director of the Cancer Resource Center. “It’s really important for them to feel good about themselves, even while they’re going through medical treatments that affect their own outward appearance […] they start to feel impacted and maybe self-conscious, maybe lacking some self esteem they had.”

The funding the group received matters largely, Crow said, because of the importance there is to have a wide range of wigs to match the wide variety of styles clients may have. Annually, Crow estimates close to 300 people from the surrounding counties can use the boutique in some way in a given year, one of the additional services they may discover through their support groups or through one of the foundation’s volunteers working directly in the hallways of Cayuga Medical Center, with whom the center has a direct partnership.

“It’s important for women in the community to feel good about themselves, even if they may not feel so good on the inside,” said Crow.

Want to donate? Visit crcfl.net and click on the “Ways To Give” tab.