The Alpha Nu chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international honor society of women educators, hosted Keith and Kristina Fenimore, founders of the Kin Wellness and Support Center in Furlong. The gathering took place at Peddler’s Village in Lahaska.
The topic was the “C” word: Cancer. The word that people never want to hear and often hesitate to say out loud. Yet, the word, like a thief, lurks in everyone’s universe.
My eyes scanned the room, knowing that individual facial expressions would reveal how close Keith’s words reached the reality of their lives.
Six feet from Keith sat a woman who is living with a cancer diagnosis. I turned my head and viewed others that were gripping the Executive Director of Kin’s words more intensely than others. The informative slides were not startling news to them.
The Kin Wellness and Support Center began with a wish of a cancer patient, Corinne Sikora. Corinne wanted a place that those on their cancer journey could go to gather, to relax, and to feel whole again. Ms. Sikora passed away on November 25, 2020, but her unselfish wish will live on through the efforts of passionate and continuous community support.
Keith and Kristina heard Ms. Sikora’s story. However, they did not just listen to the story of a cancer patient, they “jumped into the story” with both feet. Both had a background in marketing and had experience working in the entertainment industry. They knew how to reach out and to make a single idea something bigger. They had the passion and the energy to ignite their excitement, but they had no experience in running an integrative holistic cancer center. The couple had little experience in the world of non-profits, outside of the work that they did with Main St., which they launched in 2018. They also had two kids, demanding jobs, and a mortgage.
What they needed was their community and their community did not disappoint them.
In December of 2021, 2325 Heritage Center Drive in Furlong was opened. Over 250 thousand dollars was raised to remodel the building. Hendrixson’s Furniture supplied the comfortable furniture. Treatment beds were donated. Flowers and pictures donated created an environment for warmth and relaxation. Kin does not look like a hospital or a clinic. It is a beautiful retreat that heartens emotional and physical healing.
All Bucks County residents coming through the doors of Kin are provided free services. All individuals that run programs receive no salary. They offer their services to provide kinship and kindness to others in need. They are people helping people.
The Kin Welcome and Support Center is given the breath of life through the unremitting effort of numerous local businesses and donors. Each day, a variety of cancer support is in full gear. Cooking classes, yoga fitness, and therapeutic massage are only a small sampling of what is available at Kin.
Each new patient receives a Comfort Bag. Alpha Nu has donated over 100 bags to the Kin Wellness and Support Center. Each Comfort Bag includes items that provide comfort: a sudoku game, word searches, fuzzy socks, Chapstick, mints, candy, and hand sanitizer.
All throughout Keith’s presentation, I heard the words, “free, no cost,” I wondered, how does this couple pay the lease on this building and pay for all the costs of running a venture of this magnitude? The Annual Kin Golf Classic, The Be Kind 5k and 1 Mile Fun Run are just a few of the exciting initiatives to raise money for this worthy cause. Ways to support the Kin Center are best explained on Kin’s detailed website (www.welcometokin.org). However, the one that had our group laughing was “Mischief Night for a Cause.” Keith and Kristina invite the community to toilet paper their home on mischief night, rain or shine, and the charge is five dollars a roll. Keith says, “You can toilet paper my entire property.” All proceeds benefit local breast cancer patients through the couple's Main St. Organization. Past mischief nights have generated lucrative funds, massive cleanup, and amusing stories to share.
Although it was Corinne Sikora’s wish to see her vision come to life, her family recognized that Corinne would not have wanted the center to bear her name, as it had been initially. The name was changed to “Kin” to represent the kinship and kindness that it takes to begin with a wish and build on a dream.
At the conclusion of the presentation, I looked to my left, and said to my friend who knows cancer too well, “What are you thinking?”
She responded, “That was so meaningful to me.”
I encourage everyone to go to the website, educate yourself on what is available for you or someone that you love or know facing cancer in Bucks County.
Go for a visit at the Kin Wellness and Support Center.
As Keith says, “Step inside, feel the message of what giving can do.”
