by Kelly Allen | September 17, 2008

OVIEDO - Last Saturday, Compassionate Hands and Hearts celebrated their first year of lending a helping hand to women who are battling breast cancer.

Compassionate Hands and Hearts is a homegrown nonprofit organization created by Vanessa Echols, a breast cancer survivor and news anchor for channel 9. The organization's mission is "to extend our hands and hearts to support those needing help battling breast cancer by improving the quality of life for them and their families."

Echols listed some examples Saturday of the support she and other volunteers have provided over the last year. Some support helped with physical needs.

"For one patient we provided laundry services for a month because when you're going through chemo you don't want to think about house chores," Echols said at the celebration.

Other support included providing transportation to and from doctor's appointments, putting up Christmas decorations for a single mother and giving a makeover and day of pampering. But at other times, Echols says, support can be as simple as a shoulder to lean on.

"With us they can just vent and be themselves, and they can complain and then we say, 'OK complaining time is over, let's get back to the task at hand,'" Echols said in a previous interview. "If you need cheering up, six volunteers are going to show up and we have gift baskets and we're being very silly and we're encouraging you, and not a lot of organizations are going to do that."

Because Compassionate Hands and Hearts is not affiliated with a national organization, the wait time between when help is requested and help is provided is much shorter. There is no board of directors to approve help, and Echols's goal is to provide help to everyone who asks.

Nita Howard, a volunteer and a breast cancer survivor, said the support the organization provides is crucial to the women undergoing treatment.

"A very significant body part is being either treated or removed and a lot of people get very depressed," Howard said. "The emotional support I believe is just as important as the physical support."

Saturday's celebration, which took place at the Oviedo Woman's Club on King Street, was also a time for organizations, businesses and those affected by breast cancer to network.

Several groups were present, including KAM Cancer Connection, Cancer Care Foundation of Brevard, Sisters Network, the Breast Cancer Center of Florida, Ourhometowndirectory.com, Studio CARA and many others.

Nancy Keane and her daughter Maria Shafer are still in the process of getting KAM Cancer Connection off the ground. Their organization, based in Lake County, is named after Keane's oldest daughter, Karen, who died of breast cancer.

KAM will help connect cancer patients who are uninsured get connected with help in paying their medical expenses. Having several family members who have battled cancer, Keane knows how expensive medical bills are. The nonprofit will also offer one-on-one mentoring and help for caregivers.

"I was the daytime caregiver, I know what that's like," Keane said.

Keane and Shafer supported Echols and Compassionate Hands and Hearts Saturday because Echols helped them get their organization off the ground.

"She was a great help," Keane said. "... We've become close friends."

Saturday was also a time for Echols to recognize two volunteers with a service award and a volunteer of the year award. Howard, who created and maintains the organization's Web site, received the service award. Jacqueline Randolph - a "super volunteer," Echols says - received volunteer of the year.

"I think giving back to the community is a way to encourage other people to get out and help others," Randolph said in a previous interview. "To volunteer, it's not always about a dollar amount. It's about reaching out to others and being compassionate."

For more information about getting help or how to volunteer, call 407-864-6458 or visit www.compassionatehandsandhearts.org.