Small is beautiful. Surely, this is why many of us choose to live on this rock surrounded by saltwater where there is no anonymity. Our kids' teachers are also our neighbours. We consider the person who picks up our garbage a personal friend. We know the names of all the dogs who frequent the off-leash zone at the park. Everywhere we go, we feel connected.
And we feel responsible for the well-being of our neighbours and acquaintances even when we don't know them all that well. When someone has a baby or loses a loved one, we step in to help or at least to make sure they have one less meal to cook. When someone gets sick we do the same. Looking back on 2017, the year she went through cancer treatment, Katherine Wolters describes the situation like this:
I had a group of people who rallied around to help with my daughter, who was eight at the time. We had a shared Google calendar so everyone could ensure that she was always cared for after school, or on the days where she wasn't in school. I'd check in with the group every week or so.
It's great to have this kind of social network but faced with a cancer diagnosis, not everyone is in the mood for reaching out. And that’s where the SwimBowen Cancer Care Fund steps up to the plate: the society’s nimble, accessible approach can pivot and respond more easily than a larger organization offering the same kind of financial support. A quick Google search of similar funds across Canada and the U.S. reveals that potential recipients must fill out an onerous application, proving income (some applications request you prove you are at poverty level) and expenses in order to receive support. SwimBowen has intentionally made the application process as straightforward as possible. The potential recipient needs only to prove that he or she is in active cancer treatment. It’s hard enough to ask for help; proving you need that help can bring you to your knees.
“You are in shock, you are immobilized,” says Mary Letson, reflecting on her own diagnosis in 2012. “You might have to consider shutting your life down for a year. You might just want to dig yourself a hole and hide away.”
There are decisions to make, and making those decisions requires energy and focus, which is really hard when you are facing a cancer diagnosis.
“We're all little snowflakes out there in the desert of dealing with cancer treatment,” says Mary, founder of SwimBowen. “Everyone needs something different to help them through what's likely going to be the hardest full-time job they are ever going to have.”
For some people, that means massage or physiotherapy. For others, it's getting nice lunches or special coffees on the days they need to go to the city for tests. Some people might use the money to help cover extra childcare costs.
“(The Cancer Care Fund) is about more than self-care,” says Mary. “It's for whatever you need, and you just need to fill out the form.”
If there is a “Bowen way” to do business, and a “Bowen way” to getting things done, SwimBowen might just epitomize the “Bowen way” of charitable giving. Ground your operations in trust and simplicity, in the plain fact that every individual here is connected in a tangible way. Remember that while it’s not always easy being small, the size of our community and our organizations makes it possible to be nimble and flexible – and to make an outsized impact.
