Good Neighbor Podcast: Pittsburgh
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Pittsburgh. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Leila Carter helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Pittsburgh
E16: Finding Community: Cancer Bridges' Comprehensive Support System
What makes Stephanie Ciranni with Cancer Bridges a good neighbor?
Finding community during a cancer journey can make all the difference—not just for those diagnosed, but for everyone affected by this life-altering disease. Cancer Bridges stands as a beacon of support in Pittsburgh, offering a remarkable safety net for individuals and families navigating the complex emotional terrain that comes with cancer.
Stephanie Ciranni, Executive Director of Cancer Bridges, brings warmth and personal experience to her leadership role. Having started as a kitchen volunteer making meals for members, Stephanie's journey exemplifies how passion and purpose can align. Her transition from the for-profit sector to nonprofit leadership wasn't without challenges, but as she puts it, "Ten out of ten, I will say it was a big major life change for me, but it has been worth every single minute."
What sets Cancer Bridges apart is their inclusive approach to cancer support. With nearly 200 free monthly programs, they serve anyone impacted by cancer—patients, survivors, caregivers, family members, and those grieving losses. Their family and youth programs fill a crucial gap, helping children understand and process a loved one's diagnosis. This comprehensive support acknowledges that cancer affects entire family systems, not just individuals.
Perhaps most remarkable is that everything Cancer Bridges offers is completely free. In a healthcare landscape often defined by financial barriers, they've removed cost as an obstacle to receiving emotional and social support. With over 18,000 members served and approximately 100 new members joining monthly, their impact on the Pittsburgh community continues to grow.
The most common refrain they hear? "I wish I would have known about your services sooner." If you or someone you know has been affected by cancer, reach out to Cancer Bridges. Whether you need support or can help spread the word about their services, you'll be connecting with a community that understands the entirety of the cancer experience.
To learn more about Cancer Bridges go to:
Cancer Bridges
(412)338-1919
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lila Carter.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a cancer support community? One might be closer than you think. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, stephanie Cerani, with Cancer Bridges. Stephanie, how's it going?
Speaker 3:Good Lila, it's so nice to see you. Thank you for having me today.
Speaker 2:Thanks for being here. We're excited to learn all about you and your nonprofit. Tell us about your organization.
Speaker 3:Sure Well, Cancer Bridges is a nonprofit. We're located right here in Pittsburgh, in the Strip District, and we provide free programs and services to anyone impacted by cancer, whether someone who's been diagnosed, or they are a friend of family, member, of caretaker, survivor or someone who has lost someone to a cancer diagnosis. So we offer free social, emotional and health and wellness programs of just under 200 programs a month to the community. Wow, how impactful. How did you get into?
Speaker 2:this business.
Speaker 3:Oh, I have a kind of a fun story. Actually, I became executive director of the organization just a few years back, but I've actually been involved with them for about 10 years. Years back, but I've actually been involved with them for about 10 years. I started as a volunteer. Actually, I was making meals in the kitchen and working at the front desk of Cancer Bridges, which was formerly our clubhouse We've since merged and rebranded but I was just a volunteer.
Speaker 3:I was really passionate about the mission and they were looking for some help. I saw it on a local flyer and I got involved. And through working with the team here and my background and experience, there was an opportunity a few years ago, in early 2021, to join the organization in the capacity of marketing and communications manager, as they were going through a merger and as part of the MNO and business strategy, and so I joined in that capacity and then over the last few years, have grown into the position that I'm in now, which is executive director. So I may have only been on the payroll for a couple of years, but deeply involved with the organization for many.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it's amazing and inspiring, I'm sure, for people who may just be starting out a nonprofit to realize like there's growth and there's impact in so many different roles and also for you, a growth opportunity there. That's awesome. Um, yeah, so what are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?
Speaker 3:Well, I'm not sure. So much about the industry, I think a lot of maybe the misconception about some of the support maybe that's provided by an organization like Cancer Bridges and likely some maybe some other cancer focused organizations as well that are non-medical. We do everything that we have these wonderful medical facilities in Pittsburgh and they, you know, work really hard for those that have a diagnosis to ensure that they're helping them on that journey.
Speaker 3:And then there's a lot of other stuff that comes along with cancer, and so, of course, that's what we're here for and that's the support that we provide. But I think what people are most blown away by whenever they're introduced to our organization or find out about us or learn more about us, is that we support so much more than just the diagnosed. So we'll often hear, oh, I wish I would have known about your services when my mom was going through her cancer or you know something like that, and so I do always love to spread the word about the breadth of the support that we provide and just how you know anybody who's been impacted it doesn't have to be them with a diagnosis, but if they're caretaking for someone or you know, maybe they're post treatment, but there's still a lot of emotional support that is needed and potentially physical support that's needed as well. As those who have lost someone, you know we have a lot of grief programming here for those, as well as a family and youth program. So we offer, we really support anyone, any age, any diagnosis, any stage of cancer.
Speaker 3:But we have a big family and youth program, because children are obviously deeply impacted if they're diagnosed. But certainly if someone in their you know close family or that they have a close relationship with has a diagnosis, there's a lot of you know confusion and a need for understanding of what that's going to look like. So I don't know that it's a misconception that there's more than the medical diagnosis when cancer is present. But I think the breadth and opportunity that folks can participate in a lot of different programs at Cancer Bridges is something that I always like to highlight, because we hear so often I wish I would have known. I wish I would have known so.
Speaker 2:Great. So who are your target customers, then, and how do you attract them?
Speaker 3:Our members range really, like I mentioned, every age, every stage, every diagnosis, also any experience, and so we have actually welcomed over 18,000 people to the organization. We usually, on average, welcome about a hundred new members every month, and so the really the core of it is if you've been impacted by cancer in some way. That's our demographic here in Pennsylvania. So much of our programming is in person, but we also offer a lot of virtual programming as well, so, as long as you are a resident of Pennsylvania, you can access our services and receive the support that you need.
Speaker 3:And then really, I think our biggest marketing opportunity is word of mouth. So many people find us through the good things that they hear from others that have participated in our programs. Of course, we are a small staff, or a small but mighty staff of 12. We do our own promotion, try to get ourselves out there at networking events or speaking opportunities at different organizations to make sure people know that we're here. And then we, of course, host fundraisers to make sure that we can maintain the wide variety of free programs and services that we offer, and so we'll do some marketing related to that, but opportunities like this are always a wonderful way to spread the word.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It sounds like you have quite a far-reaching impact there. Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast for the organization?
Speaker 3:Boy, wouldn't that be fun. I would love to do something like that. We get invited often to different podcasts and love to talk about the work and the support that we do. I think that would be maybe a great opportunity to continue to spread the word about what we do. I would just need, you know, maybe some fundraising money to fall from the sky to get that started and get a host that has as nice of a voice as you do to host it. So but maybe on the horizon. I never say no to a good idea, layla, so we'll see Awesome.
Speaker 2:So outside of work, Stephanie, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:no-transcript and some travel whenever we can, but yeah, probably nothing, unlike what many other people say.
Speaker 2:Oh well, there's never a dull moment in Pittsburgh. There's always some kind of trivia night to go to or some fun family event. Absolutely yeah, let's switch gears here.
Speaker 3:Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge you that my career prior to working in the nonprofit sector? Despite being involved in Cancer Bridges and many other nonprofits, I worked in the for-profit space and really did a lot of my nonprofit work independently, outside of my day-to-day job and really what I was focusing on in my career. And I did get to a point where I thought will I really be able to do this type of work for the rest of my life in that for-profit sector and what I was doing, because I was so drawn to the non-profit piece of my outside of work hours work, and so I would say it was definitely a bit of mental gymnastics when the opportunity came to join this organization because I had been so focused on my career as it was, and was I really prepared for the jump into the nonprofit world, despite it being such a passion of mine? And, of course, everybody around me when I shared that. They're like you are built for this. This is what you talk about, this is what you love, this is your passion You've been involved in, you know, all these environmental and animal focused organizations and obviously, cancer bridges.
Speaker 3:Like you got to do it. What are you talking about and so you know it's. It's that little bit of self-doubt that that comes in about really changing. I changed my whole life. I really went from, you know, a similar type of work from that marketing, communications, m&o work and business strategy work but into the nonprofit world and it's just can't highly recommend. Ten out of ten I will say it was a. It was a big major life change for me, but it has been worth every single minute since I've been with this organization. So I would say that's probably what comes to mind first was that, that change and finding that confidence in myself to do it.
Speaker 2:That was beautifully put, Stephanie. Please tell our listeners one thing that they should remember about Cancer Bridges.
Speaker 3:Everything that Cancer Bridges offers is free, so we have 200 programs and services a month available. I listed all those different journeys that one might be on when it comes to cancer, and so please take the opportunity. Unfortunately, cancer is extremely prevalent, not just in this region but in Pennsylvania, and we would love to be able to support anybody that needs our help. And there's no barriers when it comes to cost is 100 percent free. You can do one program. You could do 200 programs a month. There's no limit to membership, and so we would just love for people to know about us or they're not in need of our services. Just love for people to know about us or, if they're not in need of our services, you know, help spread the word so that those that might benefit from the free workshops and offerings that we have that they do find us and get that help that they need.
Speaker 2:Excellent. And how can our listeners learn more about Cancer Bridges?
Speaker 3:Sure, our website is cancerbridgesorg, so wwwcancerbridgesorg, or you're welcome to call us at 412-338-1919. Either way, we'd be happy to help, um you know, get you connected and become a member of the organization so you can participate well, stephanie, I really appreciate you being on the show.
Speaker 2:We wish you and the non-profit the best moving forward.
Speaker 1:Thank you, leila thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Pittsburghcom. That's GNP Pittsburghcom, or call 412-561-9956.