It is the last week to vote in the Red White & Fuel with Finnin Kia contest! One charity will receive a $1,500 check! It's between The Avery Foundation, The Dream Center, and Resources Unite. Cast your vote here!

Beyond the obvious physical toll cancer takes on the human body, the financial implications can be devastating. Cancer patients are two and a half times more likely to file for bankruptcy after their diagnosis.

Photo Credit: Steve Pulaski
Photo Credit: Steve Pulaski
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Enter The Avery Foundation, an organization that helps cancer patients financially by alleviating stress brought on by unexpected medical expenses.

With voting in the aforementioned contest underway, Ron Avery, The Avery Foundation's founder and president, stopped in the studio to talk about all the good the organization does for cancer patients and their families in the Tri-States:

What a lot of people don't realize is how devastating [cancer] is financially. It is a huge financial burden when someone gets cancer. 50% of cancer patients will have to file for bankruptcy because of their medical bills. 80% will go through their life savings within two years. Those are staggering numbers.

 

Photo Credit: The Avery Foundation
Photo Credit: The Avery Foundation
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Avery has seen family members be diagnosed and eventually succumb to cancer. Seeing his sister, Julie, suffer and his family endure the lofty medical bills all the way back in the 1980s gave him the motivation to start an organization that would help people take back some control of their lives. That's why he started The Avery Foundation:

Our applicants will fill an application out. We will help reimburse them for travel expenses, gas, all the meals, hotel stays [....] We also go outside the box and help in different areas.

The Avery Foundation gives out grants for cancer patients in Dubuque and the surrounding areas. In 2021, they awarded 202 grants, totaling over $111,000. All that money went to everything that goes into a patient's cancer treatment.

Photo Credit: The Avery Foundation
Photo Credit: The Avery Foundation
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The Avery Foundation depends on the generosity of neighbors and people in this very community. They can continue to experience the enormous growth they have in recent years by your support. Consider making a donation via their website.

Or, once again, vote for them in the Red White & Fuel with Finnin Kia contest if you'd like to see them receive the $1,500 check! Voting continues through the month of July, with the winning charity being announced on Monday, August 1st!

Take a listen to my interview with Ron Avery below, and find out more about their work and the counties they serve!

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