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Friends Together celebrating 25th anniversary on Thursday

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Friends Together Director Judy Burns sits in her office while talking about the services the cancer survivor support center offers to the community, and the center’s journey over the last 25 years.

ALPENA — A quarter-century ago, Judy Burns founded a place for patients and families affected by cancer to gather, share resources and receive free services to help them on their journey.

Today, Burns is still at the helm as Friends Together prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary as a nonprofit organization serving those affected by cancer.

“We thank the community for 25 years of support,” Burns said, noting what is in store at Thursday’s event. “We have a lot of free gifts for folks. We have chocolate birds that we ordered as a gift, and we also have T-shirts and car magnets, we have a variety of items we are giving away, along with a neat gift item in the shape of a butterfly, filled with wildflower seeds.”

The celebration starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at 105 Prentiss St., under a big tent outdoors, featuring dinner, live music, the Inspiration Garden dedication and a butterfly release at 6:30 p.m., giveaways and more, including an open house for their renovated facility.

“We have a lot planned that we hope everybody will enjoy,” Burns said.

What used to be a three-room space is now one big meeting room with a kitchenette, which will allow support groups to meet again at Friends Together. During renovations, the groups have been meeting at Thunder Bowl Lanes.

WATZ radio station, located next door to Friends Together, has offered their property for use during the event. A large tent will be located outdoors there, with about a 200-person capacity. Connie’s Cafe is catering the dinner, featuring brats, potato salad, baked beans and desserts.

The last 25 years have been a memorable journey for Burns, one of four paid staff members at Friends Together. The 20 transportation drivers are volunteers.

“The journey is a dream come true,” Burns said. “It’s everything I would have hoped for 25 years ago, and the only thing I wanted was for folks going through cancer not to feel so alone, and to have good advocacy and information and support.”

Burns lost her daughter Dawn to colon cancer in 1995, and established Friends Together in 1996.

“Judy had promised her daughter that no one would face cancer alone as they did,” the Friends Together website noted. “She knew her life’s mission was to be present for others going through the cancer journey.”

Burns just recently lost her husband Gordy to cancer in June.

While grieving, she is still remaining active in the organization, which started with monthly support groups, but now serves an average of 60 people in support groups weekly. Friends Together offers transportation services to residents in a six-county area who need assistance getting to and from medical appointments all over the state.

She is most proud that Friends Together has provided free services to those affected by cancer.

“If you’ve had a cancer experience — you or your family member — we are here to help you,” she said. “And I’m proud of that. We’ve kept to that mission for 25 years.”

She is grateful for the community support over the years.

“We couldn’t do this without our community,” she said. “We do about 20 fundraisers a year,” she noted, referring to a non-pandemic year.

She added that MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena is a strong grant partner.

“We help advocate for their services and make sure that their patients get to and from treatment, so that’s a great partnership here in our community,” Burns said.

Friends Together began an endowment fund two years ago through the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan.

“That’s an important element of our sustainability,” Burns added, “so that the next 25 years can be as energetic and sustainable as the first 25.”

To RSVP for Thursday’s event, call Friends Together at 989-356-3231.

Burns added that Friends Together serves between 600 to 800 people each year.

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