My Biz: Gems of Hope encourages those with cancer through gifts, support networks Non-profit focused on hope grows operations

A local non-profit organization started a decade ago by three friends to encourage those with cancer has since grown to include more programming and a support network for cancer patients and their families.

'What started as just bringing hope to families has really gone gang busters,” said Norah Hammond, executive director of Gems of Hope.

It all started when Sheila Harman, Beth Hammell, and Cindy Sale began making gifts and taking them to cancer patients, Hammond said.

From there, the women formed a volunteer-run non-profit organization, looking for sponsorship dollars from the local hospitals and medical community.

'Our gifts - cards, earrings, and bookmarks - are so meaningful to someone going through cancer treatments,” Hammond said. 'There's not a week that goes by that we don't hear from someone sharing a story of what it meant to them.”

Today, Gems of Hope still creates and distributes gifts, but the organization now also operates a website for teens that provides an online forum for support and offers scholarships to students who have had cancer impact their lives.

'This is the next level for Gems of Hope,” said Hammond. 'We're growing and changing and thinking about what the next 10 years looks like.”

Hammond started in July 2014 and is the first paid executive director of the organization. She spends her time managing volunteers, raising money, and improving the organization's technology and donor tracking infrastructure.

'And I'm here to make sure Gems' mission is recognized outside of the cancer community,” she added. 'We are known but not necessarily by those who haven't been touched by cancer, so marketing and social media are a big part of my job right now.”

Hammond is not a stranger to the non-profit world. She was the executive director of the Cedar Rapids Science Center for five years before coming to Gems of Hope. She also worked for a trade organization for several years.

'Gems of Hope has a real heart strings mission and it feels good to be connected to that,” she said. 'I want to fulfill the vision of our founders and make good on the promise they made to each other.”

While Gems of Hope has added a few paid positions, it continues to be heavily volunteer driven. Last year, Gems of Hope volunteers logged 30,000 hours of time. Hammond said each month they distribute about 400 gifts in Cedar Rapids and the organization plans to begin distributing as many in Iowa City later this spring.

'We couldn't do what we do without our volunteers,” Hammond said. 'Cancer really is all around us so it's great to get involved and help to make a difference.”

l Know a company in business for more than a year that would make an ideal My Biz? Contact Chelsea Keenan at chelsea.keenan@thegazette.com