United States Eventing Association

Local Cancer Organizations Awarded $51,000 in Grants by Halt Cancer at X

Halt Cancer at X, a local initiative that provides funding for national breast cancer research and local support services, announced today the four recipients of their 2017-2018 Community Grants. The approximately $51,000 in funds were donated through the efforts of Montana Equestrian Events during The 2017 Event at Rebecca Farm.

Every year, hundreds of local residents are diagnosed with some form of cancer. In the Flathead Valley alone, approximately 180 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. Local men have also been impacted, with an average three cases per year confirmed in the area. It is these same people that Halt Cancer at X aims to help through the initiative’s annual grants.

Though the number of diagnoses may seem small, their impact is sizable. Thousands in the Flathead Valley have felt the effects, according to Sarah Broussard, founder of Halt Cancer at X. Broussard launched the initiative in 2012 after losing her mother, Rebecca, to breast cancer in 2010.

“Unfortunately, everybody knows somebody who has been impacted by cancer, whether that is directly or indirectly,” Broussard said. “Because of that, we want to help any way we can. The way I see it, Halt Cancer at X is one vessel; it’s the life-changing work of these organizations and the community that is the bigger ship. It is exciting to see that the money from these grants is going to make a difference.”

This year, Cancer Support Community of Kalispell was awarded the largest grant at $21,800. Cancer Support Community of Kalispell provides a full range of support services for youth and adults affected by cancer. These services include healthy excursions, education, professionally led support groups, and more. The organization is also home to the Halt Cancer at X Kitchen, built in 2016, which hosts cooking classes and provides a welcome space for those affected by cancer to seek support and learn about food and nutrition.

Cancer Support Community of Kalispell will utilize monies given by Halt Cancer at X to expand the current services they offer. The organization will also use funds to maintain horse-healing workshops, family-oriented camping opportunities, and a weekend retreat for cancer survivors.

Flathead Cancer Aid Services, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to cancer patients, was awarded $15,000. The nonprofit had originally requested $10,000, but the Halt Cancer at X committee felt the organization warranted more in order to reach a greater number of those in need.

“Flathead Cancer Aid Services continues to provide extraordinary support to those in need on the most basic level. We have no doubt the funds will be well utilized,” said Broussard.

The organization will use the funds to help ease the financial burden that affects many cancer patients after treatment. More specifically, it will cover the costs of non-medical financial obligations. This includes anything from electric bills to rent to groceries, according to the organization’s application.

A third recipient, Save a Sister, was awarded $11,880. The Save a Sister initiative is a collaboration among Kalispell Regional Healthcare, North Valley Hospital and the Flathead City-County Health Department. Founded in 2008, Save a Sister improves women's access to screening mammography, educates the community, and promotes breast cancer awareness. The $11,880 grant will allow Save a Sister to expand their existing screening and support program for women at high-risk of developing breast cancer. By the end of 2017, Save a Sister will have screened an estimated 11,000 women.

First time recipient, Casting for Recovery, received a grant of $2,500. Based in Bozeman, Casting for Recovery seeks to enhance the quality of life of women with breast cancer through a unique retreat program that combines breast cancer education and peer support with the sport of fly-fishing. The program offers weekend excursions that are 100% free for participants. Funds from the grant will help pay for the program’s therapeutic retreats for Flathead Valley residents.

Halt Cancer at X’s primary focus is breast cancer, but in the Flathead Valley, with its unparalleled setting and close-knit community of medical services, funds for breast cancer often serve a dual role by providing resources to those with other forms of cancer.

To date, Halt Cancer at X has contributed approximately $450,000 to national cancer research and local support services for cancer. Of that amount, nearly $182,000 has gone to benefit local programs

For more information on Halt Cancer at X, please visit http://www.rebeccafarm.org/halt-cancer/#halt.

About The Event at Rebecca Farm

The Event at Rebecca Farm, presented by Montana Equestrian Events, is held every July in Kalispell, Montana and is the largest equestrian triathlon in North America. The Event is also considered to have some of the world’s finest scenery. Each year it draws hundreds of riders of all levels, from amateur to Olympians.

Rebecca Farm features ten courses ranging from novice to Olympian qualifier, which were originally developed by world-renowned course designer, Mark Phillips. In 2012, Scottish equestrian Ian Stark redesigned the Rebecca Farm courses. Known for his immense contributions to eventing, Stark has won multiple Olympic medals and was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

For more information, visit www.rebeccafarm.org.

About Halt Cancer at X

In memory of The Event at Rebecca Farm’s Founder, Rebecca Broussard, her daughter, Sarah Broussard, launched “Halt Cancer at X” in 2012 as an initiative to raise money for breast cancer research. The name comes from the dressage test where the first movement is for the rider to halt the horse at X, a station marked in the arena.

Donations in the form of competitor pledges, auction proceeds, tax-deductible contributions, parking donations and imaginative fund raising are infused back into Flathead Valley Community Outreach Programs and National Research by Montana Equestrian Events through the Halt Cancer at X Initiative.

For more information, please visit http://www.rebeccafarm.org/halt-cancer/#halt.