Mary Carhuff and other supporters hope to raise at least $7,500 in order to attain a matching grant from the Zuckerman Community Empowerment Fund at Breakfast with Bag It on Thursday, Nov. 17 at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, 5049 E. Broadway. Register online at bagitcancer.org/breakfast.

Supporters of Bag It believe that information is the breakfast of champions.

They will serve it up during Breakfast With Bag It at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Campus, 5049 E. Broadway.

“We want to concentrate on the Bag It Cancer mission, which is to provide information to educate and empower newly-diagnosed patients and their families, while connecting to people in the community and sharing more about what we offer,” said Lisa Terrazas, event and volunteer coordinator for Bag It.

Long-time volunteers like Mary Carhuff will be on hand to tout the benefits of the canvas bag that inspired the name of the nonprofit when it was founded in 2003.

Each bag contains educational information and resources from the National Cancer Institute and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship along with a signature tabulated binder to organize lab and test results, insurance papers and other medical records. Diverse topics range from nutrition and exercise to discussing cancer with employers and resources for caregivers. All information is available in English and Spanish.

More than 90,000 cancer patients and their families have benefitted from Bag It bags, which are free of charge through clinics, hospitals, physicians’ offices and nonprofit organizations nationwide.

Carhuff, a survivor of ovarian cancer, said that the bags are a huge help during a traumatic time.

“Information is so important so that you can make informed decisions. Bag It gives you information to help navigate the medical system and provides information on talking with your doctors and organizing your records. I didn’t have that when I went through my experience and it is such a good idea,” said Carhuff, a certified yoga therapist who led meditative walks at the annual Take A Hike With Bag It for many years. Her ongoing support has garnered the 2022 Spirit of Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Southern Arizona Chapter.

As a yoga instructor for LA Fitness, the YMCA, Tohono Chul Park and other locations citywide, Carhuff said that Bag It aligns with her personal and professional philosophy for health, wellness and life.

“It is a yoga principle to gather information and to make your decisions based on what your heart tells you. That is one of the reasons that Bag It appealed to me,” she said.

Carhuff also enjoys the fact that donors can see directly how time, talent and treasure are used.

“I always tell people that you know exactly where your money is going. And if you know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, you can go on the website at bagitcancer.org and have a bag sent to them anywhere in country. Year after year, people have heard from me about how much value Bag It can have in someone’s life if they are diagnosed with cancer,” Carhuff said.


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Contact freelance writer Loni Nannini at ninch2@comcast.net