Team Survivor Northwest

THE MISSION OF TEAM SURVIVOR NORTHWEST IS TO PROVIDE A BROAD RANGE OF FITNESS AND HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO ENABLE WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD A CANCER DIAGNOSIS TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THEIR ONGOING PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALING. PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED AT NO COST.

SEASONAL PROGRAMS: 2022 INCLUDED OUTDOOR SEASONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING MOUNTAIN CLIMBING, TRIATHLON TRAINING, DRAGON BOATING, MIDWEEK HIKING & CYCLING. THE MOUNTAIN CLIMB TEAM TRAINED ALL SPRING AND SUMMER IN ORDER TO HAVE ALL 21 WOMEN SUMMIT MOUNT ST. HELENS, AN ACHIEVEMENT THAT WAS A SYMBOLIC CELEBRATION OF HOW FAR THEY HAD COME. OUR TRIATHLON TRAINING TEAM RETURNED FROM A VIRTUAL DUATHLON BACK TO A TRIATHLON GROUP THAT TRAINED FOR SWIMMING, CYCLING AND RUNNING. . THOSE WHO JUST WANTED TO FOCUS ON CYCLING, JOINED THE SUMMER CYCLING TEAM. THE DRAGON BOATING TEAM HAD 45 ACTIVE MEMBERS AND BEGAN THEIR RETURN TO COMPETITIONS.. A TSNW FAVORITE, MIDWEEK HIKING HAD ENOUGH INTEREST TO SPLIT INTO TWO DAYS EACH WEEK, WITH WEDNESDAYS BEING MORE INTENSE AND THURSDAYS AT A SLOWER PACE. "MILES FOR MEANING" - A ONE MONTH CHALLENGE TO LOG THE MOST MILES WALKING OR RUNNING WHILE COMPETING WITH OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS RETURNED FOR THE SECOND YEAR AND BROUGHT WITH IT A SIMILAR CHALLENGE CALLED "HUSTLE FOR HOPE," WHICH TEAM SURVIVOR WON, RECEIVING OVER $12,000 IN PRIZE DONATIONS FOR DOING SO. THESE PROGRAMS, EACH WITH OVER 100 PARTICIPANTS, ENCOURAGED ACTIVE AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLES WHILE RAISING AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE FOR CANCER SURVIVORS.

VOLUNTEERING: MANY OF OUR PROGRAMS COULD NOT RUN WITHOUT THE WORK OF OUR DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS, WHO OFTEN VOLUNTEER MANY HOURS EACH WEEK IN VARIOUS PROGRAMS. THEY OFTEN DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS PAYING IT FORWARD TO NEW MEMBERS AFTER RECEIVING SO MANY BENEFITS FROM TEAM SURVIVOR WHEN THEY FIRST JOINED. OUR 78 VOLUNTEERS PUT IN 5,457 HOURS OF WORK IN 2022, VALUED AT OVER $150,000 .

WEEKLY MOVE TO HEAL FITNESS CLASSES: OUR MOVE TO HEAL FITNESS CLASSES REMAINED VIRTUAL FOR THE DURATION OF 2022, AS RETURNING TO IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES INDOORS WAS NOT SAFE FOR AN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED GROUP. THE CLASSES CONTINUED TO BE "THE BEST PART OF THE WEEK" FOR MANY MEMBERS. THESE 11 FREE CLASSES ARE OFFERED AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF INTENSITY, BY DIFFERENT PAID CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS AND INCLUDE FITNESS BASICS, INTERVAL TRAINING, YOGA, PILATES AND ZUMBA. A NEW ADDITION THIS YEAR WAS "EJERCICIO PARA SANAR," OUR FIRST FITNESS CLASS TAUGHT IN SPANISH! WOMEN OF ALL FITNESS LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO JOIN THESE CANCER-EXERCISE-CERTIFIED-INSTRUCTOR-LED CLASSES WITH INSTRUCTORS WHO ARE EDUCATED AND EXPERIENCED IN THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF WORKING WITH THE CANCER COMMUNITY. MEMBERS ENJOY THIS SAFE SPACE TO JOIN OTHER WOMEN WHO ARE UNDERGOING TREATMENT OR REGAINING AND MAINTAINING STRENGTH POST-TREATMENT.

FITNESS RETREAT: THE ANNUAL TSNW FITNESS RETREAT IS PERHAPS THE MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED EVENT EACH YEAR. IN FEBRUARY 2022, OVER 100 WOMEN ATTENDED THE RETREAT, WHERE THEY LEARNED FROM EXPERTS IN CANCER AND NUTRITION, EXERCISED WITH A VARIETY OF INSTRUCTORS AND BUILT EACH OTHER UP THROUGH COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES. THE PANDEMIC CREATED THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SECOND VIRTUAL RETREAT, WHICH ALLOWED WOMEN AND SPEAKERS TO JOIN EVEN FROM A DISTANCE. THE FITNESS RETREAT ATTRACTS MANY YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS TO TSNW FOR THE FIRST TIME AND YEARS LATER, MANY WOMEN CONTINUE TO REFER TO THE FITNESS RETREAT AS THE MOMENT THAT THEY REGAINED HOPE AFTER THEIR CANCER DIAGNOSIS.