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NEWPORT TWP. — For three years Angela Evans has volunteered her time each Labor Day weekend to help Valley With A Heart.
This year, the organization is helping her family in return.
The local nonprofit held its annual benefit and motorcycle ride Sunday, bringing roughly 2,000 attendees to Holy Child Grove in Sheatown for a day of live music, raffles, kids activities, vendors and more.
This year’s benefit included poster children Alexandre Bain — Evans’ son — and Jayla Green, and was held in memory of longtime volunteer Paula Samselski.
Despite completing chemotherapy just days before the benefit, Evans took a break from volunteering in the kitchen to speak of her son and share his story.
Diagnosed with a brain tumor four years ago, Alexandre has already completed a series of surgeries and travels to Danville every six months. This year the Hanover Township family learned that the tumor began to grow back — and that Evans is fighting her own battle.
She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer earlier this year and already completed nine rounds of chemotherapy. Evans is scheduled for surgery later this month with radiation following after.
When asked how she handles it all, Evans gave a simple, honest response.
“I have no choice. I need to work to keep health insurance, or else neither of us will get the care we need,” she said.
Valley With A Heart stepped in to cover some everyday expenses over the last few months, such as utility bills. Now, the family is waiting to see if a new medication for Alexandre will be covered by insurance or not.
For 19 years Valley With A Heart has helped seriously ill children and their families locally, according to organization president Rick Temarantz. It supplies everything from gas and grocery cards to assisting with medical bills, utilities and more.
The volunteer-based nonprofit is also nearing a milestone of raising a collective one million dollars, Temarantz added.
“Nobody in the staff benefits from this. Strictly all volunteers, so our pie chart is all one color,” he said with a smile. “This is all local and everything that we make here, we spend here.”
Wilkes-Barre resident Jarrid Shula has been attending the benefit and ride for the last few years. He said he’s happy to help the cause, and to see something so positive come out of the area.
“It’s fantastic, well-organized. It’s good to see everybody get together for a good cause,” he said. “I see a lot of humans, but not humanity anymore. People forgot where they came from.”
Taking the stage alongside Evans, Alexandre’s grandmother, Ladonna Bain, traveled from Idaho to attend the event and show her gratitude.
“We thank you guys from the bottom of our hearts for being here and supporting this family,” she said, tearing up. “What you guys are doing here and what these volunteers are doing here today is totally amazing.”
To learn more about Valley With a Heart, visit http://www.valleywithaheart.com/.
