CTCA team helps build Habitat home

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Employees of Cancer Treatment Centers of America recently volunteered to construct the foundation of a Habitat for Humanity of Lake County home in Zion — the community where the first Cancer Treatment Center was established.

Updated: December 13, 2011 8:50AM

ZION — Employees of Cancer Treatment Centers of America recently volunteered to construct the foundation of a Habitat for Humanity of Lake County home in Zion — the community where the first Cancer Treatment Center was established.

Led by 24 CTCA employees from around the country, the construction of the new foundation represents 240 hours of sweat equity by the volunteer. CTCA also donated $15,000 to Habitat Lake County. The project is also the first new Habitat home built in Zion since 1992.

“It’s a small gesture, yet it delivers far more value to our team in terms of the vital life skills needed for leading in the world of health care,” said Anne Meisner,president and CEO of CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. ”I cannot think of a better community for such an exercise than the community of Zion where CTCA was established to change the face of cancer care.”

The foundation builders are participants in the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Advanced Development Program, which is designed to give those at the frontline of cancer treatment the best training and resources to meet the growing needs of cancer patients and their families across the nation.

The new home on Gideon Street will be purchased by La Velle Slater of Zion, an employee of Waukegan High School. Slater’s mother underwent treatment at Midwestern.

“The people at Cancer Treatment Center of America are wonderful,” Slater said. “They took care of my mom when she needed it. Now they are helping me in my life.”

Julie Donovan, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Lake County, hailed CTCA as a partner in its work.

“They are well-known and well-respected for their service to families at critical times in their lives,” Donovan said. “We appreciate that they will support our work in the community as we begin building a foundation of hope for the home of La Velle and her children.”

Founded in 1988, Cancer Treatment Centers of America is a network of cancer treatment hospitals and community oncology programs in Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Washington. A future facility is planned for Atlanta, Ga.