Gerri Neylon, a retired oncology nurse from Evergreen Park, founded Christmas Without Cancer in 2003 to provide gifts and necessities to Chicagoland families battling the disease.
For two decades, the organization has quietly identified and supported multiple families each fall, supplying them with gift cards for groceries, medications, gas, and other essentials by Christmas.
Orland Park officials recognized Christmas Without Cancer as the village’s “Organization of the Month” for April, acknowledging Neylon’s work and the organization’s growing impact in the region at last week’s village board meeting.
Mayor Jim Dodge read a proclamation during a recent village board meeting designating the nonprofit as the Organization of the Month. “They are an amazing organization that continues to show compassion and understanding to those afflicted by the disease and their families,” Dodge said.
The organization operates with a team of local volunteers, many of whom work in healthcare or have themselves been helped by Christmas Without Cancer. The organization’s permanent facility is located at 15418 S. Harlem Ave.