Crafts for a cause: Uniting through cancer

Story by ALLIYAH BRUNICK and photos by MADDIE CARPENTER
Tiger Media Network

This past weekend at the FHSU Gross Memorial Coliseum, Your Voice Through Cancer hosted its ninth annual Craft Fair. This organization started in 2014 and the first craft fair was 15 booths in the basement of the church. This year, there were over 100 vendors at the fair. 

“What we do here is we invite vendors to come in and sell their product, and we have a big raffle. The money we raise goes to cancer patients to help offset costs, maybe medicine, treatment place, or if they have to go to Kansas City,” said Judy Stegman, one of the founders of Your Voice Through Cancer.

Different items are raffled off every year, such as a meat freezer, couches, homemade treats and more. The organization helps patients financially but is also there for patients when it comes to emotional support.

“The money we raise here helps support not just cancer patients in Hays, but in the entire state,” Stegman said. “We support the entire state, not just financially but emotionally. We have support groups where we will sit down with them one-on-one. We do both the emotional support and financial support because, either way cancer is devastating.”

Stegman and a friend decided to start this organization in 2014 after they were both diagnosed with stage four cancer. Stegman was given six months to live after her diagnosis, almost 10 years ago. Your Voice Through Cancer helps patients financially, emotionally, and even gives some patients an outlet. 

Anita Schneider, owner of Nita’s Notions, has been with Your Voice Through Cancer since the beginning in 2014 and has a booth at the craft fair every year.

“I was diagnosed with cancer, and I got involved with the girls here and we’ve been doing it ever since, except COVID of course. It’s just amazing how it has grown as the word gets out it will probably continue,” Schneider said.

There were a variety of booths at the craft fair, ranging from permanent jewelry to homemade bread, the craft fair gives the community the chance to help a worthy cause.