Alpena Cancer Group Marks 30 Years with $129K Gift

What started as one support group meeting in an Alpena library 30 years ago has blossomed into a lifeline for cancer patients across six Michigan counties, and a massive donation is helping them reach even more people.

Friends Together just celebrated its 30th anniversary with a $129,000 financial boost from local donors. The organization, founded by Judy Burns in 1995, began with just a single monthly meeting and one phone in an office break room.

Today, the group operates across six counties, with transportation to cancer treatment centers as its most requested service. "We are on the road all the time transporting patients to their critical cancer care," said Executive Director Melissa Burns, Judy's daughter.

The group's impact goes far beyond rides to appointments. Marie Gill-Mentz joined over a decade ago after her own cancer diagnosis and credits early detection with saving her life. Her surgeon told her the tumor was so small neither of them could feel it, adding that waiting another year would have meant serious trouble.

What keeps Gill-Mentz coming back isn't just the practical support. It's the unexpected joy she finds there. "One of the men said, 'No one will believe that this is a support group,'" she recalled, "because I think people look at that and think, 'Oh boy, it's going to be doom and gloom.' But it's not that. It's people sharing their lives."

The Ripple Effect

From one phone in a break room to serving six counties, Friends Together shows how community support multiplies over time. The $129,000 donation means more patients will get rides to lifesaving treatments, more families will find support, and more people will discover that cancer support groups can be places of genuine connection and hope.

As Friends Together looks toward 2027, its mission remains crystal clear: show up for local cancer patients when they need it most.