Peabody resident and cancer survivor Kathie Mitchell wanted to thank the medical team that saved her life and a friend gave a suggestion Mitchell embraced.
She formed Team Kathie in 2003 to participate in annual cancer-research fundraising walks.
“My oncologist, Dr. Ronald Weinger, and the North Shore Cancer Center had provided me with such great care that I wanted to raise funds to help them out,” said Mitchell.
The stage 4 cancer survivor and her team have raised more than $345,000 over the past 16 years.
The team participated this year in the 30th anniversary North Shore Cancer Walk with the goal of raising $15,000 with Mitchell setting a personal goal of $3,000.
To help her reach these targets, she organized several fundraisers earlier this year, including one at Uno Pizzeria and Grill, a scratch-ticket raffle and an event at Rolly’s Tavern in Lynn, which sponsors the team by providing their team shirts.
COVID-19 brought most of Mitchell’s fundraising plans to an abrupt end. But the pandemic didn’t hurt one of Mitchell’s long-standing fundraisers — in fact, it may have helped.
For the last few years, Mitchell has collected clothing and other textiles, and arranged for a truck to pick them up. Her team then receives a check from the company based on the weight of the donation.
With everyone quarantined inside, cleaning out closets, attics, and basements, Mitchell had her most successful collection by far this year.
More than 1,300 bags of clothing were collected and stored at her friend and teammate Agnes Sarcia’s house in Georgetown. Sarcia and her husband, Rick, and daughter Dani, along with many other members of Team Kathie, were on hand when a giant box truck came to collect the bags.
The team had collected so many bags, in fact, that a second truck was needed because the first couldn’t fit all of the bags that were stacked floor to ceiling.
Mitchell, who served as the cancer walk chairperson in 2007, is very proud of what the team has accomplished.
“Even though we are living in very unusual times, cancer doesn’t stop and neither can we,” said Mitchell, adding, “My goal is to raise as much money as I can this year in honor of our long-time team member, Billy Smith, who passed away from cancer in December.”