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DCCA settles in on 18th Street

By R. R. Branstrom 4 min read

ESCANABA — It may be a little difficult for visitors to locate the Delta County Cancer Alliance (DCCA)'s new office for the first time, but the premises at 1230 N. 18th St. are fully-operational and open between 1 and 4 p.m. on weekdays.

For ease of locating, a map is included with this article. DCCA's new home is in the northeast portion of Christ the King Lutheran Church on the corner of 13th Avenue North and North 18th Street in Escanaba. Although the building's address is technically 1230 N. 18th, the door to the DCCA is on the alley between 18th and Stephenson Avenue, best accessed from 13th Avenue.

DCCA is a nonprofit that connects county residents with cancer and their families with provisions and resources. Officially, the mission is "to provide financial assistance, medical equipment, and emotional support to Delta County residents battling cancer, empowering them to focus on healing and improving their quality of life."

When people discover that they or a loved one have cancer, a financial burden accompanies the emotional one. DCCA's aid lessens it by loaning out some materials like walkers or consumable supplies like diapers -- all for free.

To complete this goal, the DCCA conducts fundraisers and accepts donations throughout the year. One portion of their space must be used to hold the items they accrue and loan out.

This spring, when torrential rain fell at the same time that a massive amount of snow was melting, many places in the Upper Peninsula experienced flooding. One destination that flooded was inside of 3430 Ludington Street, where the DCCA has been renting space.

For a couple months, the landlord provided some office space for the organization in the Willow Creek Professional Building, but DCCA understood that, ultimately, they would need to move.

Christ the King Lutheran Church had contacted the DCCA and let them know about available space in their church. It's slightly smaller than the DCCA's previous premises on Ludington Street, where they operated for about eight years, but rentable properties are hard to come by.

The relocation officially took place on June 1.

"The new location at 1230 N. 18th St. in Escanaba has been working out beautifully. The folks at the church have been very generous and welcoming for both our volunteers and clients," wrote DCCA President Gayle DeShambo.

At first, only small children's toilets were on their side of the building, but after DCCA moved in, they received a donation and upgraded the restroom to suit adults.

Deshambo said she believes some people may be having trouble finding the home in the church and that more signage will be on its way.

"I do believe there is a bit of a lag in people stopping in.  The location is somewhat out of the way and could be difficult for folks to find," she said. "We will be working over the next couple months to create better signage to make finding us more user-friendly.  We have also had some challenges with the construction on Washington Avenue. As always, the DCCA board will continue to utilize the Daily Press, radio advertising and social media to remind our community of the new location and the services we have to offer."

One campaign that newspaper readers can expect to see soon will appear in Friday's Daily Press. Gold envelopes will be inserted in the paper that day with information about how to donate to the DCCA.

"This fundraising campaign, for many years, has generated a significant amount of  financial support," Deshambo said. "We hope this year we see the same results."

Additionally, an autumn raffle will begin in October.

"The Delta County Cancer Alliance continues to stay active in the community working together to seek opportunities to raise money to be able to continue to support our family, friends and neighbors in Delta County enduring the challenges of cancer," DeShambo wrote. "...Not only do we have a great location to serve our clients, the board also had the opportunity to utilize the church’s beautiful kitchen and dining hall for our summer thank-you dinner picnic for the volunteers.  We very much appreciate being able to have the extra accomodations for the functions we provide.  We are hoping to plan our Annual Luminary Event in the same location."

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