The Tina Fund was established by Shelly Howell in loving memory of her sister, Tina Turner, who lost her courageous battle to breast cancer in January 2013.
The fund will provide grants to individuals and families in Broome and Chenango Counties who:
- have significant medical and related costs and who are having difficulty meeting expenses resulting from a diagnosis of breast cancer or
- have significant medical and related costs and who are having difficulty meeting expenses resulting from a positive test for BRACA1/BRACA2
If you want to join us as we support families struggling with a breast cancer diagnosis;
Make your tax-deductible donation today!
Or mail your check to:
Community Foundation for South Central New York
520 Columbia Drive, Suite 100
Johnson City, New York 13790
Note: “Tina Fund” in the memo
For credit card payments, gifts of stock or gifts other than cash and for questions about giving, please contact foundation staff at (607) 772-6773.
She Made Such an Impact, I want to Make One, Too
From the 2014 Annual Report
Tina Turner drew people like a magnet. “You could never meet her without loving her,” says her sister, Shelly Howell. A horse enthusiast and a champion rider since childhood, she made a lifelong career in banking. She was also an adoring mother. “Her life revolved around her daughter,” Howell says.
After their own mother received a breast cancer diagnosis several years ago, Howell, Turner and their families took part in several walks to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. With one walk in Atlanta, they raised $25,000. The Greene-based family also launched local fundraising efforts, including an annual tournament at the Geneganselet Golf Course. At that point, Turner learned she had the disease, too. Her mother is currently in remission, but cancer took Turner’s life in January 2013.
The loss of her sister convinced Howell that the family needed to ramp up its philanthropy. “Tina made such an impact on people’s lives that for me, making a little impact isn’t good enough,” she says. “I want to make a big impact.”
Howell thought about starting a nonprofit organization, but her accountant warned her against that difficult process. Instead, on advice from a friend who sits on the board of the Greene Community Scholarship Fund, she decided to create a designated fund within the Community Foundation.
The result was the Tina Fund. This fund makes grants to individuals and families in Broome and Chenango Counties who have difficulty meeting expenses resulting from a breast cancer diagnosis, or from a positive test for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.
The money could go toward utility bills, transportation to medical appointments, insurance deductibles—any financial burden that complicates the tough work of coping with the illness. “It’s so hard having to fight through breast cancer, fight with insurance companies, pay your bills,” Howell says. “You don’t need the added stress.”
The fund got a big boost in 2014 from the Greene-based Raymond Corporation, which produces material handling equipment. Raymond auctioned a pink pallet jack on eBay, bringing in $4,500, which it split between the Tina Fund and a breast cancer charity in California.
Along with Raymond, the Greene area is filled with generous neighbors who stand ready to help the cause with their time, money and other contributions. “Every year, the tournament has gotten bigger and bigger,” Howell says. “Our community is amazing.”
