From: Ithaca NY Family: Two amazing children, Meredith & Emery Hobbies: Dragon boating, rowing, kayaking, hiking, camping, gardening, cycling, photography… with my kids. Volunteer Work: Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, Belle Sherman Elementary and Dewitt Middle School PTA, Ithaca Youth Bureau, Salvation Army, and much more! Quote to Live By: “As we do small things with great love, we change the world.”
It is with great pleasure that I nominate Heather C. Swift as one of the 20 Outstanding Women. Heather is a two-time cancer survivor who gives a new and powerful image to survivorship. She has used her struggles to develop sensitivity to the needs of individuals and to fuel her passion for community involvement in the arena of cancer awareness. As a board member and volunteer for the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, Heather works tirelessly to raise awareness of local services as well as connecting people in all stages of cancer to organizations nationally. Heather was the top fundraiser for the CRCFL walk/run as well as an organizer, volunteer, speaker, and participant. She has shared her passion for the Ithaca area with her children and (who undertook two fund raising campaigns of their own this past year for CRCFL) and has brought numerous ˜non-volunteers" to become excited about helping their community. Heather is an active volunteer and speaker for I2Y "I'm Too Young for This"- young cancer advocacy) and will be online on March 1st to discuss "Sex and the ˜C-word". She has recently connected with Voices of Survivors for an interview, which will air on February 22nd.
For her next feat, she is making a bid to row the Atlantic Ocean in the Woodvale Challenge 2013/14 to raise money for the three charities listed above In addition, Heather is one of the most positive, generous, and loving people that I have ever met. Her service and dedication to our community goes well beyond the realm of cancer awareness and it is a gift to know her.
Nominated by James Bickerstaff
The reasons Heather Swift is one of the 20 Women you need to know are... She is cancer survivor who has used this platform to promote volunteerism across diverse areas of the Ithaca community and beyond. -CRC active board member, speaker, and volunteer -top fundraiser for CRCFL run/walk as well as organizing committee, volunteer, speaker and participant -raising cancer awareness through volunteerism and reshaping of the image of survivorship -Voice of Survivors spotlight (Feb 22nd, 2010) -I2Y Guest speaker (March 1st, 2010) "Sex & the 'C'-word" She was one of the 2009 recipients of Tompkins Trust Award for Excellence in Community . She was a 2009 participant in the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County Natural Leaders Initiative. She is making a bid to row the Atlantic for 3 cancer charities in the 2013/14 Woodvale Challenge
