The Red Lipstick Fund
- Category: Cancer, General, About Us, Foundation
- Posted On:
The creation of The Red Lipstick Fund was the brainstorm of three Boulder women (Helayne Jones, Anne Beer and Fran Ryan) who listened to their friend, Marsha Moritz, relate stories about the intense difficulty other patients had navigating through their cancer treatment with limited resources to soften the impact from the treatment.
Marsha would ask, “How can they do it: getting to and from chemo, picking up medications, navigating the myriad of at-home chores, keeping appointments without funds and personal support?”
Marsha, who passed away from breast cancer in September of 2010, was a role model of dignity and an advocate for helping those in need. Helayne, Anne and Fran named the Red Lipstick Fund in honor of Marsha, who always wore red lipstick.
The Red Lipstick Fund offered financial assistance to local cancer patients at Boulder Community Health so they have one less worry and can focus on getting through their cancer treatment. The fund is incredibly unique in that patients are recommended for grans by the healthcare team and there is no red tape or application process. A doctor, nurse or nurse navigator sees a patient with a need and contacts the BCH Foundation to issue funds from The Red Lipstick Fund.
Barriers The Red Lipstick Fund helps cover:
- Basic living expenses such as” rent, utilities, groceries, transportation
- Medical costs such as copays or over-the-counter items
- Integrative care such as massage, Reiki and acupuncture
- Celebrations and memorable experiences for patients and their loved ones
- End-of-life comfort and memory-making
From 2012 – 2020:
- 1,415 grants awarded
- Totaling $528,530 in grant awards
- On average, $58,726 is awarded per year
It was just this sweet feeling that I’m not alone. It was out of the blue and it was so wonderful, the experience of the community saying, “We see you struggling and there are people out there who want to make your life a little easier”. - Rita Roberts, RLF grant recipient
Support The Red Lipstick Fund
The BCH Foundation needs your help to increase our endowment from $1.4 million to $2 million to increase our support of those in need in our community going through cancer treatment. The increase in the endowment will enable the BCH Foundation to award $100,000 annually from The Red Lipstick Fund to reach more patients in need in our community.
Click here to learn more about The Red Lipstick Fund