Cindy St. Pierre Noel speaks about their mother and her empathy with caregivers because of her understanding of the 'weight and responsibility.'
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Some 350 people came to Greylock Works to eat chicken, take chances on raffles and bid hundreds of dollars for whoopie pies and cupcakes.
The annual PopCares Chicken Dinner and Auction is a major fundraiser for the local cancer charity, which has distributed over $1 million since its establishment in memory of William "Pop" St. Pierre, who passed away from cancer in 2012.
Pop's three sons and charity founders William, Robert and Michael are the usual speakers at the event, but this year his daughter, Cindy Noel, took to the podium to remember their mother, Dolores, who died in 2021.
"I'm Cindy, the sister that some of you didn't know the brothers had," she said to laughter on Saturday night. "Tonight, I want to honor our mom, a woman whose love and compassion continues to inspire us all. She was the heart of the family and always putting others before herself. And she carried the same spirit when she was involved with PopCares."
Dolores St. Pierre "understood the weight and responsibility" that caring for a loved demands, she said. "Because of that, she carried a special compassion for their caregivers. She was always ready to listen to their stories of the good days and the bad days. She encouraged them and even cried with them. Her greatest legacy lives on with PopCares.
"What began as a family idea grew into a powerful force for the good, raising money and bringing hope to countless local people battling cancer."
PopCares raises funds locally and keeps them here. It might be gift cards for gas and groceries, paying for hotels for families to get to doctors appointments. And "acts of kindness" to let those battling cancer know that they aren't forgotten.
This year's event had posed some challenges, Bob St. Pierre, PopCares president, said, but a thank-you note from someone who had received a gift told them it was not only a tremendous help financially but gave them "peace, hope and dignity."
Saturday's dinner celebrated the caregivers from family and friends to doctors and nurses. Carrie Burnett presented the award to the nurses at Berkshire Health System's Phelps Cancer Center in place of Tammy St. Pierre, who was ill, saying she knew how much it had meant to St. Pierre to be able to recognize them.
"Oncology nursing is more than a profession, it's a quality that demands not just knowledge and skill, but compassion, patience and an ability to walk with people through their most difficult moments, day after day, week after week, month after month, these nurses rise to that call," she said. "They don't just provide care, they provide comfort, dignity and strength when patients and families feel the most vulnerable."
Burnett said she had seen that up close, as her parents died from cancer, and friends, like Tammy St. Pierre, had battled the disease.
"They were there with encouragement on the hardest days, with reassurance, when fear crept in, with kindness that reminded us that healing is not only about medicine and treatments, but about humanity, they made us smile and sometimes laugh through the tears," she said. "Those moments will stay with me and my family forever. ...
"You are the true heroes, and this recognition is just a small token of the immense gratitude we all feel."
Only one of the nurses was aware that the award was being presented, and she said, "we all absolutely love what we do, and PopCare is amazing, and without them, a lot of our patients would not be able to handle things financially, because with a cancer diagnosis comes a lot more than you expect."
The charity also recognized a Robert Blair, a longtime supporter and someone who, like Pop, would drop everything to help a friend, said Bill St. Pierre.
"This person has been a huge supporter of PopCares from day one and many other organizations throughout Northern Berkshire," he said, presenting Blair with a Community Partner Award.
Blair said he was proud to be able to sponsor the charity because "they make a difference in a whole bunch of lives and they don't ask for anything in return."
Michael Crews, organizer of benefit golf tournament Hackersfest, presented PopCares with a check for $5,200.
"This year was our 11th annual and, each year, we raise money for both PopCares and the Michael De Marsico scholarship fund," he said. "And this year, due to over 120 local businesses being sponsors, which was one of our highest years yet, tremendous turnout, we had 100 [participants], I'm able to present a check, but before I do that, round of applause for the St. Pierre family, please."
The St. Pierres also thanked Greylock Works and David Nicholas of Bounti-Fare, the evening's caterer, for their support.
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