The Cynthia S. Owens Foundation

The purpose of the Cynthia S. Owens Foundation is to simply help loved ones cope with the multitude of challenges brought on by cancer.

It was the spring of 2001 when things began to change. What Cindy thought was pain from a cracked rib, ultimately led to the diagnosis of a rare form of lymphoma. During her illness, we spent a great deal of time in the hospital and this is when we started talking about what we had noticed. As difficult as Cindy’s illness was, she never stopped putting others ahead of herself. I began to tell her that in my roaming the halls of the hospital all hours of the day and night, one thing became very obvious to me. People had to leave their loved ones to go back to work, take care of children, etc. You see, through the help of our family, I was able to spend every moment of Cindy’s illness by her side. This was the greatest sense of purpose that I have ever experienced in my entire life. I believe the only thing worse than dealing with a life- threatening disease, is wanting and needing your loved ones by your side, only to know that is not possible due to work, finances, or other real life issues. I told Cindy that once our life was back to normal, we should do something to help others cope with these problems. She agreed and that night in the hospital, our thoughts began to take shape. We were already in the planning stages of our new coffee venture …now it would include helping others.

Unfortunately our life did not return to normal. On February 14, 2002 Cindy’s battle with cancer was over, but her inspiration to others lives on. After much prayer and deliberation, I decided to move forward with the launching of the Carolina Coffee Company, and to establish a foundation in Cindy’s name to help families endure the many challenges while battling various forms of cancer. The Owens Family will donate a portion of all coffee sales from the Carolina Coffee Co. to this Foundation. The New Hanover Regional Medical Center and the Zimmer Cancer Center will be the recipient of these funds, with the emphasis on helping loved ones spend more time together during their illness.

Working together we will make this dream become a reality. We can make a difference!

Our sincerest thanks,

The Owens Family