Our Programs

Lucy’s Love Bus

Lucy's Love Bus Integrative Therapies Project delivers comfort to children with cancer by paying for any therapy that helps to balance traditional cancer care and improves the quality of life for the child. 

Many cancer treatments are still under experimentation, and many of their side effects are neither well controlled nor fully understood.  Therapies such as acupuncture, massage, equine therapy, Reiki, meditation, tai chi, art, music and dance therapies offer children the opportunity to heal their spirits along with their bodies.  

Lucy's Love Bus strives to fill in the gaps and give children and their families the love, understanding and comfort that they need when battling cancer.  Patients, families, practictioners and volunteers are welcome to join us.

“When you look at the sick children follow them to the place they can speak to you in. Notice their bodies are two things, love and illness, and help them remember the love and not the sickness. The Healing is [in] knowing who you were, not what you might be.”
- Lucy, age 12

Please Join Lucy’s Love Corp!

Lucy’s Love Corp fuels the mission of Lucy’s Love Bus, a non-profit organization that delivers comfort to children with cancer through grants for integrative therapies such as massage, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, Reiki, art/music therapy and therapeutic horseback riding. Lucy’s Love Bus is fueled by love. Our work is made possible by many generous individuals who organize fundraising events on behalf of the brave and beautiful children we serve.

How does it Work?

By volunteering to be a Lucy’s Love Corp member, you are making a commitment to raise $1,000 in one calendar year to help us deliver comfort to children with cancer and those facing late effects of cancer treatment. You can make a monthly donation of $85 through our website, or raise $1,000 through a fundraising effort in hundreds of different ways. Please see below for a list of ideas to be inspired.

What is involved?

You are only limited by your imagination. You can do any type of fundraiser, as long as it is fun and exciting to you, and of course, legal. If you fund supplies for your event, we just ask that you keep receipts and subtract that amount from the money you raise before making your donation to Lucy’s Love Bus.

Will I have Support?

You will be amazed at how easy it is to inspire others to get involved, and we will be available to answer questions and provide support along the way. We have lots of fundraising experience and are more than happy to share ideas, best practices, and resources.

What do I Need?

To accomplish your goal it helps to have a big heart, a lot of enthusiasm, and a passion for supporting children with cancer. We will provide each Lucy’s Love Corp member with one of our traffic-stopping t-shirts, a 6” magnetic Love Bus logo for your car, Lucy’s Love Corp business cards, and marketing materials which include Lucy’s Love Bus brochures and posters for your event. We also provide a handy list of tips and tricks to help you successfully publicize your event through local media and social networking.

Can I work with a team?

Absolutely. We are big believers in the power of collaboration. Some people choose to name a team to celebrate a child in their community who is battling cancer, or to honor a loved one who has died of the disease.

What if I am not able to raise $1,000?

We will still love you.

What if I raise over $1,000?

We will still love you, and any funds exceeding $1,000 can be applied to your Lucy’s Love Corp commitment for the following year.

Will my efforts be recognized?

Yes, you will be added to our website, in a list of Lucy’s Love Corps members, or you can choose to participate anonymously. If you are a business owner, we will provide a link to your website from ours.

Are donations to Lucy’s Love Bus tax-deductible?

Yes, we are a registered 501 (c) 3 organization.

How do I track my contributions?

We will keep track of the money you have raised as you send it in. You can send an email at anytime for an update on your fundraising totals.

How Can I get started?

Complete the registration form on our website (under the FORMS tab). We will contact you and send you the materials you need to get started. Thank you for your interest in supporting Lucy’s Love Bus. We know that you will enjoy the ride!

Fundraising ideas to get you inspired:

o Hold a walk, run, skip, hike, or bike-a-thon
o Ask local school children to collect change for one month
o Hold a concert, golf tournament, yard sale, bake sale, or plant sale in your community
o Invite 10 of your friends to donate $100 each
o Hold a lemonade stand event with your children
o Work with local teens to have a car wash event
o Ask a restaurant or local business to donate a percentage of one month’s profits to Lucy’s Love Bus.
o Host an evening for Lucy’s Love Bus with live music, raffle prizes and silent auction items.
o Collect you own spare change for one year- you will be amazed at the grand total.
o Become a monthly Monarch sponsor on our website. For $85 per month, you can support one child all by yourself!
o Charge for casual Fridays at your school or office. Each person in jeans pays a few dollars for the privilege, and you raise  hundreds of dollars.
o Raffle off a seasonal sporting item such as a kayak, tent, skis, bicycle, or even a weekend get-away. For $10 a ticket, you will reach your goal in no time.
o Put change jars in your local shops for one month- September is National Pediatric Cancer Awareness month!
o If you are really crafty, you can make items to sell at craft fairs and donate the profit to Lucy’s Love Bus.
o Have a kite flying festival. People can buy or make their kites at your event and enjoy a day at the ocean.
o Have a Polar Plunge
o Hold a head-shaving event…these can raise lots of money if the people being shaved are local heroes.
o Do a bottle drive
o Ask your company to get involved- they may be willing to match your fundraising efforts with a tax-deductible contribution.
o Hold a fashion show
o Have an art auction with donations from your local artist community
o Host a bingo night
o Have a wine or chocolate tasting event
o Host a dinner in your own home and have friends bring a cash donation

Acupuncture On Wheels

Hooray for our 1970 VW Westfalia Love Bus!  After one full year of hard work and dedication by our team of fantastic volunteers including Sonya Pelletier of St. Esprit, artist extraordinaire, Deb Bonaccorso, and Damon Sesta from German Auto Sport, our beautiful bus is on the road!  Please check out our pictures from our recent event with the Lowell Spinners to see what she looks like now...You won't believe your eyes...

We are currently seeking outreach opportunities to bring Lucy's Love Bus to regional hospitals.  When visiting with our 1970 Love Bus, we provide free acupuncture sessions and demonstrations for people who work closely with pediatric oncology patients, including parents, oncology nurses, physicians and social workers. We believe that medical professionals need an opportunity to experience the benefits of integrative therapies before recommending them to the children in their care. Lucy's oncologists often asked her why a Leukemia patient- who was constantly being poked with needles- would want to be poked with acupuncture needles in her spare time. Lucy would respond, "Because it helps, and it does not hurt."  She always said that the only time she was 100% pain-free was when she was receiving acupuncture, massage, or Reiki.  Please contact us if you know of a hospital that would like to schedule a visit for their pediatric oncology staff. 

Lucy's Teen Leaders

Lucy’s Teen Leaders is a program that grew out of the love of Lucy’s little sister and her best friends. Lucy’s friends wanted to get involved in fund raising to help make Lucy’s dream come true. The first group of Lucy’s Teen Leaders helped raise $40,000 for children with cancer at our Fly-Away Festival (butterfly release) in September of 2010. 

While Lucy’s Teen Leaders were working to support Lucy’s vision, another group of teens from Barre, Massachusetts (with the support of their field hockey coach) formed to raise money in support of their friend who is fighting cancer. In less than two months, this incredible group of teens raised over $8,000 for Lucy’s Love Bus.

If you know a child in your community who needs our support, please let us know.  And if the children in your community want to find a way to support their friend in a meaningful and empowering way, please contact us to learn how you can form your own fundraising group. We currently have four teams of Lucy's Teen Leaders in Massachusetts who are raising money for children with cancer while learning valuable life lessons about leadership, activism and philanthropy.