HELP STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY BY SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES EXPERIENCING BREAST CANCER
WHO WE ARE
Our mission is to support individuals and families affected by breast cancer in our community as they navigate the challenges of breast cancer. We do this through gifts and meaningful acts of service to lighten their burdens and bring joy and encouragement to their lives during difficult times.
Join our mission! Whether it's applying or nominating someone to become a recipient, donating to provide targeted help, or joining our community-wide memorial by applying to receive a tree and plant it, your involvement matters.
Together, we can provide comfort, strength, and hope to those facing breast cancer in our community. Join us in making a meaningful impact. Together, let's spread love and support to those who need it most.
GET INVOLVED
If you know a family affected by breast cancer, nominate them for our support. Or, if you're facing breast cancer yourself, apply to become a recipient of our caring gifts.
Your donation can make a significant impact on the lives of families affected by breast cancer. Every contribution helps us provide essential support and services.
Join our community-wide memorial by applying to receive a spruce tree and planting it in honor of those affected by breast cancer. Become part of a lasting tribute to their memory.
OUR INSPIRATION
Spruce Up Anchorage, was founded in 2020 in memory of Betsy Guzenski, Paul’s beloved mother who passed away in 2019 from breast cancer. Betsy's courage and resilience inspired us to create a movement dedicated to supporting families facing breast cancer in our community.
As a tribute to her legacy, Paul’s Tree Service donated 200 spruce saplings to residents of Anchorage and Eagle River. Many recipients, friends and family asked about donating money to the program and were touched by how the program was dedicated to Paul’s mom.
Along this journey, we met countless families who strongly connect with our mission while facing their own challenges.
Despite many being financially stable, the universal emotional toll of breast cancer is undeniable. This continues to drive us to honor Betsy's legacy and offer comfort and support to those affected by breast cancer.
Message from our Medical partner
Spruce Up Anchorage (SUA) is a labor of love born from loss. A loss that comes at the hand of a disease, a plague that consumes from within. Breast cancer took Betsy from this world and, while it pales in comparison to the loss of her life, spruce beetles take thousands of trees every year. From combating these two afflictions SUA was born. While replacing a loved one is impossible, honoring them is possible and SUA aims to do not only that but also help the many families currently going through the fight against breast cancer. Whether that be by providing the funds for travel to and from treatment or by providing the funds for an excursion to allow a family to spend precious quality time together. As a physician in this community I have seen the enormous impact a small gesture can make not only for a patient but for the family and thus I fully support and am in awe of the mission of SUA. While SUA may be a labor of love born from loss, it will profit both our community and our community members for years to come.
- April L Rodriguez, MD, RPVI, Alyeska Vascular Surgery
Message from our Ecological partner
Planting white spruce (Picea glauca) is an excellent way help our urban forest recover from the current bark beetle outbreak that has decimated spruce populations in the Anchorage area. White spruce are native to Alaska, tolerant of climate variability and provide critical habitat for wildlife. Most importantly, young spruce trees are resistant to bark beetles! We hope when the ~50-year cycle of bark beetle infestation returns, sometime around 2070, that we have better methods to save these beautiful trees. Until then, enjoy the year-round color, shade and wind-break.
- Travis Andrews, PhD
Sponsored by:
Paul’s Tree Service (PTS) is the primary sponsor of Spruce Up Anchorage