A Card. A Prayer.
A Lifeline.
Rexanna's Foundation offers support to every cancer patient that comes our way. While the foundation was formed to rally around lung cancer patients, over the years, the net has been cast wider to include men, women, and child patients with any type of cancer at any stage. Rally Card Recipients agree to share updates with the Foundation and, therefore, with their assigned Rally Card Writer. Each update helps our RCW know how to pray and support more specifically. It is not required for a patient to respond to their RCW; however, in some cases, the patient and writer bond is strong and lasts beyond the treatment phase. Others who might want to receive rally cards are the caregivers of the cancer patient and we welcome the opportunity to offer that support.
A Remarkable Woman.
An Enduring Legacy.
Pat Hood was a remarkable woman — cherished as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Her love for snowmen and her deep devotion to family illuminated everything about her life. Watching her grandchildren grow brought her immeasurable joy.
When cancer entered Pat's life, her son Steve Hood sought to lift her spirits every week. He enrolled her to receive Rally Cards from Rexanna's Foundation, and those cards became a steady beacon of light through every medical appointment and difficult day at home.
"Thank you for sending Julie Emmitt into my life. She is such a special lady."
— Pat Hood, on her Rally Card WriterPat was in regular communication with Executive Director Lisa Spain throughout her time receiving cards — always sharing how much she loved them and how deeply she appreciated her Rally Card Writer. Her gratitude was constant and genuine.
Following Pat's passing, Steve honored her memory by making a generous donation to fund the Rally Card Project — ensuring that cards and stamps would always be available for volunteer writers. Rexanna's Foundation is proud to carry this program forward in Pat's name.
Who Is A Potential Rally Card Writer?
Men and women who are ready to serve others and are available to commit. Writers are caring, encouraging, compassionate, and gracious. This service is not the same thing as having a pen pal, as often the patients are not feeling well, are very busy with treatment/doctor schedules, and are still working and raising active families. For all those reasons, writing can feel very one-sided. What is important for RCWs to know is how appreciated they are. Every note seems to come at "just the right time." Every note brings hope... and is a little bright light to the day. The feedback has been tremendous from our patients. True relationships are cultivated from this selfless example of kindness.
Writers are warm, encouraging, and gracious — people who genuinely care about the wellbeing of others. Prior cancer experience is not required. What matters is a willing heart and a consistent commitment to serve.
This is not a pen pal program. Patients are often unwell, managing packed treatment schedules, and still carrying the weight of work and family. Writing will often feel one-sided — and that is perfectly okay. What matters is that every note arrives right on time.
The feedback from patients has been extraordinary. Every card seems to arrive at "just the right time." Every note is a small bright light. True relationships have grown from this selfless act of kindness — some that last well beyond the end of treatment.
Ways to Participate
Rexanna's Foundation welcomes cancer patients of all kinds, caregivers, and volunteer writers. There is a place for everyone in this program.
Are you currently going through cancer treatment? Enroll to receive weekly handwritten Rally Cards — personal, heartfelt notes from someone who genuinely cares. You deserve to know that people are in your corner, every single week, for the long haul.
Enroll as a RecipientCaregivers carry an enormous, often invisible weight. If you are supporting someone through cancer treatment, Rally Cards are available for you too. You are not alone in this — and you deserve encouragement every bit as much as the patient you love.
Enroll as a CaregiverHave a few minutes a week and a heart for others? Become a Rally Card Writer. You will be matched with one patient and write one card per week. It is a small act that delivers an outsized impact — hope in an envelope, right on time, every time.
Sign Up to WriteHow the Program Works
Simple by design, meaningful in practice. Here is what to expect when you join the Pat Hood Rally Cards program — whether as a recipient or a writer.
- One personal, handwritten card per week to every enrolled patient or caregiver
- Cards signed by real volunteer writers — never generic, always intentional
- Consistent encouragement that confirms: you are seen, you are valued, you are not alone
- Any individual undergoing cancer treatment — all cancer types, all stages
- Caregivers and family members supporting a patient through treatment
- Volunteers ready to commit to weekly writing and prayer for one patient
- Recipients receive cards for the full duration of their treatment
- 16 cards per person — 4 weeks per month over 4 months — for both recipient and writer
- Writers are matched one-to-one with a patient, building a genuine ongoing connection
Fund Hope.
One Card at a Time.
Steve Hood's generous gift in memory of his mother Pat ensures that cards, stamps, and supplies are always available for our volunteer writers. Your donation continues that legacy — keeping hope in the mail for every patient who needs it.
Rexanna's Foundation serves patients of every cancer type, at every stage. No patient who reaches out is turned away. Your support makes that possible.
"Every note seems to come at just the right time. Every card brings hope — a little bright light to the day."