Friends of Dana-Farber
Friends' Board and Bios
Cheryl Eckel
Cheryl Eckel was born and raised in Connecticut. In l980, she
moved to Woodland Hills, Calif., with her husband Robert, and lived
there for ten years. Then, they returned to the East Coast to be
closer to their families and settled in Andover, Mass. Their four
sons range in age from 12 to 25 years. As a stay-at-home mom,
Cheryl has always enjoyed volunteering in their classrooms as well
as the various sports and organizations in which they were
involved.
As social chairwoman and pool chairwoman at the Indian Ridge
Country Club in Andover, Cheryl organized social events,
fundraising, etc. and participated in the Lap-A-Thon for the Jimmy
Fund, a function held by their club during the month of August.
Before becoming a member of the Friends, she shared a small
business making crystal jewelry with her eldest son's girlfriend.
It was a great experience that combined a lot of fun with the
opportunity to learn about the business world.
Cheryl's neighbor and very good friend Lauren Frei interested
her in getting involved in the Friends by inviting her to
participate in packaging and delivering patient gift bags. She
became an active and contributing member and is presently the
vice-president of membership, striving to bring in many new members
to the Friends organization. She was proud to co-chair the very
successful 30th Anniversary Gala in 2006, honoring Dr. Emil Frei
III. Her many activities include working on the Holiday
Decorations, Holiday Hospitality, Saks and the Patient Gift Bags
Committees.
Cheryl said, "I have enjoyed all the various committees, but I
have to say that delivering the patient bags has been especially
gratifying. It's the most wonderful feeling you can have when you
know that you have contributed in making someone so sick feel
better, even if it's only a smile. They are so grateful and happy
to know that others are thinking about them. I am very proud to be
a member of the Friends' Board. Each and every one of us are here
for the same mission - to help raise funds to find a cure for
cancer and to reach out to the patients and families."
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