On Amy Tenen’s 23rd birthday, her friends and relatives were reciting a hopeful mantra for her: “Twenty-three and cancer-free.” Amy, who passed away in
December 2006 after an 18-month battle with small-cell ovarian cancer, is now being remembered through a Lancaster-based charity called Amy’s Angels. Friends and family say it is exactly what she would have wanted. “People loved to talk to Amy. She was always happy,” said Amy’s mother, Diane Tenen. “She was always reaching out to people. Very giving. She would want this.” Diane Tenen, who is the assistant principal at Mary Rowlandson Elementary School, first found out about Amy’s Angels when she was shown a poster by her co-workers advertising the first major event that would benefit the charity. It was Mary Ellen Root, Gail Sticklor and Patti Linenkemper who established the foundation, which Tenen said gives money to people in the town of Lancaster who find themselves at a loss for expenses when facing an unexpected illness or tragedy. “It was really difficult,” Tenen said of her own experience with Amy’s cancer. “You come up with expenses you don’t expect. It’s actually for people having financial needs or some kind of a crisis. Not long-term, but something comes up and there’s a crunch.” The first event, in 2007, was a hypnotist that performed at the Leominster Eagles Club. Since then, the group has hosted several fundraisers. For instance, fifth grade teacher Bonnie Cook’s students have made two quilts composed of their own artwork to be raffled off for the charity. The most recent one is themed “Happiness.”
Additionally, last holiday season, in lieu of gifts, many parents and teachers made donations to the charity.