3 Little Birds 4 Life out to spread confetti of kindness to cancer community
By Devese “Dee” Ursery
COLLINSVILLE — Ashley Swip turns family tragedy into community outreach to help others in their battle with cancer.
Swip is the founder of 3 Little Birds 4 Life, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to spread kindness like confetti to those impacted by cancer. They spread kindness through various community outreach programs.
“We spread confetti through our The Flock Project, the Spoonful of Comfort Project, and provide Birdie Boxes for cancer treatment support,” Swip said. “We truly believe that the more kindness that is spread across the cancer community, the better the support for those impacted by cancer.”
Swip began her non-profit journey in 2010 when a need arose during the battle that her brother, Tyler Gifford, fought with melanoma cancer. During his battle with melanoma and countless Google searches later, Swip realized that resources for young adults with cancer were few and far between.
Considering all of the surgeries and treatments that Gifford had to endure, Swip decided that he needed a day of fun doing things that he loved. Gifford was granted an experience of a lifetime with the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals – to sit in the press box, meet the announcers, and go on the field before the game during batting practice. A few months after her brother’s death, 3 Little Birds 4 Life was created in his honor.
Gifford spent his special day hanging with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. On November 2, 2010, six weeks after his wish was granted, he passed away.
During her quest to make her brother’s wish come true, Swip realized that it was vital for other families currently battling a cancer diagnosis to be able to experience a wish.
While doing her research, Swip realized that once a young adult turned 18 years of age, he or she was phased out of wish granting organizations around the U.S. After granting the wish of her brother right before his death, 3 Little Birds 4 Life was born. She is working tirelessly toward building an extraordinary team of volunteers and future staff to spread 3 Little Birds 4 Life to all young adults currently managing cancer in the U.S.
3 Little Birds 4 Life is based in Collinsville, but plans on opening up a new community space called The Nest which is also in Collinsville.
“At ‘the Nest’ we will host meetups, retail space to find the perfect gift for someone having a hard time, classes, BFF nights out, head shaving parties, Birdie Box building, the Flock support group,” Swip said. “We would also like the Nest to be a space that other community organizations can use to further their missions. We believe that if we all work together that the community benefits.”
The Flock is a new peer to peer support network, according to Swip. This program will help connect survivors, current patients, and caregivers together to help the cancer community even more. Think mentors who have already been there with mentees just beginning the cancer or caregiver process.
“We are still finalizing the details, but we cannot wait to bring this new program to life very soon,” Swip said. “We are hoping to launch this program in Winter 2024-25.”
The next upcoming event for 3 Little Birds 4 Life is the Sunset on Cancer 5K/1K family fun run/walk. That will be hosted on Oct. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Drost Park in Maryville.
This is a melanoma cancer awareness event that is hosted in the evening to support those with sun sensitivities. Learn more at https://3littlebirds4life.org/events/sunset-on-cancer-5k1k-family-runwalk.
Other programs that 3 Little Birds 4 Life feature are the Birdie Box, signature gift boxes full of items that will help boredom and may ease symptoms of treatment.
The Birdie Boxes have been redesigned to include their signature Celebration Kit. Our Birdie Box is full of items that will help with boredom and may ease symptoms of treatment.
The Spoonful of Comfort Project is a way for 3 Little Birds 4 Life to support the local cancer community in a much needed way.
“We will create, cook, and freeze meals for anyone who needs a little help in our local cancer community,” Swip said. “We will host cooking nights at local community kitchens, and keep the meals in the freezer, at the Nest for people to pick up as needed.”
We are always looking for volunteers and ambassadors to help us grow our programs. With our Nest opening soon, we will be hosting a grand opening sometime soon.
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Ashley Swip
