NEWINGTON, Conn. -- When it comes to helping others, John and Fay Vondeck have the bases covered.

"We were in community service for a long time," Fay Vondeck said.

Channel 3's Scot Haney said part of that service includes volunteering at the CUREchief Foundation (Related Story), where they made kerchiefs for cancer patients who lost their hair during chemotherapy.

Their involvement in that project was before cancer struck close to home.

"Cancer struck our family in one year five times over, and we have lost three of those five members," Fay Vondeck said.

Volunteering to help cancer patients while caring for family members with the disease became too much for the couple.

So, the Vondecks put their community service work on hold.

"As we lost loved ones, we heard from many volunteers that we had worked with who said, 'We really want to be with you. We want to help you,'" Fay Vondeck said.

The Vondecks Get Back In The Game

Those volunteers -- a group of high school students -- encouraged the couple to return to volunteering. This time, the couple started a service organization of their own: Cuz We Care.

"Everything we make is free of charge. All of our material is donated to us." - Fay Vondeck

"They were there to support us through what we were going through, and then they just wanted us to reach out and do more," Fay Vondeck said.

So they did. Once again, they reached out to people with cancer.

"Cancer patients sit for such a long a period of time undergoing their chemo treatments that the nurses and doctors roll towels and stick them behind (the patients') necks," John Vondeck said.

The Vondecks want cancer patients to be comfortable, so they created a very special pillow.

So, why not replace those towels with handmade, comfortable and perfectly-sized pillows patients could call their own?

"The pillow idea came from the director of a cancer center down in Norwich," John Vondeck said. "We came up with this little 18-inch-long pillow that has become super popular at this point."

More than two years after starting their efforts, 30,000 pillows have been distributed throughout the community.

"There are 3,000 pillows in my basement waiting to be delivered, and (a) workshop has already produced 300 pillows (in one night)," Fay Vondeck said. "Everything we make is free of charge. All of our material is donated to us."

Pillow Production Powered By Volunteers

Cuz We Care's efforts involve about 1,500 volunteers statewide. While making pillows is priority No. 1, the Vondecks have started making other items as well.

"We now have 12 product lines. Not only do we do our neck pillows, but we provide queen-size afghans to families whose children are undergoing treatment for cancer," Fay Vondeck said. "We have hats, scarves, pillowcases-- and even a line of preemie outfits, little hats, shirts and preemie pillows."

The pillows help to comfort the sick, from children who don't feel well at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, to cancer patients.

Tom Boccaccio's wife was given a pillow when she started chemotherapy.

"She has something physical and personal that she can hold on to as she suffers through the chemo, and this has just lifted her up and made a difference," Boccaccio said.

Denise McMillen was also comforted after receiving pillows during her chemo treatments. She is now in remission, and after having been so impressed with the Vondecks' work, McMillen became a volunteer.

"(The Vondecks) are so special, I cannot say. I mean, they're special as a couple, they complete each other, but what they do, they give their entire time to," McMillen said. "They live in this apartment and everything is devoted to Cuz We Care: their time, their energy, their money, their lives."

"We go into the community to work, and it would be so much easier if the community could come to us," Fay Vondeck said.

More Information

Link: Cuz We Care Web site

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