Beyond the Ribbon Foundation to host cancer benefit Saturday in Powell

A shared cancer journey becomes a mission of hope

Eight years ago, Stacey Atkinson and Brenda Nelson were strangers separated by more than 900 miles. Both had been diagnosed with breast cancer within days of one another, and both were about to begin a journey that would change their lives.

Nelson was still living in Minnesota but was looking to move to Powell. Her realtor knew Atkinson and had asked for prayers after Atkinson’s diagnosis. Nelson found Atkinson on Facebook, sent her a message and introduced herself as another woman facing breast cancer.

They have been talking ever since.

“We went through everything together, chemo, mastectomies, all of that,” Atkinson said.

When Nelson moved to Powell in 2020, the two friends began discussing a small Breast Cancer Awareness Month project. In 2021, they organized a few raffle prizes under the name Paint the Town Pink. It was a modest start, but the idea grew each year, first through more raffles and community participation, then through a board of directors and a larger mission.

Today, their effort is known as the Beyond the Ribbon Foundation. Drawing on their own experiences, challenges and knowledge as survivors, Atkinson and Nelson are making a difference for others facing cancer. 

The foundation exists to bring “hope, healing and support” to people and families across the Big Horn Basin who are facing cancer. Its purpose is not only to provide financial help, but also emotional support, practical assistance and personal encouragement during an especially difficult season of life.

“Our goal is to make sure people going through cancer know they are not walking it alone,” Atkinson said. “The money we raise stays in the Big Horn Basin, helping people in our own communities.” 

The foundation began with a focus on breast cancer, the disease that brought its founders together. Over time, it has expanded to help both women and men facing other forms of cancer as well, including recent recipients dealing with pancreatic cancer and brain cancer.

More than 25 people have been helped so far, Atkinson and Nelson said, and several more applications are currently active.

Support takes many forms. Beyond the Ribbon can provide gift cards or direct financial assistance for everyday needs, such as groceries, fuel for treatment trips or a cell phone bill. It can help arrange meals or rides to appointments. It also provides what the founders call “comfort bags,” filled with blankets, socks, candles, hot chocolate and other small items intended to bring comfort during treatment.

“Hopefully, it will just show them a little bit of extra care and a lot of love,” Atkinson said.

The foundation is not designed to pay the enormous medical costs of cancer treatment. Instead, it helps with the burdens that build around a diagnosis, from missed work and travel to everyday bills and family needs.

Nelson recalled helping a grandmother raising her granddaughter who was too sick to shop for Christmas presents. In another case, the women were able to quickly help someone whose phone service was about to be disconnected.

“It just depends on what their needs are,” Nelson said.

Beyond the Ribbon’s help is rooted in a personal approach. People can contact the organization through its website, phone calls, texts, email, Facebook Messenger or by simply walking in to speak with Atkinson. There is an application process and a physician verifies the cancer diagnosis, but the founders say their first priority is listening.

“I kind of let them start,” Atkinson said. “You can tell they are a little nervous. I have them sit down so they are comfortable and talk to them about how they have been feeling. I do not jump right in and ask them what they need. I give them a chance to visit about their feelings.”

Nelson said that kind of conversation can matter as much as a check or gift card.

“Just listening is a really big deal,” she said. “What makes us different, I think, is that personal connection. We are interested in you as a person. We do not want to just throw some money at your problem.”

The organization’s mission is openly rooted in Christian faith and compassion. It is not affiliated with a particular church, but Atkinson and Nelson say their beliefs have shaped both how they survived cancer and how they now serve others.

Atkinson said her faith was tested after her diagnosis, including when one of her sons asked how she could believe in a God who would allow her to go through cancer.

“I said, ‘That is not how I look at it,’” she recalled. “I believe that the trials we go through are, number one, to bring us closer to God, to lean on Him, to give us the strength to get through our trials. And number two, He is giving us a testimony to be able to possibly help other people.”

For Nelson, cancer was followed by another unimaginable trial. In 2023, she lost two daughters in a car crash. She said her faith has remained the foundation that carried her through both experiences.

“My faith has always been really important to me,” Nelson said. “If it were not for Jesus, I would be dead. My faith is not what gets me through. It is God’s blessings and God revealing Himself in my life and in the lives of those around me.”

She sees that same care in the way Beyond the Ribbon has grown.

“It started out with two raffle prizes, just a tiny little thing,” Nelson said. “It is growing, and we are able to help more people. People are getting excited about volunteering.”

That community support will be evident Saturday, Oct. 24, when Beyond the Ribbon hosts its 2026 Boots & Blooms Cancer Benefit at Heart Mountain Hall at the Park County Fairgrounds, 655 E. Fifth St., in Powell.

Doors open at 5 p.m. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with a guest speaker scheduled for 6:45 p.m. A live auction will follow the speakers, and the evening will also include a silent auction, cash bar and 50/50 raffle.

Advance tickets are $15 per person and tickets at the door are $20. Children 10 and younger are admitted free. Those wishing to attend the auction after dinner may purchase a $5 bidding number.

The foundation is seeking donated auction items and volunteers. More information, including ways to apply for assistance or donate, is available at beyondtheribbonwy.org.

For the two women who began as strangers sharing a frightening diagnosis, Beyond the Ribbon is now a way to make sure others feel supported along the road they once had to travel themselves.

When asked what the best thing to do when a friend or family member finds out about a cancer diagnosis:

“Just be with them in it,” Nelson said. “Listen, help if you can, and love them like normal. Do not make it all about their cancer. 

“And here in the Big Horn Basin, tell them about Beyond the Ribbon and the additional love and services we can provide.”