Community Corner

Readers' Choice Winner: Amy's Army

Readers vote Amy's Army as the best nonprofit based in Oakton

Congratulations to Amy's Army for winning our Readers' Choice contest to find the .

With 75 percent of the votes, Amy's Army earned a decisive victory over second-place Northern Virginia Family Service by 78 votes.

"I think the results speak to the fact that we've been out in the community for five years now in this community trying to help women who have cancer," said Tammy DiBlasi, a spokesperson for the group. "A lot of people have heard of us."

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Voters considered the following nonprofits:

Amy's Army started in 2007 as a Relay for Life group in honor of Amy Howle, who was battling breast cancer, and has grown into a nonprofit. In the last year, Amy's Army's membership has grown from 20 to about 50 people. 

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A big misconception about the group is that they were only raising money for Howle, who lost her battle to cancer last March, and her family. But that's not the case. The group not only raises money to increase awareness and support medical research, but also to offer financial assistance to women fighting cancer.

DiBlasi gave a recent example of a woman who was diagnosed with colon cancer. The woman needed to hire childcare for when she went in for her treatments, but could not afford it. The woman reached out to Amy's Army, which relieved her of that expense.

Those who are seeking the group's help can fill out a grant application on the Amy's Army website.

"We don't discriminate based on income because we figure that getting cancer means your life pretty much sucks, so we want to be able to help with any financial surprises," DiBlasi said.

Amy's Army has two upcoming fundraising events. One is a benefit cruise to Bermuda on Aug. 3-9.  

They will also host a car wash through Flagship Carwash in Herndon, Gainesville and Annandale on April 21 (or April 28 if it rains). A percentage of the profits will go toward Amy's Army.

Visit the Amy's Army website for more information.


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