Day of Hope

What is MaineGeneral’s Day of Hope?

MaineGeneral’s Day of Hope brings our community together with an inspirational ceremony honoring our cancer community, followed by a 1.8-mile Walk for Hope through the beautiful University of Maine Augusta campus, located at 76 Community Drive, Augusta.

The Day of Hope features health screenings, cancer and prevention education, integrative therapy sessions, inspiration and hope – all while raising critical funding for the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, which provides local cancer care for 12 percent of Maine's cancer patients.

What does MaineGeneral’s Day of Hope support?

In past years, money raised through the Walk has supported patient needs, transportation, equipment upgrades and more. In 2024, proceeds supported the $36 million expansion and renovation of the cancer center to meet an ever-increasing need for cancer care services.

The completed project will feature 12 new exam rooms, 10 new infusion bays and a dedicated wing to support survivorship and holistic care. It also will include an expansion of the pharmacy, laboratory and research and genetics spaces.

Our 2024 Day of Hope Marshals

Arlene McLean

When Arlene McLean began working in MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Radiation Oncology Department in May 2000, she couldn’t have envisioned two things – that she’d still be helping patients 24 years later and that she’d become one of them.

Now the practice administrator at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, McLean is a breast cancer survivor. She also will be a marshal for the Day of Hope, where she’ll share her cancer story.

Always a supporter of cancer patients during her career, the Winslow resident now has a much deeper understanding of the many challenges they face.

From her diagnosis in June 2023 through her treatment, McLean documented her experience through Facebook posts that were personal, inspirational and educational. Her goal was to help others better understand the cancer treatment journey.

Learn more about Arlene

Heather Moore

Long before being diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2021, Oakland resident Heather Moore sadly had years of personal experience with cancer – nearly 18, in fact.

In late November 2003, Moore said goodbye to her sister Laurel Davis Jeffers, who lost her breast cancer battle at age 35. Six weeks before Laurel died, the sisters participated the Maine Breast Cancer Foundation’s annual luncheon and raised money to support patients receiving cancer treatment. Moore continued her fundraising efforts at MaineGeneral’s Walk for Hope for several years afterward, with her Walk teams raising and donating nearly $40,000 by her estimate.

While helping to support others, she never expected to travel the same path – until a routine mammogram showed something suspicious.

Learn more about Heather