Greenville cancer society breaks ground on $4.5M renovation

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The Cancer Society of Greenville County held a ceremony to commemorate the groundbreaking of a $4.5 million renovation project to its Mills Avenue space.

The renovation will include demolishing the existing structure to build a new, 6,900-square-foot space, effectively doubling the organization’s footprint, according to an announcement from the Greenville-based nonprofit. Added functionalities will include a serenity garden, meditation room, a children’s healing room and additional counseling rooms.

The project was funded through a mix of private donors, foundations and corporate donors. An additional $1 million is needed to fully fund the project, slated to be complete by late 2024, a news release said.

Speakers included Greenville Mayor Knox White; Dr. Aniket Saha, a Prisma Health oncologist and CSGC board member; and Stephanie Walker, breast cancer survivor, client and volunteer.

“Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Greenville County and with our county’s population continuing to rise, it became critical that we take steps to ensure our organization was in the best position possible to continue providing cancer support to every community member that needs it,” Lisa Colby, executive director of the Cancer Society of Greenville County, said in the release.

Creative Builders Inc. is the general contractor and McMillian Pazdan Smith Architecture is the architect for the project. The non-profit elected to work exclusively with Greenville County vendors on the project, including Bluewater Civil Design, McLeod Landscape Architects, Fuller Group, Peritus Engineers, Burdette Engineering and Bunnell Lammons Engineering, the release stated.

In addition to the groundbreaking, the non-profit announced a new brand for the organization — The Neighborhood Cancer Connection.

“We’ve been working diligently for months on refreshing our identity to better align with our purpose in the community,” Colby said in the release. “Just as our programs and services have evolved over the past five decades, it’s time for our name to reflect the role we play with Greenville County cancer patients.”

The Cancer Society of Greenville County has served community members across Greenville County’s six cities for 58 years, serving as one of the longest standing cancer support non-profits in the Upstate. Each year, the non-profit provides thousands of services to more than 1,000 clients, including financial assistance, equipment donations, nutrition, support groups and counseling services.