A Single Light’s Story

A Single Light was founded on June 10, 2005 when founder Nathaniel Montgomery saw the hardship suffered by a family who traveled 200 miles by car so that their daughter, who was fighting cancer, could receive treatment. They were scared because they knew they did not have the money for gas in order to make the next trip. The mother of the family cried when she was given a $100 gas voucher to buy gas for their next trip. Based on this experience, Nathaniel knew there were resources out there for families to help them find aid, but knowing how to access the available resources is a challenge. After it was registered as a non-profit, A Single Light launched the Cancer Resources Database (CRD), its main program, consolidating hospitals, clinics and other medical organizations that offer aid to cancer patients into a single website. The CRD would be constantly updated with new organizations and services every day while making sure the data from currently listed organizations is as up to date as possible.

The mission of ASL is to increase the access to information for those afflicted with cancer, along with their families, to lessen suffering through education and service. In December 2005, ASL’s mission was confirmed when Katherine Crowder contacted A Single Light seeking help for herself and her two children, Beth, 17, and Kyle, 23. Three years prior, Katherine was earning more than six figures, but when she contacted ASL, she was living in a garage with her daughter. Kyle was working three jobs and sleeping on a friend's couch. With the help of ASL, Katherine was able to receive assistance during the holidays to buy Christmas gifts and help with rent. Katherine said, "This was the best holiday I could have asked for." She died a month later. Her daughter Beth said, "If It wasn't for [ASL], my mom would have died without seeing her last Christmas."

Currently there are more then 2,040 Organizations offering over 4,000 services to those affected by cancer in the Cancer Resource Database. To date the CRD is searched 2000 times a month with 5 organizations are added to the database per day.

On December 1^st, 2007, A Single Light launched two new programs, Huggels which makes blankets for children affected by cancer, and Capturing the Light, ASL’s photography program, both designed to bring hope and courage to those affected by cancer.