Jenny Miner could not have put it in simpler terms.

“Cancer screenings save lives,” the fund development coordinator for Lakeland Health Foundations said.

“If you can get screened early and that cancer or potential cancer can be diagnosed and dealt with — the earlier we can find that, the greater chance you have of surviving and thriving.”

Despite this, Miner said many people aren’t undergoing regular screenings for a myriad of reasons, ranging from the fear of finding something to the inability to pay for the screening itself.

That’s why she, and others at Lakeland, are excited about a new fundraising initiative called Hope Grows, which was born out of a collaborative effort between the Lakeland Health Foundation Niles and the Niles-Buchanan YMCA.

Money raised through Hope Grows will fund two things — Lakeland’s free cancer screenings and the YMCA’s LIVESTRONG program, a 12-week post-cancer treatment health and wellness program.

Miner said she believes Hope Grows will end up saving lives.

“The goal is to make sure that everyone in the greater Niles community has access to services, regardless of pay,” she said.

A fundraiser will be held Thursday at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, where attendees will learn about the benefits of free screenings and the LIVESTRONG program. The event is sold out, but organizers are still accepting donations. Call (269) 927-5145 or visit the website lakelandheath.org/lakeland-health-foundations for more information.

While it is difficult to put an exact number on how many people don’t get necessary screenings in the Niles area on an annual basis, Miner said Lakeland would get about 150 people to show up when it offered free mammography screenings.

“Even in a small community we are able to find that 150 people — and that’s specific to breast cancer,” she said. “I would make the jump to say that those same women who come in for a mammography screening also are not getting the other screenings.”

Oftentimes, parents are the ones sacrificing screenings when money gets tight.

“It happens all the time where we know that in families the parent’s healthcare comes after the healthcare of the kids,” she said. “What they give up is that routine stuff that ultimately in the long term can avoid something critical.”

Once Lakeland begins receiving the funds, Miner said it would begin promoting screening programs through the hospital.

“It will be done on an individual basis, but we will encourage everyone to come in free of worry that you will have to pay for something you can’t afford,” she said.

Lakeland offers screenings for many different cancers, including breast, colon, lung, prostate, oral and skin. To access these services, call Shelley Wilkinson, registered nurse, at (269) 556-2866.

Miner praised Lakeland, the YMCA and the greater Niles community for coming together the form Hope Grows.

“The whole thing has come together in such a positive manner and with such excitement,” she said. “It’s overwhelming the number of people that have come forward to support it.”