Traditional treatments for cancer primarily focus on healing a person's body. But often the patient needs emotional support as well.

Wellness and a holistic approach to cancer is the goal of the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

The Cancer Support Community, formerly the Wellness Center, is located in the stately Anneliese B. Vollrath house, 3400 Bath Pike (Route 512), Hanover Township.

The non-profit organization offers programs in a home-like setting focused on the social and psychological needs of the patient, their families and survivors. Group activities reassure cancer patients that they are not alone.

The Lehigh Valley chapter of the Cancer Support Community is part of a larger international organization sharing the mission to tend to a cancer patient's mental and spiritual well- being.

"We offer many different programs," says Jen Sinclair, Program Director of the Cancer Support Community. "In addition to support groups, we have yoga, cooking classes, and crafts. We are always looking into ways in which we can expand our offerings."

Other programs include counseling and educational workshops designed to give the cancer patient the knowledge needed to make sound decisions regarding their clinical treatment and care. The programs are free-of-charge.

The organization has two fundraiser-awareness events this month.

The 5th Annual Wings of Hope, 10:30 a.m. Sept. 8, Cedar Crest College, 100 College Drive, Allentown, is a free, 90-minute event with music by Melody for Humanity, children's crafts and activities, refreshments, and sale of butterfly-themed items.

At noon Sept. 8, there will be 250 Monarch butterflies, symbols of transformation, released for flight in honor and in memory of those affected by cancer.

In advance of the event, community members may sponsor a paper butterfly, inscribed with a loved one's name. The butterflies will be pinned to curtains and displayed at the event.

The butterflies, embedded with wildflower seeds, can be taken home and planted, to grow into butterfly-attracting wildflowers.

To purchase a butterfly, contact Dianne Moody, dmoody@cancersupportglv.org, 610-861-7555, ext. 39.

"Susan's Undoing," a performance piece about a woman's cancer experience, will be presented at 1 p.m. Sept. 22, Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts, 675 E. Broad St., Bethlehem.

The one-hour performance, written and performed by cancer survivor Susan Chase, uses music and original compositions by Philadelphia composer Justin Solonynka, as well as dance and first-person monologues.

The performance is free. Seating is limited. For reservations, call Sinclair, 610-861-7555.

Sinclair says events such as these can counter the isolation that a person diagnosed with cancer feels, which can hinder recovery.

"We want the individuals we serve to engage in activities that they will find enjoyable and that will help them to get their mind off their cancer, even if it is just for a little while," says Sinclair. "It helps them to be around others who are experiencing a similar situation."

The parent organization was founded in 1982 in Santa Monica, Calif., by Dr. Harold Benjamin to "combine the will of the patient with the skill of the physician."

Realizing that the mind is a powerful healing tool, the organization strives to aid the individuals it serves in taking a "patient-active" approach to his or her illness and recovery.

In 2009, the group joined forces with Gilda's Club, founded in honor of the late comedienne Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. The combination of the two agencies made it the largest cancer support organization in North America.

"We rely on fundraising and the generosity of our corporate sponsors and donors to fund our programs," says Sinclair.

"With everything that a person dealing with cancer has to worry about, we feel that they should not have to be concerned with paying for our services."