Next Step

06/01/2026

The weather can't seem to make up it's mind about whether summer is just around the corner, but August is going to be here before we know it!

Team Next Step is looking for a handful of brave runners to join us in Falmouth on August 16th for the 2026 Falmouth Road Race!

Lace up your running shoes for this iconic race on Cape Cod and help us to support teens and young adults living with serious chronic illness as they make their journey into adulthood and realize a future they thought impossible.

Visit the link below and let us know if you're interested!

Run the 54th Falmouth Road Race for Next Step on Sunday, August 16, 2026! This year we were awarded 15 bibs through the Numbers for Nonprofits program. The fundraising minimum […]

05/27/2026

Wow, June is already here and July will be here before we know it!

Next Step is hosting two 4-day weekend programs for teens and young adults, aged 16-24, with serious, chronic illness.

Join us from Thursday July 16th to Sunday July 19th, or Thursday July 30th to Sunday August 2nd, for a weekend full of community, learning, and original music!

So many amazing original songs have come out of these programs that help the young participants to share their experiences with the world who don't know the challenges of living with a chronic illness.

Visit the link below to learn all about these weekend programs as well as how to register to attend!

We are hosting two different sessions of our FREE residential Summer Campference program for young people, ages 16-24, living with a chronic illness at the Warren Conference Center and Inn […]

05/20/2026

Based on recent temperatures, summer seems to be right around the corner!

Next Step offers a number of summer programs for teens and young adults living with chronic illness, one of which is Songbook.

Songbook is a FREE virtual program that lets young people find their voice, build their self confidence and learn life skills by working one on one with a music therapist and writing their own original song.

A new cycle starts on Monday, June 22nd.

Sign up for Songbook at the following link: https://www.nextstepnet.org/event/next-step-songbook-summer-2026/

Visit https://www.nextstepnet.org/impact/from-the-studio/ to listen to some of the songs from Next Step music programs.

Do you experience complicated feelings around life, your medical journey, connections with others? Are you struggling with your confidence and using your voice with your doctors, at school, work or […]

05/19/2026

Kep was all over the place last week!

This past weekend, he was manning a table at the B2B Health fair in Brooklyn.

He met over over 100 people to share knowledge about all of the Next Step magic. He was a little worried about running out of ducks to hand out!

Thank you Brandon Smith for organizing!

05/18/2026

Last week, Kepler and Malanya were at an event with CSCF:Candice's Sickle Cell Fund, Inc and The Mount Sinai Hospital!

A huge thank you to Capri Gurley at Pfizer, Candice Deter, and the team at Mount Sinai: Kaleigh, Hillary, Jessica, Brittany, Chassidy and Carolyn!

We look forward to doing this again soon!

05/12/2026

We're so happy to be partnering with Triage Cancer for another webinar on May 27th.

Join Triage Cancer for a FREE webinar on May 27 focused on coping with stress and uncertainty. Living with a
serious health condition—or caring for someone who is—can feel overwhelming. This session will explore why
uncertainty weighs so heavily on mental and emotional wellbeing and share practical strategies to manage
stress, worry, and fear. Attendees will gain tools to sharpen self-awareness, cope with intense emotions, and
create sustainable practices for resilience. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the webinar will
highlight realistic ways to find calm, stay grounded, and build stability in the midst of change. + FREE CE for
professionals. Register: TriageCancer.org/Webinars

05/05/2026

Casey traveled to Seattle over the weekend for Stupid Cancer’s CancerCon. From connecting with young people and providers to building relationships with fellow nonprofits, the weekend was full of meaningful moments.

She even reunited with a former participant from our 2017 Summer Campference and met incredible social workers who will help us reach even more young people in the year ahead. Grateful for the connections, the energy, and the growing community.

Thank you Allison Silberman and the whole team at Stupid Cancer for your partnership!

04/27/2026

Program team was on the road again!

Casey, Kepler, and Anna partnered with The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp to share the fun and magic of the Next Step community.

At Hasbro Children's, attendees made make-shift catapults to launch soccer balls into a net to win points for their very own World Cup replica trophy!

Thank you to Allison Mcgirr-Crowley and Alexandra Pachter at Hasbro for hosting us and thank you to Chrissy Schoenberg at The Hole In the Wall Gang Camp!

04/24/2026

Our first Campference of 2026 is in the books!

Two weeks ago, 20 young people joined us at the Hampton Inn in Watertown, MA for a fun, restorative, and deeply engaging experience centered on self-advocacy in relationships.

Across th weekend, participants stepped into creative workshops that include building dioramas, exploring theatre skits that practiced navigating challenging conversations, creating vision jars with words of empowerment.

It wouldn't be a Next Step Campference without music! The participants made 1-minute songs in spontaneous burst of collaborative songwriting.

We're only 1 campference down with more to come this summer! Visit https://www.nextstepnet.org/events/category/program/ to learn about more of Next Step's programs, not just our Campfereences.

04/21/2026

Malanya was on the road again last weekend!

Malanya was representing Next Step at the All Things Cancer + Wellness Expo hosted by the Byrd Cancer Education and Advocacy Foundation!

While sharing everything Next Step, they also attended a panel discussion: "Wellness in Action: Closing the Care Gap Together"

Thank you Trudean Hayes and Dr. Nia Bailey for letting Malanya spread the Next Step word at the event!