The national nonprofit Phil’s Friends is holding the grand opening of its newest Hope Center in Kankakee on Sept. 20.

Founder Phil Zielke will begin the festivities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. at 240 S. Dearborn Ave., according to a news release.

Zielke, a two-time stage IV cancer survivor, was inspired by a care package, encouraging cards and ongoing prayer he received while undergoing treatment at University of Chicago hospitals, according to the release.

Phil’s Friends was founded in 2006. It now extends the same support to those navigating the difficult journey of cancer, according to the release.

The organization is committed to providing Christ-centered support to those battling cancer.

The Hope Center in Kankakee will be a dedicated space where volunteers can make a difference for a cancer patient by decorating care package boxes, coloring Cards of Hope and assembling care packages, according to the release.

“These care packages are tangible reminders to these individuals that they are not alone – that there are people who care about them and will walk alongside them through their dark days,” according to the release.

Grand-opening attendees will be able to enjoy many hands-on activities, such as coloring Cards of Hope, decorating care package boxes and journals, and tying fleece blankets – all of which will go into care packages to cancer patients.

Since its founding, Phil’s Friends has sent more than 60,000 care packages and more than 1 million Cards of Hope to individuals nationwide.

The Kankakee Hope Center joins three other existing Hope Centers – in Addison and Wheaton in Illinois, and Crown Point, Indiana – and three smaller satellite locations located in The Villages in Florida, Minnesota and Missouri, according to the release.

The 44-year-old Zielke is married and the father of two young sons. He is the author of “Seeing the Good in It,” a nationally sought-after speaker and a contributor to Moody Radio, according to the release.

For more information about Phil’s Friends and its mission of serving cancer patients, visit philsfriends.org.