The IBCPC Dragon Boat Festival is held every 3 to 4 years under the auspices of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission. The festival is an international non-competitive participatory event for breast cancer paddler teams who engage in Dragon Boat activities as post breast cancer diagnosis rehabilitation. For the first time since the establishment of IBCPC in 2010, the festival will take place in France from August 24-30.​

The 2026 Festival will welcome 4500 participants from the current 320 IBCPC member teams, from 37 countries across all continents. Hope Afloat can’t wait to participate in this amazing international event!

In 2025, Hope Afloat completed a year-long community outreach project to assemble and distribute 500 gift bags for patients undergoing breast cancer treatment at local hospitals. We collected thoughtful comfort items—such as puzzle books, cozy socks, stress-relief squeeze balls, and candy—and came together on two separate evenings to fill the bags for delivery. Each gift bag also included a personal note of encouragement and support from a team member. Through this effort, we were proud to reach patients at Bryn Mawr, Einstein, Fox Chase (Main Hospital and Chestnut Hill), Grand View, Jefferson, Lankenau, and Penn Medicine (Infusion and Radiation).

In March of 2025, our team partnered with the American Cancer Society at the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge in Cheltenham, which provides a welcoming home away from home for out-of-town patients receiving cancer treatment in Philadelphia-area hospitals. We hosted a festive “Chili Fiesta,” serving a variety of homemade chili dishes, fresh salads, cornbread, desserts, and decorating the tables with mini piñata centerpieces. For patients and their families, the evening offered a comforting respite from the stress and physical toll of treatment. For our members—each of us breast cancer survivors—it was a meaningful opportunity to extend empathy, encouragement, and firsthand understanding to others navigating a cancer diagnosis.