Havens for Cancer

Your vacation house can help a family facing cancer.

“My son is a cancer survivor and we donate a week in our house every year in celebration of him! It makes him so happy to know that we’re helping others in his name.”

- Mother and Vacation Home Donor

Nearly 90,000 adults and children throughout New England will be newly diagnosed with cancer this year. If someone you love (or you!) has been touched by cancer, there are many ways you can honor them by putting your home to use for another family facing cancer:

  • Donate one week in your vacation house so a family can enjoy a weeklong stay.

  • Rent your house privately and donate the proceeds to Vineyard Havens.

  • Rent to Vineyard Havens at a discount so our dollars go further to help more families.

    • We need houses from the last week in June through the third week in August. Shoulder season donations are also welcome.

    • We take care of your home as though it were our own. We execute any special instructions and we oversee your property while its in use.

    • We only accept one week per summer and never ask for more.

    • Every summer, we rent properties at a discounted rate from homeowners like you which then enables us to host more families each year.

    • Discounted rental houses are needed from the last week in June - the third week in August.

  • Every Donor is unique. If you’re thinking of other ways that you can support Vineyard Havens, we’re all ears. Contact Contact Caitlin so we can explore together.

How can I use my vacation house to help?

A Few Things to Know

    • Caitlin Burbidge lives on the island year round and she treats every home with great care.

    • She honors any special instructions you have for your home and she ensures that both you and our families have an amazing experience.

    • Rest assured that Caitlin can often be found triple checking that all the lights are off and the gas grill is cleaned after one of our families has checked out.

    She’s here to answer any of your questions and figure out a way to work that’s just right for you and your family. (Contact Caitlin here)

  • We will work with whomever you do for the benefit of your home (cleaners, caretakers, rental agents and more).

  • We pay for cleaning services for our family’s vacation time in your home. We can use your preferred cleaner or we can bring in someone we already work with.

  • We’re happy to work with unique properties that are donated. Families are matched with great care. Our minimum requirement is:

    • must be located within 15-20 minute drive to hospital

    • has AC (or reliable ocean breezes!) and WiFi

    • light, bright with an excellent maintenance history and “rental ready”

    If your beautiful house isn’t a match for our families, we can help you find other ways to support our program. Contact Caitlin to explore more.

“I love when my family and I are on the Vineyard at our vacation house. But what I love even more is the week that a family from the program is using it. The fact that just one week of sharing a house that sits empty can make such a difference for a family… there’s no better feeling!”

- Mike, Vacation Home Donor and son-in-law of a cancer patient

Get in touch to learn more.

Our Program Director, Caitlin, is happy set up a time to talk in greater detail and answer all your questions about our program. This is a simple step with no commitment.

Thank you again for considering using your house to help a family with cancer. The gift of island respite is priceless and wouldn’t be possible without the kindness of people like you.