At the April 3 Rancho Mirage City Council meeting, representatives of the nonprofit Shay's Warriors described programs intended to help cancer survivors cope after treatment and thanked the city for a multi‑year sponsorship.

Council Member Eve Framberg Edelstein introduced the presentation and invited founder Shayne (Shay) Moraga and board member Maddie Botello to speak about the group's services and upcoming events.

Shayne Moraga said Shay's Warriors focuses on “inform[ing], empower[ing], and help[ing] heal cancer survivors and their families through health, fitness and the mind‑body connection.” She told council members the group runs in‑person and virtual monthly support meetings (“Coffee and Connection”), a weekly movement class in partnership with Eisenhower Medical Center’s Lucy Kercher Cancer Center, and an annual multi‑day “I Am Hope” retreat. “Our vision is that no cancer survivor should ever lack ongoing support from a community that understands,” Moraga said.

The presenters said the nonprofit offers both survivor‑focused programming and family/support‑person sessions; they described a men’s support group (“Yo Bro, I’m Brave”), fundraising events such as a pre‑Mother’s Day high tea at Wally’s Desert Turtle, and scholarships to send survivors to the retreat. Program figures provided by Moraga and Botello included more than 600 coffees/teas served, more than 2,000 “move to heal” sessions, and more than 100 educational shows available on YouTube. The presenters said the organization has supported more than 65 retreat attendees at no cost to the individual and raised roughly $60,000 annually through donations, sponsorships and in‑kind contributions (presenter stated the amount as “60,000 k”).

Botello and others thanked the council and City of Rancho Mirage for agreeing to sponsor the next three years of the I Am Hope survivors’ retreat at the Ritz‑Carlton, which presenters said is a four‑day, three‑night, all‑inclusive experience for survivors. Botello invited nominations and applications for scholarship seats at the retreat; she said applications are available on the Shay's Warriors website.

Several council members, including Council Member Michael O'Keefe and Mayor Weil, identified themselves as cancer survivors and praised the organization. No city action was taken during the presentation.

The group requested continued municipal support and publicized an upcoming Wally’s tea on May 10. Presenters said additional funding comes from direct sponsorships, grants and volunteer donations.