Grammy Award-winning singer Nanci Griffith is making a rare solo concert appearance in Bremerton, in support of a Kitsap County organization which works to provide TLC for the people who care for cancer patients. And it all began with one friend.

Friends of Avery was founded in October of 2005 by Wendy Rohrbach after her experience of taking care of her best friend, Avery, who died from cancer five months earlier. (Rohrbach doesn’t divulge Avery’s last name, out of respect for her family’s privacy, she said.)

Rohrbach said she was lucky to have the help of Avery’s family while they all cared for Avery, who was 39 and a mother of three young children when she died, but she realized they needed help as well.

“I wish I had had what Friends of Avery has, to be able to call someone for help when I was struggling,” she said.

Friends of Avery is the only organization in the United States that focuses solely on the needs of the people who care for friends and family members with cancer, whether terminal or curable, Rohrbach said. Hospice provides support for caregivers for terminal patients. Its goal is to assist patients and caregivers through the final stages of terminal illness.

Rohrbach had no experience running a non-profit organization, but she quit her job as an environmental consultant on Bainbridge Island, cashed in her 401(k) and started Friends of Avery.

“This is really a grassroots movement,” she said. Other than her own money, Friends of Avery has gotten support from private donors, local service clubs and a fund raising dinner held in June. Rohrbach said new non-profits are not eligible for United Way funding or most grants until they have been around for a year.

“It’s a Catch-22 situation,” she said. They have to prove they can survive without funding before they can get funding. All the services provided by Friends of Avery are free, making funding even more vital.

Rohrbach said it is essential that Friends of Avery has the support of Harrison Hospital, the Doctors’ Clinic and Olympic Hematology and Oncology. The three groups are underwriting the cost of bringing a name like Nanci Griffith to Bremerton. They also provide meeting space for the group’s classes and professionals to speak to caregivers.

“They have all leapt at the chance to work with us,” she said.

A registered nurse from Olympic Hematology and Oncology has provided information on how to manage a loved one’s symptoms associated with cancer treatment; a social worker has discussed the role of cancer caregivers and how to take care of yourself while taking care of others; a lawyer has spoken on Medicare and estate planning; and a naturopath has told caregivers about the differences between complementary and alternative therapies and the role balanced nutrition plays in the health of both caregiver and patient.

Rohrbach said Friends of Avery has three main facets: the caregiver courage and endurance programs, the Chemo Buddy program and a Web site with resources and information for caregivers.

Since the group began offering support in May of 2006, one year after Avery died, it has delivered six education classes, two support groups and several social events to more than 100 participants.

Rohrbach said the act of bringing caregivers together has had another effect — an organic camaraderie.

“It’s amazing to see the networks develop,” she said. “There’s a real community building.”

For example, one caregiver may be struggling to keep up with their yardwork, while another is falling behind on the housework. By trading jobs based on their strengths the work gets done.

Rohrbach said she chose Nanci Griffith to perform at the group’s most ambitious fund raiser to date because she is one of her favorite performers, and a cancer survivor.

Griffith has battled — and beaten — both breast and thyroid cancer. An early practitioner of the “folkabilly” sound, she is a well-respected member of the folk music community. Her songs have been recorded by the likes of Bette Midler, Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson. She has won a Grammy for best solo artist and for a performance with The Chieftains.

She has played the guitar since she was an 8-year-old in Texas, and her first professional gig was at Austin’s Red Lion Club when she was 14. She recently turned 50 and has recorded a string of albums in her long and successful career.

She is also a supporter of Campaign for a Landmine Free World, and has traveled to Vietnam, Angola and Kosovo for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation.

Rohrbach said she will be happy to break even with Griffith’s concert, and hopes it will also increase public awareness of Friends of Avery and the services it provides.

“Getting Friends of Avery’s name out there is more than half the equation for me,” she said.

Nanci Griffith performs 8 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Admiral Theatre, 515 Pacific Ave., Bremerton.

Tickets are $50 main floor, $30 loge and $20 balcony, available at (360) 373-6743.

To learn more about Friends of Avery or to contact Rohrbach visit www.friendsofavery.org.