At Pinky Swear Foundation, we are lucky to have a community of supporters dedicated to helping kids with cancer and their families with financial and emotional support. Key to this community is our Board of Directors, a group of individuals who invest their time, expertise, and strengths in working towards the vision of saying ‘yes!’ to every family.
What drew you to Board service at Pinky Swear Foundation?
I have always been passionate about supporting kids and families, and that passion deepened when I became a mother in 2018. From that moment, I felt a pull to give back to organizations that champion the well-being of children. Cancer is something that has touched all of our lives in one way or another, and it continues to strike without regard for a person’s background, socioeconomic status, or age. When I learned about Pinky Swear Foundation and its mission of providing financial support to kids with cancer and their families, I knew I wanted to be part of it. Board service felt like a meaningful way to help ensure that families facing childhood cancer feel a little less alone during one of the hardest chapters
of their lives.
There are a lot of organizations that provide cancer support. What about Pinky Swear’s mission stands out to you?
What do each of the Pinky Swear values (Compassion, Collaboration, Celebration) mean to you?
Compassion, to me, means meeting families where they are, with empathy, without judgment, and with a genuine desire to ease their burden. I see compassion shine through in so many ways at Pinky Swear, especially in the staff.
Collaboration means recognizing that no one can do this work alone. It takes donors, volunteers, board members, staff, partner organizations, and the families themselves, all working together to expand our reach and deepen our impact. I believe the best outcomes come when people bring their unique strengths to the table and rally around a shared mission.
Celebration means honoring every milestone, no matter how small. I love that the organization celebrates its All-Stars and their families, and celebrates the collective impact we are making together, because that energy fuels the work ahead.
Is there a particular accomplishment during your tenure on the Board of Directors that you’re proud of/hoping to accomplish?
More than anything, I want to be part of reaching more families and expanding the impact that Pinky Swear Foundation can have on those facing childhood cancer. Every family that receives support is a reminder of why this work matters, and I would love to look back on my time on the Board knowing that we were able to extend that support to communities and families who might not have otherwise known that help was available to them. Growing our reach while staying true to the heart of our mission is the accomplishment I am working toward.
What talents do you bring to the Pinky Swear Foundation Board of Directors?
I bring a background in law and finance, which helps me contribute to the governance, strategic planning, and organizational decision-making that Board service requires. Beyond professional skills, I bring a deep personal commitment to this cause and a willingness to roll up my sleeves and do the work, whether that means lending my voice to fundraising efforts, helping think through growth strategies, or simply being an enthusiastic ambassador for Pinky Swear in my personal and professional networks.
What have you learned/are hoping to learn during your time on the Pinky Swear Board of Directors?
Board service has already taught me so much about the landscape of childhood cancer and the very real financial burdens that families face alongside the emotional and medical challenges. It is one thing to know that cancer is devastating; it is another to understand the tangible ways that a diagnosis can upend a family’s financial stability.
I am hoping to continue learning how to be a more effective advocate and leader in the nonprofit space, and to deepen my understanding of how organizations like Pinky Swear can operate as efficiently and impactfully as possible so that every dollar raised translates into real support for families.
What are your hopes for Pinky Swear Foundation in the childhood cancer space?
I am excited for the day when Pinky Swear Foundation becomes a household name! When every family facing a childhood cancer diagnosis knows that there is an organization ready to help ease the financial stress that comes alongside treatment. I hope to see Pinky Swear continue to grow its reach, deepen its partnerships, and become the go-to resource in the childhood cancer support space. Ultimately, my hope is that we can be there for every family that needs us, so that families facing childhood cancer can feel less alone.
I want people to know that Pinky Swear Foundation was born from the heart of a child, and that same heart beats through everything the organization does today. It is a community of people who genuinely care about lifting up families during one of the most difficult experiences imaginable. Every contribution, no matter the size, goes directly toward making a family's fight against childhood cancer just a little bit easier, and that is something truly worth being part of. And I want them to know how to donate!