Project Periwinkle 2025
The reason behind this foundation is one that unfortunately is not unique. When I was 19 years old, my cousin, Michon, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I was about to start my sophomore year at Saint Louis University, and I was facing an unimaginable fear. I did what most in my position would do. I struggled with the reality of what was hitting my family, I hoped and prayed for an outcome that would keep my family whole, I struggled with my faith, and I couldn’t help but ask God why. Michon passed away the following summer, at the age of 30. I began to think and write as an emotional outlet, and what started out as thoughts and words on a page, turned into a mission statement for an organization that would help to make the world a better place. I spent nearly all of my junior year learning all I could about nonprofits. I created a business plan and organizational model that revolved solely around doing the right things for the right reasons. No matter how many months went by, two numbers continued to stand out to me that only fed the fire that fueled the dream of what I felt I had to do. 5 & 0.24. 5th most common cancer worldwide, and 0.24% of the research budget of the National Cancer Institute. The extreme disparity didn’t make sense to me, and I knew we had to do better as a country, and as a world. I knew we had to do something to not only change the statistics, but also alleviate the waste that was prevalent in the nonprofit sector. In May of 2015, Project Periwinkle launched with a 100% volunteer based model, allowing us to give more to what matters most. In the years since, we have supported nearly a half dozen cancer centers and research programs, with tens of thousands of dollars raised for the sole purpose of supporting and advancing stomach cancer research and awareness. And while we have accomplished more than I could have ever thought was possible at the time, there is still a lot more to do, and our journey is just only beginning.
2020 and the beginning of 2021 has shown us all so much about the inner power we have in us to find resolve in the face of what seems impossible to overcome, find ourselves on the other side of immense adversity and struggles still in tact, and never lose sight of what matters most. We are looking at some of the biggest problems our society has ever faced, and while they surely won’t be easy to solve, there is no question we will. We only need to keep the faith.
We are excited to announce and share our plans for Project Periwinkle 2025, a goal to raise $1 million by the end of our 2025 fiscal year. The growth we have experienced since 2015 has shaped our path forward, and has carved our place in the world, but we know there is still so much left unfinished. The work we are doing is paving the way for a brighter future. Too many are counting on us and we cannot give anything less than all we have in us toward our fight for a cure, and in our drive to stand up and fight back against a disease that has had a profound impact on so many.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of our board, volunteers, my family, and all those we are able to help, for any support you can give in helping us move closer to our goal. We cannot do it without you, and we cannot thank you enough for what it enables us to do.
Together, we can make the world a better, brighter, cancer free place.
Sincerely & With Hope,
