We Aren’t Invincible
Year End Letter
This year has been anything but what we could have expected. Our world still works to overcome tremendous challenges and struggles as we look forward to a brighter year ahead, so first and foremost, I hope this letter finds you well. To recap the past year for Project Periwinkle, our operations have been fairly quiet. In May, we announced our gift to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, supporting their stomach cancer research initiatives, and all they are doing to combat stomach cancer and make our world a better place.
You know our story, and the reason I started this foundation. In July of 2014, my cousin, Michon, passed away from stomach cancer. I was 20 years old, about to start my junior year of college, and through the pain of loss I was feeling, turned it into something that would be a positive action, shaping the darkness I was experiencing into a light for others. It was far from easy, it was filled with countless hours of planning and learning, but I never had a doubt about the decision I made or the journey I was going on. I knew what I was doing was making a difference and creating a world were hopefully no family would have to go through what mine did. In May of 2015, we launched Project Periwinkle, and over the past five and a half years have done more than I could have ever imagined.
This story is a reminder of overcoming what felt impossible, but somehow through the fog of it all, there was a way. Today, with the toll the coronavirus has had on our world, I have been facing the most difficult challenge yet in my time leading this organization. The nonprofit sector has been rattled, and Project Periwinkle is no different. We are fortunate that our operating model is one that has allowed us to continue to exist, but it doesn’t make us invincible. There is still a need to meet our mission initiatives of funding research and promoting stomach cancer awareness and education. We have put a pause on in-person fundraising events, temporarily discontinued funding for research and education while our revenue has slowed, and we have yet to visit Vanderbilt to see first-hand the work they are doing because of what you have made possible.
Our world is under a tremendous amount of stress, and this isn’t a fundraising letter, rather it is a reminder to remember us when things get better. Right now, we all need to take care of our communities, our families, our friends and colleagues, and all those who are depending on us, and we fully understand the weight of it all. If you can contribute to our end of the year fundraising efforts, THANK YOU. Your generosity, no matter how small or large of a gift, means more than I think I would be ever able to fully express in writing, even more so now. If you cannot, I ask that you please remember us when you can, and your support will be just as welcomed and gratefully received in the future. We don’t have plans to go anywhere, and through sound financial and strategic management decision making, I am confident we can weather this storm. Too many are counting on us. Our team is looking forward to a brighter year in 2021, and one where we can do so much more to stand up against cancer, support those fighting, and create a world where cancer is a disease of the past.
With Hope,
Ben J. Broghammer
President & Chairman of the Board