At Courageous Parents Network, we know that “showing up” is critical. Parents of children with serious medical conditions tell us that those who show up for them during their child’s health journey make all the difference. Friends, family, and community show up to provide emotional and practical support. Clinicians show up to deliver medical care with compassion. And as an organization, CPN understands that our aspiration to transform the care experience both delivered and received relies on the willingness of all of us to show up and listen to, learn from, and build together.
Each year, Courageous Parents Network convenes a team of runners, under the leadership of bereaved parent Sarah Casey, for the Falmouth Road Race. And each year, I reach out to my personal network of family and friends to invite them to participate in the fundraising effort.
It was a special moment last year when my friend Haley, “showed up” for me and CPN in the most unexpected and thoughtful way through her response to my outreach. She says that when she received my email she “immediately wanted to help raise funds for CPN.” I have known Haley for only a few years. Our sons are classmates.
I asked Haley if there was something about CPN’s mission that resonated with her. She writes: “A family member passed away at age 15 after battling glioblastoma for 7 years. I didn’t fully grasp the devastating nature of such a loss until I became a parent myself. Losing a parent or spouse follows the natural order of things, hence there are words like orphan, widow/er. But there is no term for a parent that loses a child, it’s a grief that knows no bounds and that you can never fully recover from.”
Haley explained to me that Macquarie, the company she works for, has a foundation which provides a corporate match for their employees’ charitable contributions. She wished to participate in CPN’s fundraising for the Falmouth Road Race by requesting a match from Macquarie. Haley went through the proper channels, with our support, to request that CPN become an eligible organization. With help from CPN’s team director Sarah, Haley submitted the fundraising information. Weeks later, I received a text message from Haley with the total amount that Macquarie was generously donating to CPN thanks to her participation on Team CPN. I was taken aback and nearly brought to tears. It wasn’t just the financial gift that moved me – though anyone in the nonprofit world knows how hard-earned every dollar is – but the fact that Haley would put in this time and effort, to SHOW UP for me in this way, was overwhelming.
Many of my CPN colleagues are parents of children with medical complexity (caregiving or bereaved) who do this work because it provides a sense of meaning to improve the healthcare experience for other children and families, because it helps maintain their child’s legacy, or for other deeply personal reasons. I myself have gotten to this place through a professional pathway that has deepened my passion for the work without myself having this exact lived experience. I am so touched that someone in my inner circle, like Haley, would also see the beauty in the work that I feel so strongly about.
I encourage you to look into your workplace and find out if there is a corporate matching program. Some companies will match your individual contribution. In Haley’s case, her company offered a match to a team fundraiser. Haley adds “Corporate matching immediately magnifies the impact of your donation or fundraising. It usually involves filling out a form and attaching evidence, 5-10 minutes of your time.”
I witness the difference our organization makes daily and I know that it’s only possible with every individual in our network, including our own family and friends who believe in the work. Thus, it is a bold ask – and one that I make humbly – that you consider supporting CPN in this way.
Please contact myself at Chrissy@courageousparentsnetwork.org, or our Executive Director, Blyth Lord (blord@courageousparentsnetwork.org), if you are interested in supporting CPN with corporate matching. Join our growing network.
You can also support through a one-time donation or recurring gift you can contribute HERE.