"It's been 5 years since my last Cancer diagnosis..."

I often think about the motivations that lead someone to give to one organization over another. A couple of months ago, an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy: “A Growing Divide Emerges as 2007 Fund-Raising Year Comes to a Close” took at look at the reasons why charities that provide social services (or poverty-focused charities) tend to lag behind the fundraising achievements of colleges, arts institutions, and hospitals. For me, it has never been an either/or scenario. Here’s my story:

It's been 5 years since my last cancer diagnosis. When I die I might leave my body to Harvard Medical School as they have such a great investment in it. I have been successfully treated for cancer three times with help from Children's Hospital, Dana Farber, MGH and the Brigham.

The volunteers and doctors at Children's and in the Jimmy Fund clinic were a big part of my childhood, and I’m continuously grateful. But I was also a Girl Scout and belonged to my church youth group and worked for my neighbor's small business. In addition to my family, I was embraced and supported by my community and even when I was critically ill, I was planning my future and, though I didn't know the phrase at the time, I was "inspired for life." That support from organizations like the Girl Scouts, was also a key piece in my development through cancer.

Many have commented on UW's movement "inspire4life." I'd like to add that all kids - especially frail kids like I was - need to live in communities with a variety of supportive institutions and adults.

Communities need many non-profits to be whole and healthy and to have the people that live in them be that way. In my job as a fundraiser, I meet people who are torn between giving to an institution like hospital or giving to an organization that provides social services. It’s my hope that they’ll give to both. I thank God for hospitals but when I was losing my hair and was stick thin, I needed the Girl Scouts, too.