Our Volunteers

Technology

Medical accidents and disease impact entire families, presenting physical, mental and financial challenges on top of added responsibilities. I joined Here to Serve because of their mission of building and providing support systems to uplift and care for families. I started as a web developer and my role and responsibilities quickly evolved. I now have my hands in database management, online fundraising, web design, blog posts and more. As a result, I have developed new skills, like search engine optimization, and have been exposed to the behind-the-scenes operations of a non-profit.

I have been interested in technology all of my life. A few years ago, I decided to make a career out of it and found TeamLogic IT. I am passionate about technology, which extends to my work at TeamLogic IT and Here to Serve. I love working with people and solving problems. Any organization needs to function properly on all levels — behind the scenes and on the front stage. It is critically important for a nonprofit to do the same. I understand the obstacles that a nonprofit organization can have, and I enjoy using my experience in IT to assist Here to Serve with any IT challenges.

Here to Serve needs reliable, secure and affordable technology solutions supported by trusted providers. My company TeamLogic IT, and our team, stepped in and volunteered for this role. We all understand the IT challenges a non-profit with limited budget faces getting the technology to work for the organization. As we become more reliant on the technology for our work, we passionately provide reliable services and give Here to Serve the confidence that no matter what IT issues they encounter, we can solve it.

Social Media

After many years of living and working globally Valerie and her husband Bill have designed and built their home on a hilltop in the Pacific Northwest. After going on her own cancer journey with a loved one; she knows the daily household needs and communications with caring friends and family can be daunting; she finds Here to Serve a generous and brilliant concept to help families with those tasks. Valerie has extensive experience in the area of communications and development, and hopes her skills will help promote the goals of Here to Serve.

Hey! I’m Yousef, and I’m a part of the Social Media Team at Here to Serve. Our founder Katie always stresses the importance of the often disregarded aspect of cancer, which is the journey itself. I wanted to volunteer at Here to Serve because I believe in their mission of supporting families on their journey through childhood cancer. Also, a byproduct of the pandemic was the amount of spare time some people had and still have, so why not lessen the burden of those who don’t have that luxury? Volunteering for a good cause is a reward in itself, but it feels especially rewarding at Here to Serve.

As a former biotechnology professional, I spent over ten years researching and developing methods to detect HPV viruses that can incite cervical cancer and human biomarkers that might indicate disease onset. As a scientist, I was behind the “curtain” of a clinical sample. However, the actual patient was always in my mind and heart. How is the patient coping with illness? Do they have the resources needed for proper care? Now, as I transition from the lab to eventually teaching science to children, I can contemplate how I genuinely want to make an impact in this era of my life. My goal is to be a better nurturer to my family and help support the well-being of the community around me. As a mother of three, I am grateful and fortunate to have the time to dedicate to my children. I chose to volunteer for Here to Serve to utilize my research and writing skills to share words of support for families and children navigating the technicalities and challenges of their cancer journey. I am fortunate to be a small part of such a dedicated organization.

During the course of my postgraduate I was exposed to social-related work and volunteering. I was greatly impressed by the mission of Here to Serve. The cause resonates with my experiences. Being involved in this wonderful organization helps me being more empathetic and people-centric. Also, working as an HR (Learning and Organization Development) in my professional career definitely helped evolve me holistically. I feel I can leverage my skills and I’m privileged to work with my heart and soul at Here to Serve.

Like so many others, the Pandemic months have been ones filled with many trials and tribulations. From unemployment to a significant health crisis, I felt challenged to make a difference in the midst of my own struggles. As a cancer survivor, I know all too well the gut-wrenching battle to keep living when your body turns against you. As an incoming MS in Marriage and Family Therapy student at Fuller Seminary, I have chosen a field of study and future career that will allow me to dedicate my life to helping people. The battle and journey of cancer have touched my life and heart forever. Instead of waiting until graduation to give back, I wanted to jump in head first as soon as possible. Lending my words to a wonderful organization like Here To Serve to bring awareness about the families and children who are in the fight of their lives and highlight the journey they are on is truly an honor and a privilege.

Bryan is the son of the founder and a stage IV cancer survivor himself. He holds an M.S. M.F.T degree and has devoted his life to helping others through their life challenges.

I am a copywriter in healthcare advertising in NYC and I’m so excited to be a part of the blogging team at Here to Serve. Having lost my dad to cancer and seeing so many others impacted by this terrible disease, I really connected with the mission at Here to Serve. Words are powerful, and I’m honored to use mine to help bring support to families on this difficult journey.

Julianna (Yana), is a freelance Boston-based blogger whose passion for connecting people in need with helpful resources prompted me to seek out non-profits that are looking for volunteer writers. My research led me to Here to Serve and Katie Quintas. I am happy to be part of this amazing organization that endeavors to provide wraparound services to meet the daily living needs of young families navigating cancer.

Marketing and Fundraising

I chose to volunteer at Here To Serve because I believe in their mission to love and support the lives of families battling cancer. I’ve gotten to see just how passionate every single person is about truly helping these families and it makes me happy that I could play a small part as well.

Nick Plate is a Senior Vice President & Senior Portfolio Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management’s Flagship Office, based out of Rockefeller Plaza, New York. He learned about Here to Serve after speaking with board member Adeel Khan who inspired him with his passion and vision for Here to Serve. After researching the organization, Nick decided to dedicate his time, experience, and skillset to helping families along their journey battling cancer. He is a huge believer that extremely unfortunate circumstances and hardships can be cultivated into positive experiences – adversity breeds new perspectives and builds resilience. This coincides with Katie’s message that the journey of a cancer patient and their respective family is extremely critical & often overlooked when people support and give to cancer-related organizations. Nick hopes by volunteering, he will be able to provide positive experiences and support to those going through one of the most arduous hardships in life. And in turn, he hopes to learn and gain strength from the incredible fortitude demonstrated by children and families going through their journey with cancer.

Hey there! I’m Gianna, and my journey with Here to Serve as a PR and Marketing volunteer is fueled by my transformative time at Sacramento State and involvement with Camp Kesem, igniting a passion to brighten the lives of those touched by cancer. Here to Serve’s mission resonates deeply with my commitment to making a meaningful impact. As I step into this dynamic ensemble, I am driven by past experiences and am ready to contribute to this mission with enthusiasm and gratitude.

Kayla is an award-winning marketer and industry leader who specializes in brand marketing and awareness. She was recently named a Rising Leader Under 40 honoree by AdExchanger, and has also been named one of the Top Women in Media and a Social Media Groundbreaker by Cynopsis, as well as named one of the Cynopsis 2021 It List honorees. She has spoken on native advertising panels at Adweek Europe, and has won several PromaxBDA, Webby Adweek, YouTube Works, and Clio awards. Kayla holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fairfield University and a Master’s of Science in Social Work from Columbia University.

She recently served as the first-ever VP of Marketing at Headgum (comedy podcast network) and the first-ever VP of Digital Consumer Marketing for the MTV Entertainment Group (Comedy Central, Paramount Network, MTV, VH1, CMT, TV Land, Pop, Smithsonian, and Logo) where she worked on campaigns for series and franchises such as: Broad City, South Park, VMAs, Yellowstone, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Kayla’s background in social work and working with partners of patients in the GYN Oncology unit at Roosevelt hospital lead her to seek out an opportunity to lend her marketing skills to a life-changing organization. She is excited to contribute to the mission-driven work at Here to Serve.

Amy Wesly-Choyne is a survivor, mother, wife, and Chief Brand Officer, overseeing all of the United States Tennis Association branding, merchandising/licensing, and content. This includes community tennis and its emphasis on driving the USTA mission and overall tennis participation in this country, as well as all aspects of the USTA’s professional tennis interests, most notably the US Open, which is owned and operated by the USTA. Choyne has been with the USTA for over six years and has over 25 years of prior experience in consumer and B2B marketing within the retail and luxury industries. Amy was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2019 and knows firsthand how the disease can impact the entire family. At the time, Amy had a 1-year-old and 5 year old. Amy and her family were fortunate to have a network of people to help lend support to run the household and family. Amy’s desire to pay this forward led her to Here to Serve.

Julian Hollingshead is a veteran marketer with over 20 years of experience in financial services, education, entertainment, and advertising. His has been responsible for the strategic development and tactical implementation of all marketing functions and programs across a company’s organization, including digital, social, web, CRM, branding, and communications in support of lead generation, customer acquisition, and franchise development. This included serving on the executive leadership team and managing a $30MM annual marketing budget spanning national and local franchisee initiatives. Before he attended NYU Stern business school, he was a mechanical engineer working in research & development. Julian is married with four children and lives in Carlsbad, California.

Julian joined Here to Serve because he identified with our program’s benefits to humanity. He is a cancer survivor and has volunteered for several other cancer organizations.

Graphic Design

I volunteer with Here to Serve because I love the work they’re doing to support families and kids. I’m so lucky to be part of an organization that is helping to make sure that all families have the resources they need to make informed healthcare decisions.

Katie has a great vision for what matters, having dealt directly with the cancer journey. And, since the journey is really the most important thing, what better partner than someone who completely understands the vital needs of those just beginning treatments on the road to recovery? This is the reason I contribute my creative energy to Here to Serve.

It’s a great opportunity to be able to learn and grow while helping an organization like Here to Serve with their important mission. Here to Serve has allowed me to contribute my graphic/web design skills and learn a bit more about WordPress.

Here to Serve helps an often forgotten population…families caring for sick children. I volunteer for them because they are a small big-hearted organization that has a profound impact on the families they help. And Katie is driven to make it as impactful as possible.

Here to Serve provides critical assistance to families navigating cancer by providing valuable resources and mobilizing community support. I’m really grateful I can work with so many passionate individuals and play a small part in such an impactful organization.

Program

Jennifer (Jenn) Doner is a healthcare business leader who has been driven for over two decades to improve health and well-being through advancing business strategy. Her career has spanned healthcare consulting and executive leadership of multiple organizations & business functions, including a large orthopedic practice, care model innovation for home dialysis, and modernization & innovation solutions for large healthcare businesses. Her leadership has focused on transforming and driving change across all types of healthcare organizations (e.g., not-for-profit, for-profit, academic, large hospital systems, physician practices, and insurance corporations) to address the gaps in our healthcare systems today.

As an individual who has experienced journeys in healthcare, personally and professionally, Jenn believes in the invaluable impact of enabling support, care, and inspiration for families facing pediatric cancer. By helping to support families during their cancer journey, Jenn hopes these services help reduce stress and propel hope, which could have an exponential impact on clinical outcomes.

Technology

Christian Lee

Alex Kim

Justin Tsui

Social Media

Valerie Cox

Yousef Al-Nuaimi​

Sameera Rangwala

Srushti Wagh

Valerie Cox​

Bryan Quintas

Sameera Rangwala

Emily Rogalin

Yana Bostongirl

Marketing and Fundraising

Dylan Wyke

Nick Plate

Gianna Potella

Kayla Moriarty

Amy Wesly-Choyne

Julian Hollingshead

Graphic Design

Alex P. Lewis

Eriq Chang

Steinar Shellenberger

Stephan Donche

Bonney Ruan

Program

Jennifer Doner

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Current Volunteer Opportunities

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Seth’s Story

​Harper’s Story

​Zein’s Story

​Hazel’s Story

​Bailey’s Story

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Yousef Al-Nuaimi

Valerie Cox

Harper’s Story

Zein’s Story

Hazel’s Story

Bailey’s Story