A look back at where we’ve been and what we accomplished

As we look to our future, we cannot help but look at what has happened in the past few years. Here are some of our key highlights:

Going from local to national

Due to the challenges of the pandemic in 2020 and adoption of video conferencing technology, we developed a program so successful and transportable that we were able to support families with children battling cancer nationwide.

Annual FUNraiser

We held our annual fundraising event in September of 2023, and the response was overwhelming. Thanks to our dedicated supporters in the Los Angeles area who came to our Casino Night-themed event, we were able to raise $75,000 towards helping more families with children battling cancer get the comprehensive physical, emotional, and financial support they need. Read more about the event here.

Thanksgiving Basket program

While this program is still confined to the Los Angeles metropolitan area due to the logistical limitations of transporting fresh food, we were able to serve numerous local families and make their holiday significantly less stressful.

Adopt a Family

This year was a record year for our Adopt a Family for the Holidays program, and, unlike in years past, I’m happy to share that in 2023 our Adopt a Family for the Holidays program was able to support families across the United States, not just locally in California. Thanks to our generous community members and corporate partners, we were able to fulfill and ship all of the families’ wishlists, regardless of location. We are happy to say our programs continue to meet and exceed the needs of families with children battling cancer.

Organization Operations

A shift this last year in how we operate was instrumental in positioning Here to Serve for additional growth. We went from a policy board to a working board allowing me, as founder and CEO, more time to focus on growing the organization and supporting more families in need. We began to rebuild our board of directors  and are close to filling all of our key board position! I’m happy to share we had over 300 applications from people who wished to serve on our board. It made the process of getting through the applications arduous, but the outcome was nothing short of miraculous. We are truly blessed with a board that gives us time, talent, and treasure! Our new board members are dedicating more time weekly to help us run the operation in key areas of marketing, finance, technology, PR, and programming. We are grateful for the support of the board members who took us to this point and helped us develop a five-star program over these past 12 years!

Looking forward to 2024

New Family Care Coordinator

Coming off of a successful end of year fundraising campaign, we were able to reach our goal of raising $30,000 to hire a new family care coordinator. Our care coordinators provide dedicated, 1:1 support to our families, and this new hire will allow us to assist up to an additional 40 families in 2024. We’ve already filled the position, and she will be starting officially on February 1! Learn more about the role of our care coordinators here.

Strategic Business Planning

We have developed a strategic plan that requires an infusion of capital to support scaling more quickly. With board members assisting with operations and our amazing volunteers who have taken on much of what I previously was immersed in, including our program, my time is now available to develop a much-needed major donor program. After recently completing major donor training with the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives (NANOE), we are poised to raise $3M over the next 18 months. This will require my focus to be solely on fundraising to accomplish this goal. I’m excited because I know this is attainable, and in doing so, we will have the funds to hire much-needed additional staff to grow our program and, thereby, our impact.

Our first priority is to fund a Program Director and Development Director. Fortunately, we have spent the past 12 years running a very successful five-star program, which will serve as the launching pad for our fundraising activities, providing plenty of testimonials and data to show the impact Here to Serve has on families with children battling cancer. The goal is to serve more families and increase the impact our program has across the country.

Stay tuned as we make a significant transformation in 2024/2025! We thank all those who have helped us get to where we are now and who continue to support us. We look forward to sharing our impact as we grow our organization and program. We would not have come this far if not for our board members, volunteers, donors, and advocates. You are the heart of the Here to Serve organization and we thank you!

Katie Quintas
Founder & CEO
Here to Serve