No One Fights Alone

Growing up, I loved watching cartoons.  Specifically, superhero-themed cartoons.  I grew up believing that when I was older, it would be my job to swoop in and save the day.  I'd have a cape and tights, catchy one-liners, and people would feel hope whenever they saw me coming.  As I got older, I realized many other people in the world felt the same way.  And while part of me now knows it was silly to believe I was going to be a superhero, mostly I take solace in knowing that so many of us want to try and make a positive difference.  Today, I have a job where I get to work with sick children and try to make their day a bit better (cape and tights are optional). My name is Larry Gonzalez and just like you, I grew up hoping to save the day.

The families in Michigan (where we are based) have a multitude of opportunities to receive one on one support, exciting experiences provided to catch up on missed time, and more.  The families we work with around the country only have access to the full experience once a year when team members are physically present in their town and we want to change that.  The goal of the "No One Fights Alone" project is to begin establishing locations and full-time personnel in multiple locations around the country.  The goal is to provide the aforementioned opportunities and continually build those genuine human relationships. Relationships keep us going and remind us why we choose to keep fighting.  And we all fight harder to overcome our obstacles when we feel loved.  Knowing that someone is there for us, both figuratively and literally, is powerful enough to not only change lives but saves them.

"Each year in the U.S. there are an estimated 15,780 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age who are diagnosed with cancer. Approximately 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed before their 20th birthday. Globally there are more than 300,000 children diagnosed each year. Every 3 minutes, somewhere in the world a family hears the devastating diagnosis that their child has cancer." - Data from the American Childhood Cancer Organization's website (acco.org). Their lives just became even more complicated, restrictive, and uncertain.  Doctors and nurses do so much to help and provide the answers that each family so desperately needs. But staff already have so much on their plate that they can't give enough time to everyone.  Cancer has a ripple effect that starts with the individual and then affects family, friends, communities, schools, churches, and beyond.  Everyone is affected to some degree and that is a terrible truth. But the collateral beauty comes in finding that we are all connected and can choose how to respond.  The goal of our organization and this project is to find the people who choose to respond by stepping up and being there for these families.

The concept is built around developing a relationship with each child and their family.  By spending time and getting to know each other, the team member(s) and family not only grow to understand one another better but the family tends to open up about the struggles they are facing and more comfortably discuss where they are at, mentally, and emotionally.  By creating these deeper connections between one another, our team members also invest more in the work and it leads to making more of an impact on the psyche of each child & family.  The gifts and experiences we provide are tools utilized to incentivize the children to keep pushing forward through the ups and downs of treatment.  Providing these gifts and building experiences to "catch up" on time missed because of the restrictions cancer has placed on them and their life is instrumental in rekindling their desire to keep fighting and to never lose hope.  Kids deserve to play, laugh, and grow.  The idea behind "No One Fights Alone" is to provide both the opportunity and the support necessary for each child to get those things back and with their family beside them, feel like they can accomplish anything.

This project directly impacts the families of children battling cancer and does include opportunities for extended family and friends to take part in several experiences held periodically throughout the year.  Our team members speak with each family and develop an open line of communication to ensure the desired opportunities are provided and apply to a varying number of interests and levels of interaction.  We have also begun an annual family survey to fine-tune our multiple forms of interaction and services provided.  By establishing more locations around the country and increasing the number of active DCS team members, we can address the one area our survey has revealed needs actual improvement, and that is to provide a dedicated in-person level of support to families outside of Michigan.  We know that if we had someone there to offer the level of support and access to the types of experiences we provide here in Michigan, it could help alleviate a considerable amount of stress and anxiety that is felt daily when dealing with cancer.  Not only will this help the families in our program but it will allow more people to be involved and understand the importance of being there for someone.

Honestly, I feel that it relates to both the opportunities and understanding options but the focus of this whole project is to make sure that the children we work with and the families have someone there for them.  Assuring someone that a member of our team will be available to them 24/7 to talk, listen and offer help is something they don't usually have.  When you consider other organizations that provide gifts and experiences, they're all incredible in their giving but they leave afterwards. We choose to stay and that presents numerous support opportunities to families feeling left alone.

As part of a multi-tiered plan to provide support to families across the country, building and establishing locations for families to visit and receive said support was a logical choice.  You can do more when you are there in person than you could from behind a screen on the other side of the country.  The story behind the org and my co-founder, Dustan, who is mentioned in the "why are you passionate..." section better highlights the underlying story of why my team and I are trying to take this next step with our organization via this project.  It simply comes down to doing what the families we work with are hoping and asking for us to figure out. The one topic that keeps coming up is the multitude of families across the country asking us to find a way to be more physically present during their battle and the subsequent breath of fresh air or loss of breath that follows.  We all want someone to be there for us in our time of need and this project makes that possible for many more people.

A friend of mine, Dustan, was diagnosed at age 6 with stage 5 Wilms-tumor kidney cancer and battled it 5 separate times over 16 years.  When we were in high school, another friend, Nathan, hosted a fundraiser for Dustan and raised around two thousand dollars.  He then surprised Dustan with the funds and told him that he could spend it on anything. After graduation, Dustan reached out to a group of us and asked if we would help him do something similar for kids in the same situation.  Dustan would often cite the experience from school as the inspiration for starting DCS.  After a couple of years, Dustan & the team put me in charge of figuring out our overall goals and how we would reach them.  Dustan also had a handful of personal goals he wanted to achieve: build an office in his hometown, to travel across the country helping kids, build customizable "Fantasy Factories" as an escape for the kids, and to make this his life's work/career. Dustan passed shortly after his 22nd birthday but my team and I have continued the work because of how Dustan and the cause changed our lives and continue to, every day.

I started as a volunteer working on the marketing end of DC Strong (DCS). Shortly after, I began working with some families, becoming the point of contact, and scheduling the care packages/experiences.  I built fundraisers that continually find ways to improve and grow both support and awareness.  I advocated for the leadership (at the time) to take steps and actions that would advance the organization.  The group took notice and asked me to step up into a leadership role and show them how we could grow.  It wasn't always simple but simple is boring and I wanted to do my part to elevate the organization's efforts.  The things I didn't know how to do, I took the time to learn and then teach members of my team.  The times I felt a little lost or stuck, I sought advice and wisdom from people I trusted and had more experience than myself.  After a couple of years steering the ship, we grew from helping 8-12 kids a year to helping 30-40.  We increased our annual income from 20-30k to 100-140k+.  We built our first "Mini Fantasy Factory" where children from hospitals all around us can come to escape for a bit.  When asked why I think my team and I are the ones to make this project happen, I'm reminded of the experience, skills, and commitment that have been instilled into us over the last 7 years and I know in my bones that we can do it. 

Dustan had a list of goals for the organization to meet and we were lucky enough to complete half before his passing.  One of the goals was to go on a tour, dropping off care packages to kids in different states.  As you can imagine, there are a lot of logistics that go into setting up care packages for families in different states, on different schedules, and all within a small window because of budgetary restrictions.  An itinerary was constructed, a budget was agreed upon and all that was left was transportation.  At the time, the organization was only bringing in around $30k annually and this whole excursion was supposed to stay under $15k (8 care packages, a week of hotels, food, gas, and rental vehicles for a group of 6 plus room for the cargo).  Unfortunately, we couldn't make it work without a "bus".  After weeks of trying to find companies that could help, one business owner sat down with us and listened to our mission and grand plan.  Afterward, he donated a top of the line tour bus and another $15k.  After that year, we tripled the number of children reached and more than tripled our annual income.

The year I was elected President, DCS more than tripled its annual income, moved into its first office space, grew from being active in three states to nine.  And each year following, we kept a steady growth of income, increased the number of kids reached from one a month to one or two a week and currently have families we work with in over 25 states.  It's easy to track on paper why the period of growth under my guidance has been impressive but for me, the really impressive part is how much confidence my team has continually put in me, and in turn, I have put back into them.  Helping your team members find a place where they can contribute in the biggest/most rewarding way and grow their confidence, as a result, is so rewarding, and if that isn't a result of positive leadership, I'm not sure what is.

When I think about how many of us in the world want to make a difference and are looking for a way to do that, this project stands out.  It doesn't take much to sit down with someone and listen.  The willingness to sit down and to give another person your attention and time is all it takes to make a difference.  You can build houses, provide clean drinking water, and a million other things that make a difference.  We support all of that and the people who can go above and beyond to donate resources, time, and labor, etc.  Not everyone can do that though.  But just about everyone in the world can find some time to lend an ear and be there for someone.  So what makes this project innovative is the fact that it comes with a simple realization, we can help change the world by just being present and talking with someone about their day.

Going from battling something alone to be aware of all of the support that exists around us is game-changing. Feeling like nothing we do matters so why try is a poison and the act or gesture of caring is the antidote. When more people step up to help these children, the children will feel that in their mind and soul. This project affects kids in such a way that kids will have something other than themselves to fuel their willpower and desire to keep fighting the disease. Simply put, by giving the children and their families access to a more visible level of support, we will see a shift in the mentality of cancer warriors from "I don't know if I can do this" to "I can do this, I can beat this". Like in sports, if you go out on the field thinking you're going to lose, you will lose. But look at your teammates, your coach, your fans who are cheering you on, and you can do anything. Good actions come full circle. We have already seen children we helped 6 or 7 years ago get into high school, some have already graduated, and they return to our team and ask to join so they can help kids in the same way they were helped. To meet an extremely pale child, has lost all of their hair, can't walk because their body is too weak, and who barely talks then over a few years build their strength, is cleared of disease, joins in on everything they can, talks with you every week and now says that they want to be just like you and help kids like them remember what it is like to be happy and free. That is change, that is good and that is success in our eyes.

The numbers can be difficult to quantify. At its base, we are currently helping around 150 kids but then you have to take into account the fact that we work with the family as a whole and while the number of family members ranges greatly, the average family size is 4. So really we work with around 600 people and on many occasions will include extended family and even close friends so add another 400+ to that. With the Covid-19 pandemic and all of the restrictions in place, as a result, we will likely have a smaller number of new families added in 2020. Next year we may have close to another 30 families added and that would put us around 1,100+ people. In 5 years that number could be somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000, depending on how soon we can establish regional bases and teams to do the work.

The next year, for us, our focuses are on developing new forms of interaction and support via technology, and to learn and practice new procedures for safely entering hospitals and working with patients. Taking into account the current state of the world, now more than ever, we need to do everything in our power to keep families safe, comfortable, and supported. Battling cancer is already a difficult journey but the same kids who before were stuck in a hospital with parents and siblings can now only have one family member staying with them and no visitors. The need for human interaction and some form of stability is dire and we are doing everything we can to help return any level of normality to these kids. Over the next five years, we hope to have a full staff in Michigan and at least one or two new locations established in different regions of the country to begin increasing the level of in-person support. We also hope to continually develop our care package process and the value of each package or experience we deliver to ensure that each child receives exactly what they hope and need.

The only barrier that tends to slow or stop us at any point is financial. With more funding, we could employ several dedicated team members that would immediately increase the rate at which families are reached and increase the level of support that can be offered at all times. With more funding, we can look more in-depth into the areas that we can make the greatest impact on and for additional team members to be posted at each location.  It's a sad thing to acknowledge but it is also honest to say that we need funding to accomplish what we hope to or at the very least, to accomplish it at a quicker rate than we would without it. The good news is that our support community is filled with people from all fields of work. That ends up saving us on costs for a lot of what we do and helps when we are looking to try something new. We are learning more every year and with that, finding more ways to overcome those obstacles and barriers.

Starting in 2019 we established 4 - 5 annually recurring events (3 of which are hosted entirely by us, 1 collaborative effort and another hosted by another group that benefits our organization). Over the last 3 years, between annual events and the many fundraisers held by individuals/groups, we have found that our annual income stays in a relatively consistent range (maybe a $10k - 20k difference, with the possible exception of this year), and we plan the year out accordingly. We are working towards even bigger events and as a result, will attain more income to go towards expansion. We plan to accomplish this by utilizing the support of some larger donors and sponsors. We are grateful to have several Best Buy locations around the state that make donations quarterly through an employee give-back program. We also currently have many business owners across the state and in other states that make donations periodically throughout the year.  The next step is to find more donors and resources that can increase the cash flow and propel us into the next phase of operations.

With our focus on impacting the life and well being of children, the value we provide is open to interpretation. The gifts are typically quite expensive and on many occasions, we have been told that the families could not afford the items we can provide. The mentorship provided and open level of communication is also paramount to building social skills and awareness. a lot of the children have to miss months if not years of school and as a result, won't develop the basic communication skills that we grow up learning. If we look at the experiences and gifts specifically focused on the child's aspirations, we are providing the tools and opportunities for each child to learn and decide if they want to pursue the fields of work they think they do. One young man we worked with specifically wanted a laptop and program for video editing so that he can make professional videos in the future. We provided all of the technical tools necessary, access to classes and training as well as contacts for professionals that have volunteered to help whenever needed. If you zoom out a bit, you will see that we have brought value to our hometown where we are based and people travel from all over the state and even the country to visit and experience first hand what we are building. These visitors bring in revenue for our local businesses and that goes a long way too.

I feel like we have touched on this topic a few different times throughout this submission but to sort of highlight the finer points... The plan is to continually build upon our handful of recurring events/fundraisers, continue receiving support from our pool of donors, meet with new potential donors and sponsors to create a jump in the annual income and file for grants as well. The model involves bringing in a consistent amount of funds each year and saving a portion to go towards expansion. The only exception to this model would be if we received a larger sum sooner than expected or saw a dramatic increase in annual income. If either of the two were to happen, we could fast track the plan to expand and focus more efforts on that portion of the work. It's a matter of how much we want to accomplish per year versus what we can accomplish and how far we want to go in any direction each year. We always strive for the biggest impact but we do it on a budget.

To establish a second location in another region, hire 4-5 full-time staff members, renovate the location, cover monthly operational fees/costs, and provide "family day" experiences (monthly) for the families in the area, it would cost approximately $300,000 over 2 years. One thing to consider is that during that first year in the new location, the staff (plus volunteers) will begin to plan and launch annual fundraisers as well. Assuming the new location follows the same trajectory as our current operation, following the first two years, we would be bringing in enough funding to cover all expenses and become self-sustainable (that doesn't include any funding from our current location). Once we have reached self-sustainability for the 2nd location, the amounts raised and saved each year between both locations could go towards any number of improvements (ex. more full-time staff, more hospital outreach, bigger fundraisers, a 3rd location, etc.). Getting a second location established creates a launchpad that takes us to a whole other level.

After making adjustments to the year following the dramatic shift caused by covid-19, our estimated expenses for 2020 are $80,000.

My team and I are confident in our abilities at raising a consistent amount of funding year after year. The only issue is that when you get used to something and operate according to the same income year after year, it takes quite some time to be financially ready to leap forward on a project this size. In the past, we tended to take small steps and admittedly that always takes longer.  But don't get me wrong, we are grateful and have learned a lot from taking small steps over the years, we are just ready for a leap.  The Elevate Prize is an opportunity to take that leap and not have to give up any of the resources already in place. I'm applying because I'm tired of the notion that you have to take 1 step back before taking 2 steps forward. The funds that we could receive from this prize would obliterate our financial barrier and give us the unequivocal ability to reach the next tier of this mission and beyond.

Funding is currently the area with the biggest need for support but I also know that as things grow, having people with experience and knowledge of the terrain is an incredibly valuable asset. We maintain a very open-minded approach and have a great deal of respect for individuals who share their perspectives and insights on how we move forward or how to reinforce what is already in place. With all of that in mind, we would love to meet with and consider potential new additions to our board and advisors. Lastly, marketing can always be improved or altered to ensure the message and emotion of the organization are delivered correctly. Now that all of my focus is on the operational side of things, marketing is something I would love to see revamped and have new processes put in place for the organization moving forward.