Some of you may have noticed a new (yet somewhat familiar) face working at our fundraising events and around Sherry’s House lately. We would like to welcome Rebecca Kuczarski as the new Director of Fundraising for Sherry’s House! Rebecca is a Why Me mom who was first introduced to the organization over 5 years ago when her youngest daughter, Sophia, was diagnosed with Leukemia. During that time Rebecca and her family participated in many family events and support groups.
Following the loss of Sophia in 2012, Rebecca dedicated herself to bettering the lives of families facing pediatric cancer. She has done this through several fundraising positions – one of which includes the family’s own grass roots non-profit, the Sophia FUNd. “I love running our yearly kickball event. It is a nice way for our friends and family to honor and remember Sophia.” Kuczarski goes on to explain that the event continues to grow each year and while they are proud to contribute to Why Me, with a portion of the proceeds from this event, she always wanted to do more. “Our event is once a year. We have fun and raise a lot of money, but in my new position at Why Me I get to work more closely with families and donors. I am excited to be a part of helping Why Me grow their support for families.”
Rebecca has quickly become a valued member of the team; diving right in at the busiest time of our fundraising season. “It is exciting to see each event from behind the scenes, start to finish. It takes a lot of coordination to host successful events. It feels good to be a part of a team where everyone is so dedicated to the success of each event.” In addition to seeing the events Kuczarski says it is inspiring to be in a space where she can see exactly where the money is going. With increases in this year’s funding Why Me has been able to offer new Family Fun events for all Why Me families as well as increase support to those living at Sherry’s House.
Why Me & Sherry’s House is an organization conceived, founded and run in part by families that have lived childhood cancer personally. This unique personal perspective has always provided clarity of our mission and an understanding of what families need. Parents who have lived this experience are passionate and focused and are one of the driving forces behind our success. Rebecca, as a Why Me parent, understands what we do and why it is so important.
Welcome Rebecca!