Raising the "Child"
Nov 18, 2019
This is an interesting subject from someone who has never had children, but I have raised a lot of puppies in my lifetime. And I can see how raising a puppy and "raising" an organization correlate. Maybe I should name this story "Housebreaking an Organization" or "An Organization—From Birth to Dance Recital"!
I gave "birth" to Hiking for Healing in 2017, just a few weeks after my bilateral mastectomy on April 17, 2017, following a Breast Cancer diagnosis. Hiking for Healing, a.k.a. H4H, was a sweet, spirited "child" who loved playing!
She, H4H, loved to take women cancer survivors and other friends skipping down a mountain trail or sitting and drawing pictures on memory rocks that I would carry in my backpack.
Our time on the trail with friends, both new and old, nurtured and fueled my healing and H4H's growth and early development.
H4H had an enjoyable hike along Thunderhead Prong and was even on television for the first anniversary of my surgery. WOW! One year for me! And H4H was growing up! I had decisions to make now. Should H4H apply for 501c3 status or wait longer and keep having fun, sharing adventures, and making new friends?
I am trying to keep this story short.
Finally, in April of 2019, I decided that H4H was mature enough that, with proper guidance and leadership, we could make the massive step of applying for 501c3 status! Wow! How time flies! It was like deciding whether to send "my child to college" or if I should wait and let her mature another year! I knew I had chosen a fantastic godmother for H4H who had loved, nurtured and guided us through the early months. So, I had no doubts that H4H was ready, and I decided to jump! It was time to select the "angels" who would commit to taking this journey with us and guide both of us along our path. In 2019, Hiking for Healing became a not-for-profit 501c3 organization!!
Although I had spoken publicly many times and told the story of H4H, Nov. 8, 2019, was H4H's first public event appearance. There she was at the East Tennessee Metastatic Breast Cancer Conference, standing proudly alongside Susan Komen, the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, and others! Harrison, an H.A.B.I.T. dog, honored H4H by coming over and sitting right there with her!!
I left H4H and Harrison and attended the highly informative Conference. Magnificent speakers (including our own Dr. Jillian Lloyd, a.k.a. 'one of the angels,' who has guided, loved, and supported H4H since birth) shared a wealth of knowledge and information straight from their hearts!"
The Conference continued all day, from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Like all good mommas, I went out to check on H4H several times during the day. I stood back and quietly admired my 'child,' thinking, "That's my little H4H, all grown up now," thanks to our "angels."
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