This foundation was only in it's fledgling stages when I was approached to help create and direct this event. They were helping 5 mothers, who were all fighting cancer and trying to raise young children at the same time. These women were in need of support, whether it was financial, emotional, physical or all of the above.
Led by our managing producer at Disneyland, we pulled together an extraordinary team who all donated their time, energy, creativity and equipment to make this event a reality for this wonderful foundation.
In the short time we put this event together, two of the mothers passed away, leaving their husbands and children behind them. But they knew they had started something that would benefit other women like them in the future.
Little did my producer know when she asked me to lead this project, that I lost my mother at the age of 3 due to cancer. So while being a part of this project was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, it's also one of the most rewarding. As a survivor of this kind of loss myself, I was happy to share with these moms that they will never be forgotten, that their legacy will live on in their children, and I, for one, am proud to be my mother's daughter.
We are currently getting ready to launch our 2nd Annual Gala next month, and I'm happy to say that the foundation has grown enormously over this last year. They now have more than 17 mothers they are helping.
As for us? Well, the whole crew is back again, and we're ready to make round 2 even better than last year...