Bringing Joy helps cancer patients in their battle!

Thanks for taking an interest in our foundation. 

When we started the Piggyback Foundation, we didn't know how to start a charity. I had a teaching background. I was helping children with the sight words in my daughter's first grade class. I watched this one boy, go from a happy little boy who always knew his sight words, to being sad, not knowing his words, his whole self deflated, losing the beautiful light in his eyes. l asked him why. He said his mom didn't have time to help him with his words anymore. The teacher shared that his dad had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. It affected the whole family. I reached out to the mother and tried to connect them with a charity in Michigan (the Rosemary Hockney Foundation. I helped her applied for assistance, but she was declined. My husband and I met with the organization. After talking to them and listening to some of the families they had helped, it was like God opened the door for me, asked me to walk through and I listened.

I realized that we needed something like this in Norwalk. I typed up a proposal and brought it to my coffee group. God had placed people in my life who were ready and willing to help. They each had life experiences that brought value to our budding organization.

I designed four programs based off of what I did for a good friend when she was diagnosed with cancer. 

Family Counts: Helping with family fun activities, birthday parties, or just going out to dinner and a movie

Education Counts:Back school funds, class trips, tutoring

Activities Count: Extracurricular activities, sports fees, dance and music lessons

Faith Counts: Church camps, prayer support, and meals

We help a family for a year sometimes longer. We have a board of 12, who volunteer their time to adopt a family and work with them to meet their needs whiles they are battling a life threatening illness.

We have been running our foundation for 12 years now, helped over 500 families, giving out over a million dollars, with 97% of the monies raised going directly to families.

My friend who battled the cancer said “You know it’s God’s work when many hands are touching it and Piggyback has finger prints all over it!

We have a website www.thepiggybackfoundation.org

You can see testimonials and find out more about the foundation. Tricia’s story is one of my favorites videos.

We opened When Pigs Fly a charitable resale and retail shop 7 years ago to create a consistent income to support the monthly activities of the families and children with lessons, etc. Then last year we opened WPF Too a ladies new clothing boutique. Both stores have helped but they also brought more awareness to the foundation and increased our applications for assistance.

Therefore, we need to reach out for further funding to meet the needs. For example: With 67 families, just sending $200 to each family for Easter meals and gifts adds up to about $13,000. 

I hope this has helped with bringing a little light to what we do. 

It sure has brought a meaningful and busy time to my life, but I take joy in it all.

I love this little thank you note from one of our Piggyback children, sharing Christ’s Love!

Lisa