Helping Others Win: Molly Boyer

By: Arquelle Shaw, Senior Vice President, Americas Sales at Equinix

It has been a joy to introduce the leadership series Helping Others Win to celebrate the amazing people at Equinix who work hard every day, and who also give back to their communities. Molly Boyer, Communications Director, is one of these people. She is a valued communications expert who works across Equinix’s Customer and Revenue organization, and she also works with me and the Equinix Women’s Leaders Network. I am happy to feature Molly in the newest installment of Helping Others Win and celebrate her efforts to make the world a better place.

Molly is an important part of an organization called A Precious Child, which provides Colorado children in need with opportunities and resources to empower them to achieve their full potential. Molly and I recently sat down to discuss his inspiration, success and vision for A Precious Child.

What is the mission of A Precious Child??

A Precious Child envisions a future where every child in Colorado grows up to be a secure, self-reliant, contributing member of their community. We try to bring this vision to life by assisting children and families facing the most difficult life challenges such as abuse and neglect, crisis situations and poverty.??

We work with nearly 550 agency partners throughout eight Denver Metro counties to identify children and families in the most need of our services. We provide disadvantaged and displaced children with “Cradle to Career” support to break the cycle of poverty by reducing socioeconomic inequalities. Our work is done through our Empowerment Center where our Case Managers provide wrap-around support to disadvantaged and displaced children and families, connecting them with needed resources, services, support and educational opportunities.?

In addition to resources and services, A Precious Child has five Economic Mobility Initiatives to bridge the gap in a child’s education and unmet needs so every child may become a secure, self-reliant, contributing member of the community.?

How did you become involved in A Precious Child??

?I grew up in a family where giving back to the community was important, so I was raised volunteering and helping others… all credit goes to my parents. I began working with the organization nearly 11 years ago when my daughter’s soccer team was asked to volunteer at A Precious Child’s program called “giveSPORTS” to help collect donated new and gently-used sports equipment for children in the most need in the community.

There was no question if my family would help A Precious Child… and we have been a part of the organization ever since that day.

While I knew about A Precious Child, and had previously donated items, it was on that day of volunteering that I knew I needed to be more involved.?Since then, my commitment to A Precious Child began by donating both time and goods, and attending fundraisers and events.?In 2016, I was asked to join the Board of Advisors, and six months later, became the Chair.?Our Board was “boots on the ground” with the mission of increasing awareness of A Precious Child and supporting attendance at events.?I served on the board until 2021, and I still continue to support the organization.

Why is the mission important to you??

I'm a mother of four children, and I can’t even imagine not being able to provide my family with the basic needs – let alone the extras.?A Precious Child offers so many deserving families the opportunity to obtain clothing, diapers and other daily essentials.?We also help those families with the “extras” through our annual backpack and holiday drives.?I don’t know what it’s like to go hungry or lack clothing, and A Precious Child works to help others find the security so many of us take for granted.

How does A Precious Child inspire you??

I am inspired every day by our clients and their stories.?Just like most of us, they are filled with strength and determination to create better lives for their families – they just need some help.?

It is not easy to ask for help, but when you come to A Precious Child, you are treated with dignity and respect.?Our staff and volunteers strive to make every experience for our clients a positive one.??

I am also inspired by the thousands of volunteers who graciously and unwaveringly support these families.?We could not support so many children and adults without the help of our many volunteers.???

What is your most important accomplishment??

As the former Chair of the Board of Advisors, I partnered with my APC staff and other board leaders to design and develop best practices across our board, including term limits and OKRs.?Through this work, we were able to better define our roles on the board to help support the A Precious Child overarching goals and objectives – which in turn helps support our clients.?The lesson-learned is that organizations like this one benefit from the business expertise and experience that many of you have to share, and as a result, resources are directed to help more people. And that is the goal.

How can others get involved to advance the mission of A Precious Child??

If you live in Colorado, there are several ways to get involved through our various drives, events and sponsorships – and we always appreciate volunteers.?For those outside of Colorado, you can become part of the ?“Leave a Footprint Society” and pledge a monthly recurring donation to make a huge impact on a child's life. For example a monthly recurring gift of $50 provides a child facing difficult life challenges with clothing, coats, shoes, sports equipment, school supplies, art scholarships, toiletries and other basic essentials. Of course, we are happy with a one-time donation too.

What is your favorite quote to inspire other leaders??

"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

I appreciate this quote from Dr. Angelou and strive to live it every day. I know how hard (and stressful) it is to be a (good) mother, and it is my goal to help other mothers care for their kids. Equally important, I want to ensure my children embrace the importance of giving-back… just as my parents did for me.

About Molly Boyer?

Molly is a senior-level marketing and communications professional with 20 years of experience in delivering demand generation, product marketing, public relations, thought leadership, and communications programs. She lives in Colorado with her husband, four kids and dog Maggie. When she is not working, parenting and volunteering, she?loves running and home decorating.??

Thank you, Molly!?

From mother to mother: thank you, Molly, for helping other mothers in your community. There are two takeaways from your story that really stick with me. One, sharing your business skills with a non-profit is invaluable and can really make the organization run more efficiently, and as a result, save resources to help people. And two, I'd like to thank your parents for raising such a compassionate person. I hope they are proud of your continued volunteer work.

Arquelle

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