The Friendship Senior Options Foundation is centered in the spirit of friendship and philanthropy. We value and promote benevolence, education, growth and social accountability. We are the forum for a continuously evolving philosophy to create and garner support for seniors and the individuals and organizations who serve them.

The Cara Program prepares and inspires motivated individuals to break the cycles of homelessness and poverty, transform their lives, strengthen our communities, and forge paths to real and lasting success.The term ‘cara’ is the Gaelic word for friend. Since our founding, we have always likened ourselves as a friend who coaches, who pushes, and who supports a community of motivated individuals on their journey towards success.The Cara Program provides a comprehensive solution to the interrelated challenges of poverty, employment barriers and chronic homelessness. We address poverty by giving individuals the opportunity to secure permanent employment through a comprehensive range of training, support, and job placement services. We mitigate many barriers to employment, and address the need for skilled workers in Illinois, by providing our students* with on-the-job training and industry-linked training courses. We also maintain relationships with more than 120 Chicagoland employers who trust the quality of our candidates for filling their entry-level positions. And, we stimulate community vibrancy by providing neighborhood beautification services that indelibly boost neighborhood pride and reclaim community identity.The Cara Program, however, is more than a successful and well-regarded workforce development program. And, its social enterprise, Cleanslate, is more than a fast and friendly service keeping our communities clean. Together, these programs are a catalyst for true change and real, lasting success in our students lives. We not only raise the bar on what it means to reclaim neighborhoods block by block, but we also teach valuable job skills in the process. We provide our students with the skills and confidence they need to secure and sustain quality jobs, further their education, and find stable housing, while also empowering them to lead lives of personal and professional excellence.

Gateway for Cancer Research is a non-profit organization whose vision is to shape a world in which a cancer diagnosis is no longer feared. We fund meaningful and breakthrough clinical trials worldwide that help people living with cancer to feel better, live longer and conquer cancer today. Gateway honors the people at the heart of a clinical trial; cancer patients whose enrollment helps us find better treatments for all. For this reason, we believe quality of life factors to be as important as cancer response - we want patients to feel better, even as they undergo treatment. Our research vision is to support phase I and phase II clinical trials that effectively tailor cancer treatment to the unique biology, environment, and needs of each patient. And due to generous underwriting of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 99 cents of every dollar we receive funds cancer research. Join us and Be A Gateway to fund more cancer clinical trials at www.gatewaycr.org

Directed all aspects of $1.5 million fundraising campaign, board and volunteer management for nonprofit arts organizations.

Managed major giving portfolio, Gala and minor giving campaigns

Managed cancer education, support programs and multiple fundraising events.