Growing up all I ever wanted was to be a mom. Then I hit my twenties and found a career I loved and threw myself in to it completely. Approaching my thirties, the desire to become a mom was still strong and I was faced with a decision — career, motherhood or some combination of the two. Well, here I am — a working mom. So, how did I get here, and specifically, “here” at Taft?
Things have a funny way of working out.
Love brought me to Taft. As a Pennsylvania girl, I did something I never thought I’d do. I fell in love with a Jersey boy and found myself on the other side of the Ben Franklin Bridge — much to my father’s dismay. This led me to seek out career opportunities in the Garden State.
I left the tech world behind to focus a majority of my time with clients within the nonprofit sector. I have the pleasure of promoting our clients’ good work and uplifting stories to the media. Last spring, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation developed policy recommendations so that everyone in New Jersey — no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make — can live the healthiest life possible.
And then things took a personal turn.
As our team worked to promote the policy report, my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child. One of the 13 policy recommendations spoke directly to the importance of maternal and fetal health. As I coped with a high-risk pregnancy and delivery, I realized the importance of having access to good healthcare.
I’m fortunate to have this access to physicians and hospitals that prepared us for pregnancy but realize that not everyone does. I also experienced firsthand that more work needs to be done to improve the resources available for post-childbirth care.
I’ve never been prouder to work with an organization that recognizes the significance of removing barriers so that every resident in New Jersey has “a fair and just opportunity to live our healthiest life.”
Having the opportunity to help share not only RWJF’s policy report, but the good work of many of our nonprofit clients, gives me hope. At a time when you can’t seem to ignore bad news, I’m even more motivated to share stories that are uplifting, inspiring and motivating to help every person in our community and beyond.
“For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people’s love and concern for each other.” —Millard Fuller
