I Thought I Was Just Attending a Meeting—Turns Out, I Was Meeting My Future

I didn’t walk into that business meeting looking for a network.

I walked in looking for hope—and a way forward I hadn’t yet figured out.

At the time, I had just made a life-altering decision: I was going to launch a nonprofit to fund research for a rare, never-heard-of disease that caused both of my sons to be born blind. I was a third-grade teacher, not a scientist. A stay-at-home mom, not a nonprofit executive. But my sons needed answers, and I needed resources.

I didn’t have a donor list. I didn’t have a business plan.
What I had was an idea: a simple bike event for kids that could raise awareness and hopefully spark our first bit of funding.

At a local Northampton Township Business and Professionals Association (NTBPA)meeting, I casually mentioned the event to a few members. Someone introduced me to the owners of Kampus Klothes—a family-owned business known for making the sports uniforms across our town.

I shared my mission. They didn’t ask for a slide deck. They didn’t ask for credentials.
They asked one thing: “How can we help?”

That one connection turned into a game-changer. Kampus Klothes donated custom t-shirts for every child in our first ride event. That day, we raised $20,000—the very first funds for what would become the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation.

Since that moment, we’ve raised over $4 million.
We’ve become globally recognized in vision research and blindness advocacy.
We are now on the verge of launching the first-ever clinical trial for the CRB1 retinal disease that started it all.

And that network? It didn’t disappear once the t-shirts were printed.

For over a decade, NTBPA members have helped me find a beautiful new home after my divorce. They’ve connected me to school leaders who helped distribute my children’s book. They’ve helped fund my second nonprofit. And now, they’re opening doors to get my feature film—Curveball—into the world.

And Kampus Klothes? They’re still by my side, one of my biggest champions.

People often ask how I built all this. How a teacher with no nonprofit experience turned a personal crisis into national impact. The truth is: I didn’t do it alone.

Looking back, I can now name what made it work.
I live and teach a performance framework called The THRIVE Code™—a 7-step system for turning adversity into advantage. And one of the most important principles is this:

Rise by lifting others.

That’s what happened in that first conversation. That’s what continues to happen in this network of generous, smart, community-minded professionals. That’s what real networking is.

It’s not just about handing out business cards. It’s about showing up for each other with no ask and no agenda—just a willingness to help someone thrive.

If you're building something that matters—whether it's a mission, a business, or a new chapter of your life—this is where momentum begins.

I’m proud to serve on the board of NTBPA, not because of what I’ve gained…
but because I’ve seen what’s possible when we all give.

Come join us. You never know what one conversation might change.

👉 Register for the next NTBPA event here: https://ntbpa.org/event-6111016