The Path Ahead
by: Ben Broghammer, Chairman
Our world has been transformed from where we started in 2020. We are living a new normal. We have been forced to adapt to a new way of life. There is a great sense of unknown in the path ahead, for Project Periwinkle and for nonprofit organizations in general. A national survey from this summer indicated that 1 in 3 nonprofits expect to close within a year, and revenues are sharply down across the board. One thing is for certain though, and that is we don’t have plans to go anywhere. We have a sound financial standing, a deep strategic plan, and because of our operating model and values, we have the resources to sustain ourselves for the foreseeable future. There are changes, however. We have put a pause on research funding, and in-person events, and while we are fiscally minded when it comes to educational programs, there is a current limit to what we can do.
Leading this organization through what we are experiencing is the largest challenge I have faced in my professional life, and undoubtedly during my time leading this organization. I am confident we can overcome, that we will come out stronger than before, and that we have what it takes to survive. But in the end, nothing is certain. No organization is invincible and there is always a risk for failure. There are things beyond our control that can have an unrecoverable effect on our business and our future. We are doing our best to ensure we come out of this on the other side. Our mission it too important not to. The people depending on us are too important not to.
I have been thinking more recently than before about that path that lead to this organization from being an idea on paper to something real. It was the summer of 2014. My family had just lost my cousin, Michon, to stomach cancer and I wanted so badly to make a difference in the world—to do something that would help others, even if that was only one person. I was experiencing a darkness where searching desperately for light through my grief turned into a few simple words that evolved into a mission statement. I did what at the time felt impossible, on a different path of unknown and uncertainty. That dream and those words turned into a foundation that has raised tens of thousands of dollars and supported four cancer centers and their research.
Over the past 6 years, from when Project Periwinkle was just an idea until now, I have continuously seen the unmatched power of the human spirit. I have met people with remarkable stories. I have seen the strength of faith and determination that we all have inside us to overcome what uncertainty and unimaginable obstacles come our way. We have been supported by an amazing group of people who have contributed to and made possible everything we have been able to accomplish. I have a feeling this time won’t be any different. We have a lot of things on our side—a quickly rebounding economy, determination, and strength inside our hearts.
Our team is looking forward to a brighter year coming, and getting back to what we do best: supporting stomach cancer research and awareness, standing with those fighting, and doing all we can to make our world a better place.