Spotlight Series — Episode 2
curingwithCARE (standing for Cancer Awareness, Research and Education) is a non-profit organisation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that strives to empower today’s youth and educate them about cancer research and preventative measures; improving lives, and spreading joy. With 36 chapters, some even international, this organization has made a meaningful impact on the cancer community through its work.
Our founders recently had the opportunity to interview their executive team: Aditi Motha, Chief Expansion Officer; Siddh Kapil, Chief Administrative Officer; Snigdha Yandra, Chief Marketing Officer; and Anish Kondoju, Pittsburgh Regional Director. Held on 18th May 2024, this interview highlighted CARE’s journey over the years, current impact, and future goals.
They have held many events in the past, but when asked about the most significant, Christmas-time seemed to be a fond memory. The team gathered to make handmade crafts and cards, and distributed them to patients in a local hospital. “I was dressed up as Santa — and we all walked around giving these goody bags to patients. It was so great seeing their faces light up and it was such a heartwarming experience”, said Anish, followed by Snigdha, who agreed, stating, “That was the first time we got to see the patients, and we got to see the work we were doing.”
They mentioned patients were surprised to receive the crafts and were deeply moved by the thoughtful gesture. What made this event memorable though, was the takeaway: “It made me realize how even the smallest acts of kindness can do so much” Aditi recalled.
The team also talked about their tours at the Hillman Cancer Center, where they interacted with professionals working in medical research. It was a valuable learning experience as they understood more about the medical field, and improved their resources through new knowledge they acquired.
All their success was not without its challenges though. curingwithCARE started as a high school club, so spreading out of its main location in Pittsburgh was initially difficult. However, as stated by Siddh, “Once we got on a roll we were able to spread out our branches across America.”
curingwithCARE’s growth in just a year and a half has been immense, and the team agreed that they never expected the level of support they have received in that tenure. They hope to maintain this momentum in the future, spreading their mission and message to mobilize as many people as they can.
- Anushka Jain, Medha Gopalakrishnan
*Disclaimer: This article has also been posted to our Medium. NernstNaK is the rightful owner of this work on both our website and Medium, and thus stresses that there has been no plagiarism or copying on either account.*