Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Keith.
Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Maryland with a very creative family. My mom taught home economics (sewing, cooking, fashion design) and co-owned an event planning company. My dad was (and still is) a professional artist (photographer, painter, sculptor). He still works today out of his art studio inside the home where I was raised. As a child, I enjoyed combing through his art, watching him paint, assisting him at art shows, and creating my own “masterpieces.” We used to joke that his fine art skills skipped a generation because my sister and I are quite terrible at it. Still, to this day, I draw mostly in stick figures.
My parents encouraged me to pursue my dreams and develop my creative voice, which was mostly focused around theatrical arts – spending hours choreographing dances, practicing monologues, and writing songs. I would line up my dolls (and my sister) in a hallway in our home and teach them ballet. Since my sister was my only “live” subject, she got the brunt of my bossiness, which my parents called “natural born leadership.”
I’ve always been an optimist and extremely ambitious. I like a good challenge and see “failure” only as an opportunity for something better.
After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in Theatre and Education, I moved to Los Angeles and began pursuing my dreams of becoming an actress. After a few jobs here and there, to my surprise, I was drawn to non-profit work. I developed a passion and purpose around helping people and enjoyed the challenge of using my skills in a new way. The timing was perfect because I soon met my husband, who vowed never to date an actress.
During my past 20 years of service in nonprofit healthcare, I worked my way up from Educator to Patient Advocate, to Outreach Manager, to Center Director, to VP of Operations and eventually VP of Advancement and Communications. This trajectory through various positions allowed me to sharpen an expansive skill set from operations to business development and donor relations – each critical notch moving me one step closer to where I am today.
When the opportunity arose to become the Executive Director for The Pablove Foundation, I knew it was the right move. I fell in love with our mission to improve the lives of kids with cancer through the arts while investing in cutting-edge pediatric cancer research. Pablove brings something wholly unique to the pediatric cancer community with programs that intersect art and science in a powerful way.
Childhood cancer is a parent’s worst nightmare. As a mom of three relatively healthy children, I’m committed to supporting families who are experiencing this horrific diagnosis.
My background in the arts drew me to Pablove as well. After my second child was born, I started a musical theater company for children. Creating and teaching these workshops brought me so much joy because I saw the healing power that the creative arts brings to children. A mother of one of my students was dying of cancer, but this student faithfully attended my class every week. For one hour, this little boy could be a child again. The heaviness of his reality disappeared while he immersed himself in the make believe and expressed his creativity in a loving environment.
This is exactly what Pablove Shutterbugs, our healing arts photography program, does. Pablove’s nurturing community provides joy and a vital outlet for pediatric cancer patients to express themselves – through the lens. Shutterbugs has been scientifically evaluated and proven to have a measurable positive impact on the quality of life of kids who participate. The gravity of this data is profound – and can even contribute to a better response to a child’s cancer treatment!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Does anyone choose the non-profit leadership life, thinking it will be easy? Ha! We deal with a painful, often hard-to-look-at subject. Pediatric cancer is heavy, yet we approach our serious work with optimism and lightness. Our tagline at The Pablove Foundation is “fighting childhood cancer with love,” and we live it every day!
Spending a few hours with these kids each week while they enjoy their photography lessons as a welcome distraction from their cancer treatment really puts your own life into perspective. The Pablove Foundation is a special place, and being involved in our programs changes people. This work is shaping me in ways I probably don’t even know yet.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Pablove Foundation?
The Pablove Foundation is named after Pablo Thrailkill Castelaz, who lost his life to a rare form of childhood cancer at age 6. After Pablo passed, his parents found precious photographs that he left behind. They realized that Pablo was using photography as a way to cope and document his cancer battle. They founded Pablove in his honor and designed a photography program to give kids with cancer a creative place to just be kids.
Today, Pablove Shutterbugs serves kids ages 6-18 with cancer across the country from all socio-economic backgrounds. Every child gets a camera that they get to keep and a kit filled with fun accessories. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, all lessons + equipment is provided at no cost to cancer families. Here in Los Angeles, we are lucky to be partnered with The Huntington Library, Museum, and Botanical Gardens, where our 6-week in-person classes are hosted.
It was there I attended my first Pablove Shutterbugs Graduation Ceremony – a profoundly moving event. I tried to hold back tears while 13-year-old Ian shared how close he came to giving up while presenting his photo titled “Guardian Angel.”
“In the darkest moments of my life, I would wish the cancer would take over me. My mom was my Guardian Angel. She never gave up, would pray for my healing and encourage me to do the same. Over time, I started getting better, and here I am now, sharing this story with you,” said Shutterbug Ian.
After the emotional ceremony, a bright-eyed Shutterbug named Barbara walked me through her photo portfolio. The sweet stuffed giraffe that came with her to every appointment, her fluffy white Maltese that brought her comfort when coming home from the hospital, and the solemn portrait of her sitting at the kitchen table. Meeting these kids puts life into perspective. Hearing their stories makes me realize how lucky I am for the health of my own.
It’s also inspiring that we actually are moving the needle forward towards a cure! How cool is it to be putting forth the possibility of a cancer-free future for our kids? That’s the magnitude of the Pablove Childhood Cancer Research Grants program. We invest in innovative cancer research with a venture capitalist approach – backing young investigators with big ideas early – providing them with the funding they need to qualify for federal grants or even launch clinical trials. Being at the forefront of the next big discovery in pediatric cancer is an adrenaline rush!
That impact is thanks to our vibrant community of donors + supporters. I encourage any local readers who want to get involved to reach out! From doing the LA Marathon with TEAMpablove to riding Pablove Across America, our annual cycling event or just becoming a monthly donor, we need people like you! It takes all of us to conquer childhood cancer.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pablove.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pablovefoundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pablovefoundation
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/792208/admin/feed/posts/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/pablove
Image Credits
Kelly Fogel Photography
