The Emilio Nares Foundation was founded by Richard and Diane Nares in 2003 after their son, Emilio, lost his battle with cancer at age five. They met hundreds of families without resources to care for a child with cancer and decided to turn their loss into a legacy to help families navigate through their child’s treatment.
“We primarily serve low-income, under served families and help them meet their basic needs throughout their difficult journey.” said Karen Terra, the Foundation’s CEO. “ Every family I speak with, invariably, tells me how much our programs mean to them.”
The Emilio Nares Foundation (ENF) provides free transportation to about 250 patients a year. Additional programs include a family resource center, snack bags for the children after their chemo treatment, a knitting and sewing program, and Loving Tabs T-shirts designed with snaps on the shoulder to improve the chemotherapy treatment process.
The Foundation is one of the non-profits supported by Sage Executive Group. Terra said the insights gained from attending the monthly Sage sessions, where top business leaders share views on business growth and management issues, have been invaluable. “I love sharing challenges,” she said. “It’s been so enlightening to learn that these CEOs of much larger organizations deal with many of the same issues that I do. There’s always something to share and learn.”