Audrey Guth, a mother, two-time cancer survivor, and founder of Nankind, created the charity to provide crucial support to families dealing with cancer. Nankind offers free services that help parents with cancer while building emotional resilience in their children, ensuring they can cope with the challenges. Since its start, Nankind has supported over 2,000 families, provided more than 30,000 hours of childcare, and served over 65,000 meals.
The organization aims to fill a gap in cancer care by focusing on the emotional needs of children whose parents are battling cancer, giving them a sense of normalcy during a turbulent time. Audrey founded Nankind in 2009 after recognizing the struggles parents face while juggling treatment and parenting, especially when children are left feeling lost and scared.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
Nankind transforms the cancer experience for families by offering free support programs that help parents with cancer by providing immediate relief and empowering children to build emotional resilience and understand their parents’ illness. Since its founding, Nankind has supported over 2,000 families, empowered 3,500+ children, and provided 30,000+ hours of childcare and 65,000+ meals to those in need.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Nankind aims to help families affected by cancer by providing crucial support to children facing the trauma of parental cancer. With the help of Volunteer Angels, referral partners, and sponsors, Nankind delivers free, supportive care one family at a time.
When did you start/join it?
In 2009, during my cancer journey, I recognized the immense burden parents with cancer face in juggling parenthood and treatment. After meeting a mother with cancer and her child in a waiting room, I saw a gap in cancer care and felt compelled to act. I founded Nankind to offer respite to moms with cancer. My mission has since been to innovate and reduce the social and emotional impact of cancer on families by providing free support to mothers, fathers, and primary caregivers with cancer while helping their children thrive and build lifelong emotional resilience.
What was the situation like when you started?
Cancer is very scary and when parents are diagnosed it is often hard to understand where to turn to and who can help outside of medical appointments. Nankind fills a gap in cancer care by providing critical intervention for parents with cancer and their children within their homes and beyond. When we started there was little being done to address how cancer affects children, and over the years the community has become more focused on this but there is still so much work that needs to be done.
How has it changed since?
Since we started in 2009, we’ve grown to take a Child Life approach with our programs. When a parent is diagnosed with cancer the entire family and especially children grieve their healthy parent, and nothing seems normal. That’s what drives the needle at Nankind, making sure that every program we create, and offer is through the lens of how we can support children and help create a sense of normalcy during a very uncertain time.
How can our readers help?
Those looking to get involved and support can visit Nankind.com. There they can find volunteering opportunities and donate to support our critical programs that help families living with cancer.
Where can we follow you?
Website | Instagram | Facebook
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
Pickles Group is an incredible organization that provides free peer-to-peer support and resources to kids affected by their parent or guardian’s cancer.
