Meet Lindsay Whittemore | Executive Director & Co-Founder, The Ruth Cheatham Foundation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lindsay Whittemore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsay, what do you attribute your success to?
I believe that a person is only as successful as they are passionate. My passion is around my work with The Ruth Cheatham Foundation. As the Co-Founder and Executive Director, we help provide scholarships and support to teens and young adults who have been impacted by cancer. Seeing the drive and determination of these young people who have endured so much inspires me daily! This work has grounded me in the necessity of using our time, talents, and abilities to help others.

I attribute the success of our nonprofit organization to the dedication and support of our incredible donors. The vast majority of Americans have no idea that teens and young adults battling cancer receive such little support and are limited in resources both during and after their cancer diagnosis. Once donors realize the vast need and potential of these survivors, they rally behind our mission to provide a better future for young cancer survivors!

Seeing firsthand what these young scholars are able to achieve with a bit of extra support in their education is incredible. Many of our TRCF scholars go back into the medical field to try and make the cancer treatment process better for the young patients that will come after them. It is paying it forward in the best way imaginable. These students are resilient and driven, and genuinely changing the world. It reminds me daily how blessed and honored we are to do this work!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We started The Ruth Cheatham Foundation in 2018 in an effort to champion and support young adults battling cancer. The Ruth Cheatham Foundation is a national nonprofit organization providing financial aid, ongoing educational support, and hope for the future. We are the only organization that offers both the financial aid to make education accessible, and the ongoing support (peer-to-peer support groups, online tutoring, and college-to-career workshops) necessary to ensure the successful completion of a degree for teens impacted by cancer. We are writing the check for educational support, and then we are locking arms with our AYA scholars to ensure their success.

Since its inception, The Ruth Cheatham Foundation has granted over 393 college scholarships to teens and young adults impacted by cancer and raised over $1.2 million to bridge the educational opportunity gap for these amazing scholars, allowing them to move past their diagnosis and provide a better quality of life.

Over the course of the past 5 years TRCF has really been able to carve out a unique space in that we provide holistic support for teens and young adults who have experienced a life altering cancer diagnosis. By understanding and meeting these amazing young people where they are we have been able to provide educational access and support that ensure they thrive in survivorship. It is truly humbling and it my great honor to help lead this effort.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We love to support other non-profit organizations and pour back into to the community we love. If we had friends visiting from out of town, our first stop would be Stomping Ground Comedy. It is always a blast, and we leave with tears of laughter and a full heart.

For food, our favorite spot in Dallas is Shinsei. Their Katina Crisy rice is to die for, and the service is impeccable! We would end the night with a drink on the patio of Jose’s with their signature margaritas.

For a little downtime and relaxation, we would visit our new favorite yoga studio, Alive (in Plano). They have an immersive yoga experience that leaves you ready to tackle the world! It truly is a different experience and one I would highly recommend checking out!

Since it is that time of year, we would never miss the opportunity for friends to experience the great Texas State Fair. There is no better spot for people-watching, fried food galore, and fun games on the midway.

I love to cook, and the weather in Dallas is finally a perfect 70 degrees, so we would end their trip with the doors open to the nice breeze and grilling out.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
“Among the many blessings of being terminally ill comes the conviction not to waste time. Evil has always been with us and always will. How we choose to respond to it defines us, collectively and individually. When we live in the awareness of our expiration date, we discover the true power of love–to heal, reconcile, and face the unknown with peace and confidence. May that love transform and guide us all. May that love allow us to transcend casting blame into the recognition that we can only move forward together. May God bless us all.” This is a quote from Ruth Cheatham.

Every so often in your life, you meet a person who is the epitome of grace, a person who has just the right words to say, a person who diligently cares for others, a person whose internal light shines so brightly it can never go out. This was Ruth. She was a teacher, she loved working with teens, and lifted up all those around her. She was the reason we started this organization, but I would like to dedicate our success to our incredible TRCF teen cancer survivors!

Seeing the drive and determination of these young people who have endured so much in their cancer treatment inspires me daily. These young scholars truly are the reason why we work so hard to provide a better future for teens battling and surviving cancer and seeing their success drives us to help support more young survivors in need.

Website: https://www.ruthcheathamfoundation.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trcf_org/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ruth-cheatham-foundation

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuthCheathamFoundation/