Press Release: Pickles Group Launches in Chicago to Help Kids With a Parent or Guardian Who Has Cancer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2021
Contact: Jason Mandell
jason@brysongillette.com
Pickles Group Launches in Chicago to
Help Kids With a Parent or Guardian Who Has Cancer
New org founded by Chicago business, community and academic leaders diagnosed with cancer has a unique model: kids helping other kids through their parents’ cancer journeys
CHICAGO, IL – Pickles Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids with a parent, guardian or caregiver who has cancer, launched this month in Chicago. Filling a void in the cancer support space with a unique approach, the organization creates thriving communities of kids supporting kids through their parents’ cancer journeys.
Pickles grew organically out of the experiences of three Chicagoland families with cancer diagnoses. (Read their individual stories.) Each family saw their kids struggling with loneliness and isolation.
“They would say, ‘I just wish I had more people who understood me,’” says Mark Agnew, a father of four who was CEO of Chicago’s beloved pizza institution Lou Malnati’s when he was diagnosed with stage II brain cancer.
Agnew and his wife and two other families with a cancer diagnosis got their kids together. The parents described their children’s first meeting as “magic,” and over the following months they watched their kids find joy, resilience and healing.
“A big key was just getting to be themselves with other kids who understood what they were going through,” says Erika Hlavacek, a former pilot for Southwest Airlines and mother of two who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, despite having no risk factors.
Determined to help more of the 5 million American children affected by a parent’s cancer, the three families created the nonprofit Pickles Group, whose name grew out of their kids’ early meetings.
Within days of its launch earlier this month, Pickles lost one of its founding parents – Ned Smith, a beloved business school professor at Northwestern and father of four – three years after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
“From the beginning, Ned inspired Pickles with his love of learning, building of community and his loving nature,” says Agnew. “We will continue to use those as guiding lights as we connect with new families.”
Finn Smith, 14, says he’s proud to see an idea that began with three families expand to help more kids. “It makes me feel really good to see this come into full form,” says Finn. “I hope it becomes an organization where anybody can join and anybody can get help they need.”
Francesca Hlavacek, 13, says, “I want people to know that Pickles is a safe and comforting space where kids will understand what you are going through.”
Pickles launched with a free pilot program in Chicago’s North Shore and currently serves two dozen children. The organization plans to expand throughout the Chicagoland area in 2022 and then across the U.S.
Pickles is led by Cassy Horton, a nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience at the intersection of children’s rights, family engagement, public policy and education, and Kelsey Mora, a dual certified Child Life Specialist and Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in supporting children and families impacted by medical illness, injury, and grief.
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Pickles Group’s mission is to provide free peer-to-peer support and resources to kids affected by a parent’s cancer. Over 5 million children in the U.S. are affected by a parent’s cancer, which can be a lonely, isolating experience. Pickles Group creates thriving communities of kids supporting kids through their parents’ cancer journeys. Pickles kids develop resilience, have fun with friends who get them, and heal along the way. Pickles launched in Chicago’s North Shore in October 2021 with plans to expand throughout the city in 2022 and then across the U.S.
