Inspired by Ellie
A note from our founder Jeff Popkin
Ellie Fund is the embodiment of my mother Ellie Popkin, who died at 49 years old after living with metastatic breast cancer for 15+ years. This organization provides a way for my family to give back to others who are going through the same challenges that we did.
Meet Ellie
Ellie grew up in Boston and graduated from Boston University. She married Irving Popkin in 1964 and raised me and my brother. In addition to her role as family caregiver, Ellie was an active member of her community, serving as a Boy Scout den mother, volunteering at Boston Children’s Hospital, and working as a beloved JCC preschool teacher and librarian. Family, education, and giving back to the community meant everything to her.
A Support System When We Needed It Most
When Mom lost her battle with breast cancer in 1987, the support and love my family received from friends, family members, and complete strangers is unforgettable. My dad did his best to provide some sense of normalcy for me and my brother, but he could not do it alone. To this day, I reflect on how thankful I am for the assistance we received from people both during and after my mom’s illness. People brought us food, cleaned our house, and provided companionship.
These angels played the role in my family’s life that Ellie Fund does today for so many families: providing compassionate care and acting as the friend or extended family member that everyone needs when going through breast cancer treatments. The emotional and physical burden that breast cancer has on a family can be devastating. Every little bit that others can contribute helps ease that impact and allows the family to focus on healing.
Strength and Hope
In 1986, the cancer spread. Her health declined to the point that she was in tremendous pain. Despite her pain, she was always able to offer us strength and hope. That same year, my mom was able to see me graduate from high school and send me off to college. Looking back at how sick she was at the time, I see it as a true testament to the strong drive she instilled in my brother and me.
Honoring Mom
My brother Eliot and I initially raised money in my mother’s name through the Boston Marathon. After some great success we created the “Eleanor Popkin Scholarship Fund” (later to become known as The Ellie Fund) in 1993. Friends and family met as a “board” to discuss how to raise and distribute money.
We started formally fundraising and hosting events in 1995. Our early events were geared toward young professionals, and the attendance was overwhelming. The marketing manager at General Cinema was one of our first board members, and he started one of our biggest annual events. Originally known as Oscar Night America, this event is now our Red Carpet Gala. This same event has helped to forge our long-lasting relationship with WCVB Channel 5 in support of our cause.
Ellie Fund is Founded
In 1996, my brother and I were invited to a donor event at Dana-Farber. I remember joking with my brother how out of place we felt with these donors who were giving millions of dollars to fund research. It was an amazing experience and one that helped shape the direction of Ellie Fund. Hearing the unbelievable contribution acknowledgments, we realized something that brought clarity to our story: because our mom was such a giving person during her life, we knew that we wanted to do something through the Ellie Fund to give back to others. We felt honored to be at the event and to know that so much funding was going towards breast cancer research. But we also realized at that moment that we could do so much more to help people who were living with breast cancer. The seed was planted, and the direction of the Ellie Fund began to evolve. Our mission was established: to provide free services to women and their families going through treatment.
In 2003, Ellie Fund hired its first full-time executive director. We initiated large-scale strategic partnerships with companies like Panera Bread and Dana-Farber Hospital.
It is remarkable to see how many of our founding principles are still thriving today. We are still raising money by running events (Boston Marathon, Falmouth Road Race), just as we did when we initially started fundraising in the 1980’s. And I think back to the Dana-Farber fundraiser that gave two young men the idea to give back and help people living with the disease. I am proud to say that we are now hosting the same types of upscale fundraising events that we then could only dream about.
Paying it Forward
Many things have changed from the time my Mom was sick in the 1970’s and 1980’s, including the treatment and understanding of breast cancer. What has not changed is the need for services to relieve the financial and emotional burden on the patient and their family. We are forever grateful for the funds that are being raised for research and to provide hope for a cure. But we also recognize the need to support and provide assistance to the patients and families who are in treatment today. A long-term illness can easily wipe out a family’s entire savings to pay for medical bills. That is why the Ellie Fund is not based on financial need. And the need to give back is still as strong and important as ever. Ellie Fund today acts as the friend and support system that my mom so desperately needed. And the services that the Ellie Fund provides today to thousands of families are the same ones we needed.
Learn more about the growth of Ellie Fund and major milestones over the past 30 years.
