The Costco Connection - December 2018

Above left: Left to right: Jill Albert, who passed away in 2006

from breast cancer, is the inspiration for the Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation;

daughter Jamie, son Jake and Jon, on their own WOW! Experience just a few months before Jill died.

Above right: Jessica Adams has helped distribute more than a million free diapers to families in need.

No one knows that better than Jon Albert, a Costco member in Atlanta.

“My wife, Jill, who had metastatic breast
cancer, didn’t want Jake, age ;, or Jamie, age ;,
to forget her—or, worse, only to remember the
times she was undergoing debilitating treatment,”
says Albert. “We created a treasured memory by
taking a wonderful, important vacation to
Hilton Head, South Carolina. The memories
we created while Jill was still able to enjoy the
trip were priceless.”
After Jill died in ;;;;, Albert wanted to
help other cancer families create positive
memories. He founded the Jack & Jill Late
Stage Cancer Foundation (JAJF; JAJF.org),
the only nonprofit in the nation that offers
all-expenses-paid prescribed trips for families
referred by major oncology centers.

Since its inception, JAJF has provided WOW! Experiences® for nearly ;,;;; young families. For his commitment, Albert has received numerous honors. But he says his greatest rewards are the uplifting pictures and great joy he receives from JAJF families.

“Cancer specialists understand that the
disease impacts the entire family,” Albert says.

JAJF is supported by donors, family foundations, grants and corporations. Albert says, “I’m happy to say we’ve never had to turn a family away.”—Mickey Goodman

Bottoms-up business

Think of Jessica Adams’ work as the “bottom line.” Since founding the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank in ;;;;, the Costco member has overseen the distribution of more than ; million free diapers to families in need in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

According to the National Diaper Bank Network, ; in ; families experience “diaper need”—difficulty providing enough diapers to consistently keep a child clean, dry and healthy. Adams was once in that very position, after going through a divorce, attending graduate school and raising four young children on no income.

“We struggled to make ends meet, and the
one thing I could never find assistance with was
diapers,” she says. “When you can’t provide your
child with one of the most basic needs, you feel
hopeless and helpless.”
Diaper drives and cash donations fund the
diapers that the bank distributes through ;;
community partners, ranging from food pantries
to health clinics to educational organizations.

Each pack of diapers comes with a handwritten “love note” of encouragement that means the world to recipients.

“One mother has saved every single note,” Adams says. “She told us, ‘ They make me feel like I am not doing this alone and that someone cares about me and my kids.’ ”—Kristin Baird Rattini