S12 E28: Delaware State of the Arts - Pursuit for Peace

Get ready as we journey into a tale of resilience and triumph amidst adversity with Lauren Foraker and Caitlyn Kuhn of Pursuit for Peace. This multi-state nonprofit, passionately run by women, has found creative ways to uplift children's spirits grappling with severe trauma and medical conditions. They've meticulously crafted unique methods of igniting joy, like deploying character ambassadors into clinical facilities, and have leveraged these to navigate through the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dive deeper with us as Lauren and Caitlyn reveal how they collaborate with a variety of facilities, overcoming unique challenges along the way. They shine a light on how they choose individuals who truly embody the spirit of Pursuit for Peace and their aspirations for future growth and expansion. Rounding out this conversation, you'll be moved by an emotionally charged narrative that illustrates the profound impact of Pursuit for Peace on the lives of children they serve. Listen in for a heartfelt story of dedication to a cause and the relentless pursuit of spreading joy where it's needed the most.

The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Learn more at Arts.Delaware.Gov.

Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Division of the Arts, in partnership with NEWSRADIO 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV.

Transcript

Andy Truscott: 0:12

For Delaware State of the Arts. I'm Andy Truscott. My guests today are Lauren Foraker and Caitlyn Kuhn from from Pursuit for Peace. Pursuit for Peace is a woman-owned multi-state nonprofit bringing joy to those who need it most, particularly to children facing devastating trauma due to severe medical conditions and other circumstances, through positive psychology and creative therapeutic engagement. Their trauma-informed nonprofit enthuses compelling happiness through character ambassadors into clinical facilities and settings, in addition to special community events, alleviating the burdens that no child should know. Caitlyn and Lauren, welcome as we kick off here. Can you tell me just a little bit about how Pursuit for Peace came to be and where you find your most success right now as you engage with the general public?

Caitlyn Kuhn: 1:04

Sure, I am the founder of Pursuit for Peace. We started in 2017 as a ministry out of a church in Dover. Then we grew so big that in 2018, we became our own nonprofit entity. After that we just kind of grown and, grown and grown. Covid came about and kind of shut down what we do. We were just kind of like are we done? Do we hang up the dresses or continue on? Honestly, we grew, I think, more during COVID than we have in general. We almost doubled in size by volunteer numbers. Then we actually ended up getting our own building in 2022. Now we have two other chapters that are in DC and New England.

Andy Truscott: 1:59

Talk to us a little bit about what the program does.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 2:03

They definitely support the work that we do with the medically vulnerable children in our community and, honestly, that is why we exist. I know we talked about how COVID kind of changed some things so we kind of switched gears. We couldn't get into facilities, so we did a few home visits for medically vulnerable children, but then we started focusing on community aspect as well and honestly, I feel like the support from the community is there just as much as it is for the medically vulnerable. Honestly, who doesn't love seeing characters and who doesn't love just having a little bit of joy brought to them from these amazing people that you see in all these movies and everything? And it's just a highlight for them and it's just such a joyful moment.

Andy Truscott: 2:48

How do you find yourselves collaborating with these facilities and the other settings that you bring the programs in, and do you find that there are any unique challenges or considerations you have to kind of take into effect in these partnerships?

Caitlyn Kuhn: 3:01

I would say definitely. So we actually have an event coordinator that handles all of the coordination with these different facilities. As you can imagine, some kids have very unique situations. I know for a fact we've been to Exceptional Care for Children, which is actually a terminally ill facility. So it's so sad but it's so rewarding going there. But a lot of them have feeding tubes and different things like that. I remember the first time we were there we brought crowns and lathes and everything else for them and we were kind of like we got to work around it so that everybody was safe, but then they could still enjoy and partake in what we were doing. So there are things like that that we have to be careful of.

Andy Truscott: 3:44

I want to be mindful not to call these princesses, because they're not. They're character ambassadors and there's so much more than just a princess, and I think that cheapens the impact that not only being a female-led and female-run organization, but also all of your ambassadors are females and so being able to put forward this strong exterior in order to really bolster the emotions and the feelings behind what's out there in the community. How do you find individuals that really exemplify what it is that Pursuit for Peace looks for?

Caitlyn Kuhn: 4:21

I think it's just we have a really great group of like-minded women that come from very unique backgrounds. So we have a lot of diversity, we have a lot of ethnicity, we have a lot of careers. I mean, some people are teachers and they work with kids all the time, and then some people we've had that are lawyers. We've real estate agents Anywhere on the spectrum of any type of career. We have them all, and so I think what makes us unique is, yes, we're all women in that aspect, and so we can relate to that, but we all just bring something to the table that's different from one another that we can pull from and use in our experiences with these children.

Andy Truscott: 4:58

Looking ahead, what are some of your future goals and aspirations for the organization, and are there any new initiatives or expansion plans that you guys have on the horizon?

Lauren Foraker: 5:07

Absolutely, Andy. Well, we're always very conscientious about our awareness and our expansion. Right now, like Caitlyn mentioned, we're in three different states now. We're in Delaware, we're also in New England and Washington DC.

Lauren Foraker: 5:26

So we have a big vision and a big calling that I think we, as a band of women and warrior princesses, have come together to really see a mission and vision through, with reaching the four corners and the far corners of our states, as well as our nation, to reach the most medically vulnerable children, because it is a life-changing experience when you're able to, through this character, Ambassadorship, spend time infusing joy into the lives of these terminally ill children.

Lauren Foraker: 6:06

There's nothing that that gets better than that you've, you've, you have reached your, your, your, your the pinnacle of your gift, just to be able to minister to these children in need, and this goes beyond that of the children too. You're ministering to their families, you're ministering to their caregivers and and the friends that that really have seen them Through their pain. So it's, it's a privilege to be able to do the same, and One child, just one child, in pain and suffering is is more than enough Cause for us to act, and that's that's exactly what, what our passion is and what our goal is, and the more children we can reach, the better you share some success stories or Personally heartwarming moments that demonstrate the impact pursuit for peace has had on the lives of the children that you work with.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 6:59

Sure I, we actually just spoke about this today. It's a story that always comes to mind when people ask me this. So we were up at Nemours Hospital visiting a child there. It was like a personal request. So we took a team of characters there and Went in her room and, you know, we're able to sing and dance and just have fun with her.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 7:20

And the nurses came down this, so this was pre-covid, so you know, you could pretty much do whatever in the hospital and the nurses came down and they were like hey, can you come up to oncology? Because we have a little girl up there and she loves princesses. So we were like, of course, so I think there was about six of us and we all went up there and we're like chucking through the, the hallway and they told us her name was Emily. So we round the corner and we see Emily walking with her mom. She has her little pole of medication and you know everything that was hooked up to it no hair and she lights up and she's, like you know, freaking out. And I always say I think we were more excited than she was.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 8:00

So we got them. We're like hi, emily, and we're talking to her and and so in in the conversation, her mom goes hey, emily, why don't you tell them what we say when it's time for you to take your chemo? And Emily says I say that I have to be brave like Moana. And so we had a character there who we call our island princess, who resembles that character, and Our character spoke up and said well, you know what, emily, I hope that someday I could be brave like you, and so that Like whole scenario. And of course we're all, like you know, trying to try but that's an area that was, that was hard one literally embodies what this organization is about.

Lauren Foraker: 8:43

Oh my gosh, one of, I have to say. There are so many memories, andy, over the years, but one that that really sticks out to me was At one of our most recent events. It was a privately held event at our castle our headquarters, as we as we call it, in the state of Delaware, and we hosted a Tree of Life Memory Garden ceremony for all of the families that have lost their children and that have now become angels as a part of our Royalty Network membership. And it was an opportunity where we were able to host the families privately at our centers. Because here's something that we realized was that we, as we minister to these children and their families and caregivers when they pass, we aren't able to experience a closure, a step towards a collective and unified healing, and we knew that we needed to offer that safe space and that space of peace for our volunteers, for the families that have lost their children and for their caregivers as well. So we came together and we established the Tree of Life Memory Garden ceremony. We planted a beautiful cherry tree on our rented property in Camden, wyoming, and we had a beautiful memorial stone donated by a wonderful local business. And that's another thing too is that by us joining hands and joining forces together, we're also pulling in dynamic donors and fellow organizations in the community that have caught our vision to serve these children and their families in life and beyond. And that is our purpose is to minister to them and seeing the change in them during this event, particularly their siblings, the children that have lost their siblings.

Lauren Foraker: 10:58

That is a pain that is just profound and cuts so deep. And there was one child in particular that came in and you could see the ache in her that she missed her sister. It was devastating and when she walked through the doors you could feel that pain. But as soon as she saw our fairy, our fairy princess, she began to heal. She began to see a joy and experience a joy that she hadn't experienced in a long time and that resonated to her family members, to her parents and her other siblings, and they were able to heal along with us. And that's a moment that I will never forget. When those walls of pain come down and that healing takes place. It really resonated with each one of us.

Andy Truscott: 11:59

Shifting gears a little bit. Could you discuss the geographic scope of Pursuit for Pieces activities and how have you found managing operations across multiple states, including Delaware, DC and New England?

Caitlyn Kuhn: 12:13

So, thankfully, I have an amazing team, a leadership team of all women that support me behind the scenes. So, yes, I'm president, but I also have a vice president and a secretary and a treasurer.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 12:28

And I also have chapter presidents and I also have a board committee. So you know it's not I mean, I couldn't do what I do without this whole team that I have. And so they really, they really get it done. Dc focuses on the DMV area. Delaware, I mean sorry DC, maryland, virginia, obviously we're the whole state of Delaware and then New England. That's a big task. We're getting it up and running. But I have volunteers from New Hampshire but I also have them from Massachusetts. So you know it's that whole area up there. And then you know, we'll even go as far as we've gone to Florida to do a home visit for a little girl with cancer. We've gone to Philly for St Jude. So honestly we say we are focused on these areas, but we'll honestly go wherever we're needed.

Lauren Foraker: 13:15

Absolutely 100%.

Andy Truscott: 13:19

I can imagine fundraising is an important aspect of Pursuit for Pieces sustainability. How do you secure funding to support these programs and ensure business continuation for this mission?

Caitlyn Kuhn: 13:31

Well, like Lauren said, we do have a lot of support from local businesses in the community and, honestly, we could not do what we do without them. I mean, they literally keep this going. Yes, there are grants out there, but there are few in far between. Obviously, our donors and sponsors keep this going. We do have our yearly fundraising gala and that's a huge thing for us and that really puts us on the map for the year after and that supports pretty much our whole year. And then we were able to get a grant from DCF in 2022, and that helped us to get our building. So we definitely want to shop them out, but it honestly takes a village to keep it going and we're thankful.

Andy Truscott: 14:14

You guys obviously actively involved in serving the community in Delaware. Can you share a little bit how you feel like the organization contributes to not only kind of the health care and the youth landscape of Delaware but the cultural landscape of Delaware at the same time?

Lauren Foraker: 14:29

Our servanthood is very unique, Andy, as it is therapeutic artistry. So we, through our gifts and our collective talents, together as women, we're able to flex our gifts and maneuver from health care right into community events. That's what makes us very unique is that we're very in tune not only to ministering to trauma, but also ministering to children that might not have the same obstacles or challenges as other children might. As well as their families, they might be facing other challenges in their lives and obviously everyone faces different things that we know nothing about. So it's really a privilege to be able to flex between both environments and allows us the opportunity to really expand our awareness of our mission, our vision, our values to the community and be put in in different environments where we wouldn't have been otherwise. So it's been a unique transition from health care into more of that community event aspect, and we're loving life with it. We're thrilled to be able to do both and welcome any and all opportunities.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 16:02

And, if I could add to that, I think it's unique too. It's not just medical vulnerabilities, it's honestly any type of vulnerability, because we have done plenty of events for children that haven't been in a hospital but they're in foster care or aren't sick themselves but have a sibling that is sick or a parent that's sick. So any type of vulnerability, and you think in your own life there are different types of vulnerabilities that we even face. So that's why I think the community events really hit home as well, because, like Lauren said, when you see that character it just brings about that joy that maybe you haven't experienced in a long time because of a vulnerability in your life. So I think we can all relate kind of on that level and that's where we pull from and shoot to just affect in that area.

Andy Truscott: 16:57

Can you talk a little bit about how the community can get involved with Pursuit for Peace, both in joining you as either a volunteer or a character, how they can donate, how they can maybe attend an event?

Caitlyn Kuhn: 17:08

Yes. So all of the information that I'll share can be found at our website, pursuitforpeaceorg. But if anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer in any capacity, let me just say this Lauren said that we all use our gifts, and it's so true. Not everybody wants to dress up like a character and entertain kids, and I get that and that's not for everybody. But there are people behind the scenes that do admin work, there are people that do social media, there are people like Lauren that deals with media and getting us out there.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 17:40

So whatever your gift is, we want to put it on display, because that's what makes us unique. We all bring something to the table. So if there's anybody that's interested in just helping out children, bringing joy to others, we would love to have them on our team and they can fill out a volunteer application on our website and we have them for each specific chapter. And also, being a part of our, we have an event coming up in August. It's called the Princess Production and we're going to be putting on a show for the community, a big, huge musical, our first stage show as a fundraiser for our organization.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 18:17

And then, of course, our yes, and then of course, our big you know yearly fundraising gala that's coming up September 30th. That's one of the most important things that you can do if you'd like to financially support us.

Andy Truscott: 18:31

Can you tell us for each of you, what does success look like for you as it relates to pursuit for peace or even your own involvement with the organization?

Caitlyn Kuhn: 18:40

I think. For me it's just. I don't want to say numbers, you know, but seeing that we have impacted over 4,000 children in their families tells me that we're doing something right being a support for one another, being an uplifting example for one another. Having a women of a group of 30 plus women that can coexist, I think, is actually a success in my book.

Andy Truscott: 19:05

Yes very much so.

Caitlyn Kuhn: 19:07

There are a lot of aspects to it, but I think mostly seeing the numbers grow that you know, since 2017, we've been able to impact over 4,000 children and families, so that speaks volumes to me. You know, if we weren't growing in numbers, I would be concerned. In fact, it's increasing rapidly, so we're so thankful for that. So I think that's how I would measure it, like, if we're not serving these children in the community, then we're not winning 100%, Caitlyn.

Lauren Foraker: 19:35

I could not agree more with you that that is exactly my perspective in how we measure our success in this organization, and it is so paramount and prevalent in the organization that we lead ourselves well so we can lead others well. Leadership does not happen automatically with other people. It has to come from within and has to be focused on that personal growth journey. I know all of us, as a collection of 30 plus women that are coexisting together very, very well, are striving to keep that personal growth and servanthood the focus of who they are personally, and then that just translates into how they serve these children. It is a profound work that is measured in the smiles that we receive from these children, their families, their siblings and friends and beyond. So we have an immense privilege to serve and we'll continue to do so as long as we can, until we reach every child with a medical vulnerability.

Andy Truscott: 20:47

Well as we come to the end of the time. Lauren Caitlyn, thank you so much for joining me today. As Caitlyn had mentioned, if you'd like to learn more about Pursuit for Peace, visit their website at pursuitforpeaceorg. Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with News Radio, 1450wilm and 1410WDOV. The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware.