Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Leyden and Stefanie Norris, MSW, LCSW.
Erin and Stefanie, please share your story with us.
I was recently brought on as the new Executive Director of Willow House. My hope is that Willow House will be the first line of defense for families that are coping and grieving the death of a parent or child. With the help of our staff, board members, and volunteers, we aim to grow the organization to meet the demands for our services. With my experience in capacity building and my genuine concern for others, I am eager to lead the staff and dedicated volunteers to ensure that no child or parent shall grieve alone.
Over the past decade, I have served as the Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager for the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation, successfully implementing multiple global fundraising campaigns to support charity partners, and building relationships with top financial professionals around the world. Prior, I served as the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Development for Imerman Angels, a global one-on-one cancer support organization, where I have successfully doubled their revenue to a $1.6 million organization and was the brainchild behind the, now, award winning Brunch Run 5k in Chicago. In 2007, I founded my own national organization with my sister-in-law and husband, to raise awareness and provide support for families affected by epilepsy. I was inspired by my own son and his resilience at a young age after suffering hundreds of seizures daily due to Doose Syndrome, an intractable form of epilepsy.
I was an IT Specialist before non-profit found me. Although I still dabble in IT I couldn’t imagine a life without giving back. The most rewarding part is seeing results, ensuring that people are getting the help they need and as an added bonus I’ve met some pretty incredible people along the way. One thing I’ve witnessed throughout my career is that how resilient people really are; most eventually find that silver lining and soon find themselves mentoring others in a similar situation they experienced or volunteering with the hopes that someone else has it easier than them.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
You are always going to have bumps in the road but I think that is what makes me work harder and sometimes even madder, this is how results are made. For example, I was born and raised in Chicago. When my son was first diagnosed with epilepsy, I simply thought he would take a pill and he would be ok. No one told me that 30% of those with a seizure disorder never get them under control. No body talked about, there was no awareness. So I started the American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation from there we found a celebrity spokesperson and then produced three PSAs in my home with Emmett and soon our commercials were being played in living rooms and fitness centers across the country. If you are passionate enough about your work, your eye is always on the prize and you’ll do everything you can do to win.
Please tell us about Willow House.
It is an honor to be selected by the founder and former Executive Director of Willow House, Stefanie Norris, MSW, LCSW. Stefanie was a pioneer in the area of grief group support services. She saw a need and not only started an organization but was able to sustain it for 20 years. She dedicated her life to grief and grief support. In our culture, where we are so death avoidant, and yet it is something we all have in common, there is hope that families will be able to openly talk about the death of a loved one and children will realize they are not alone.
We currently have 4 locations Bannockburn, Libertyville, Arlington Heights and Chicago. In addition, we have a Survivors of Suicide group that meets monthly at our Bannockburn location.
Each year, Willow House helps hundreds of families throughout the state with our group support services. Thousands more are helped through our grief school program as we educate teachers and personnel on how to best provide support to children experiencing grief in the school setting.
I am most proud of our staff and volunteers. They really wear their hearts on their sleeves. This isn’t an easy job as you can imagine but yet they continue to come to work every day with a smile on their face and their sleeves rolled up willing and able to help anywhere they can. They understand the importance of their work.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I would say, our family vacations are my favorite childhood memories. They weren’t anywhere extravagant but it didn’t have to be. I think we saw all of the national parks growing up. The 6 of us would pile into our blue Nova. My mother didn’t drive so I remember she would sit in the front seat playing navigator with her big road atlas following the best route. For a non-driver, she sure was quite savvy when it came to finding the fastest route or the scenic route. She was my original GPS.
Contact Info:
- Address: Willow House
2131 Lakeside Drive
Bannockburn, IL 60015 - Website: www.willowhouse.org
- Phone: 847.236.9300
- Email: info@willowhouse.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WillowHouseIL/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WillowHouse
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/3738446
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