Our Team
Our team brings a shared commitment to supporting kids through life’s toughest challenges. We are mission-driven experts in youth development, education, health care, mental health, and social impact.
Staff
Ilana Carp, (she/her) Director of Marketing and Communications
Ilana is an innovative and results-driven marketing professional who brings a dynamic blend of corporate and nonprofit experience crafting strategic, multi-channel marketing campaigns that engage, inspire, and deliver measurable outcomes. She started her career at Keroff & Rosenberg Advertising as an account executive. Then Ilana spent 16 years at Discover Card developing strategic marketing initiatives that drove incremental sales, cardmember engagement and increased domestic and international acceptance awareness.
After a volunteer experience teaching elementary school, she felt compelled to use her professional experience to give back and make a difference in other’s lives and became the Director of Marketing for Keshet, a nonprofit providing education, recreation, social and vocational programs for individuals with disabilities and special needs. Most recently, as JCC Chicago’s Assistant Director of Program
Marketing, Ilana led a team in developing and executing integrated marketing strategies to increase brand awareness, create community through storytelling, and drive registration, engagement and fundraising for early childhood, day and overnight camp, family and adult programs. She was also part of the team who launched Sunrise Day Camp-Chicago, a free, full-summer camp for children with a cancer diagnosis and their siblings.
Ilana received her bachelor’s degree in communications and advertising from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her MBA in International Marketing and Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. When she is not working, Ilana enjoys spending time with her son and their dog, Harry, practicing yoga and having off-the-beaten-path experiences during her international travels.
Cameryn (Cam) Dews(she/her), Program Director
Cameryn is a nonprofit professional with a background in youth education. Her work is centered on the growth and success of young people and the individuals that support them. Cameryn is committed to building community through shared experiences.
After attending George Washington University, Cameryn began her career in public service at City Year Philadelphia, an AmeriCorps program. She spent 2 years in Philadelphia working with children from K-8 schools in literacy, math and social emotional learning. In addition, she guided 6 team members through their own service year. She co-ran an affinity group space where members connected around shared identity and promoted diversity, equity and inclusion.
Most recently, Cameryn was a Learning Coordinator at Saga Education, a high impact, in-school tutoring nonprofit. She managed a caseload of over 140 public high schoolers and helped coach a team of 6 Fellows. She prioritized collaboration with parents, guardians, teachers and the administration to create more equitable learning for students.
Outside of work, Cameryn enjoys cooking and baking, antiquing, and exploring the state of California she now calls home.
Cassy Horton (she/her), Executive Director
Cassy is a nonprofit leader who has devoted her career to improving outcomes for kids. For a decade, she championed the needs of 130,000 students from all walks of life attending over 250 Los Angeles-area nonprofit charter public schools. As Vice President of Local Advocacy for the California Charter Schools Association, Cassy and her team worked closely with public officials, educators, parents and community organizations to advocate for policies ensuring that students received the academic, socio-emotional and financial support they need. Previously, she managed program and fundraising work at Los Angeles Team Mentoring, an afterschool program for middle-school kids from under-resourced communities.
Cassy received her bachelor’s degree in political science and public affairs from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her MBA in Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, and Behavioral Science from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. At Booth she was a member of the selective Neubauer Civic Scholars Program for nonprofit and government professionals and received the Rustandy Center's 2022 Social Impact Leadership Award. She has served on the boards of the youth-focused nonprofits DYI Girls and 9Dots. Cassy is currently part of the Downtown Women’s Center Los Angeles Leadership Circle and the volunteer co-founder of the DTLA Residents Association. Outside of work, Cassy spends her time eating her way through Los Angeles and any new city she visits via foot, public transit, or e-bike.
Kelsey Mora (she/her), Chief Clinical Officer
Kelsey is a Certified Child Life Specialist and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who specializes in supporting children and families impacted by medical illness, injury, and grief. She has extensive experience providing individual and group services to children who have a parent with cancer. Kelsey both guides parents and caregivers on how to best support their children and teens as well as creates unique opportunities to help youth make connections, and increase coping and communication throughout a cancer experience.
Kelsey has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in child and adolescence from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Minnesota in Child Psychology and Spanish Studies. Kelsey worked for nearly a decade at Advocate Aurora Health, where she provided hospital-based care to patients and co-led bereavement program implementation for an entire healthcare system. Kelsey is a Registered Wonders and Worries Provider and provides professional and consultative services in private practice. Kelsey is the author of The Dot Method: an interactive tool to teach kids about cancer. When she is not working, Kelsey enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two young children.
Paige Warren, (she/her) Program Intern
Paige Warren is a healthcare consultant and a dedicated advocate for youth empowerment. Her work and volunteer efforts focus on creating inclusive spaces that allow young people to find their voice and share their lived experiences openly and honestly.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Paige studied Medicine, Health, and Society, Psychology, and Spanish. She is currently pursuing her MSW at the University of Chicago's Crown School, furthering her commitment to impactful, community-centered work.
Outside of her career, Paige is known as “Coach P” to her 5th-8th grade girls' basketball team, where she coaches with a focus on teamwork and confidence-building. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, exploring new restaurants, and bringing joy to those around her with her humor.