Meet Lori Griffith | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lori Griffith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lori, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Transparency. When I started Chasin A Dream I wanted people to know exactly how their donations were being used. One of the things I was always skeptical about when donating is that I never knew where my donation was going, who it was helping or if it truly made a difference. So, with Chasin A Dream, we introduce you to the children battling life threatening illnesses/disabilities you are helping through our website and almost daily updates on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Donors can then follow the journey of the children being helped and a lot of the kids come to our events and participate. We have kept our overhead extremely low so that the majority of money donated goes directly to the families and programs. This has been a huge contributor to our success because people can trust us and they know they are making a difference in the life of a child battling an illness or disability.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Chasin A Dream Foundation is based upon the concept of Locals Helping Locals. I truly believe that local businesses, when given the opportunity, want to support their local children battling life threatening illnesses and know they can make a direct impact. There are so many children hurting locally and when introduced, so many businesses rallied around them. As a photographer I know the impact a photograph can make versus reading something. So I began telling the story of children visually and presenting them on our social media pages and website and the community responded. The kids loved this because we are not a “one and done” organization, rather we are involved throughout the child’s entire journey. While often heartbreaking, this is the reality of so many kids in our community and by introducing them to businesses and the residents of Palm Beach and Martin County, the bonds of community were strengthened. Local businesses responded and in turn we promote the businesses and encourage others to frequent their establishment. It all comes full circle and builds on the strength of community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a water person so first and foremost, I would take them to Paddle the Pointe at Jupiter Pointe Marina for a day of paddle boarding and kayaking, followed by lunch at Blue Pointe Bar and Grill. My other favorite places to eat/drink would have to be Papa Kwans (coffee, kombucha, salads), Food Shack for seafood, McCarthy’s Pub for the best Irish food, Crafty Crust best pizza, Calaveras Cantina for the best Mexican, Evo for Italian, ….we have some pretty awesome restaurants here. Double Roads and the Square Grouper are a must for music and the Jupiter Lighthouse is a local icon.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shout out is to the kids battling cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart disease and other life threatening illnesses. Their stories are what prompted me to take a chance on starting a non-profit and they continue to encourage me daily. It has been the coolest thing to watch these kids and their families get involved in what we are doing, and through that they have made several new friendships and we’ve created such a dynamic Chasin A Dream Team. Every day I am humbled by the challenges they face and their never ending optimism.

Website: www.chasinadream.org
Instagram: chasinadreamfoundation
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chasinadreamfoundation