OUR STORY
A Legacy That Became a Mission.
The Carsyn Neille Foundation was born from one family's loss and a commitment to help other families impacted by childhood cancer experience healthier environments, meaningful support, and the opportunity to flourish beyond treatment.
Her Life Was Brief. Her Impact Was Not.
Carsyn's story left her family with a question that could not be answered by looking only at the hospital:
What happens to a family when they go home?
We began to see that healing is shaped by more than medical care. It is influenced by the environments families return to, the information they have access to, the people who surround them, and the support they receive along the way.
The Carsyn Neille Foundation was created from that realization.
What began as a commitment to honor Carsyn became a commitment to stand beside other families impacted by childhood cancer, helping create healthier spaces, providing practical support and education, and building communities that understand that families need care beyond treatment.
Because the hospital may treat the disease.
But families still have to heal at home.
From a Room to a Whole-Home Philosophy
The Carsyn Neille Foundation began with a simple belief: the environment where a child heals matters.
Our earliest work focused on creating healthier, restorative spaces for children and families impacted by childhood cancer. But as we listened, learned, and served, our understanding grew. We began to see that a room is only one part of a much larger environment, and that meaningful support must extend beyond four walls.
Our evolution has not changed who we are.
It has clarified who we are becoming.
What began with a room has grown into a broader philosophy about how people, homes, families, and communities can be supported to flourish.
That evolution continues to shape the Carsyn Neille Foundation, and the future we are building together.
Building Toward Human Flourishing
The Carsyn Neille Foundation has grown from a commitment to healthier spaces into a broader vision for family and community wellbeing.
Today, we work alongside families impacted by childhood cancer to advance Whole-Home Wellness—recognizing that healing and wellbeing are shaped by the environments we live in, the knowledge we have, the relationships that surround us, and the communities we build together.
Our work brings together education, healthy environments, leadership, and strategic partnerships to strengthen families today while helping cultivate healthier communities for tomorrow.
We believe the future of this work depends on more than serving families in the present. It depends on equipping people, developing leaders, sharing knowledge, and building partnerships capable of carrying meaningful change forward.
At the center of it all is a simple aspiration:
Human flourishing.
Not simply helping families get through a difficult season, but helping create the conditions in which children, families, and communities can heal, grow, thrive, and flourish for generations.
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Carsyn Neille Foundation is to empower children and families affected by childhood cancer by creating healthier environments, advancing whole-home wellness, providing education and resources, fostering compassionate community partnerships, and inspiring lasting hope through sustainable, mission-centered solutions.
OUR VISION
The Carsyn Neille Foundation envisions a future where every child and family affected by childhood cancer has access to healthy environments, whole-home wellness, compassionate communities, and the resources needed to heal, thrive, and flourish.
We envision communities where healthier homes are not a privilege but an expectation; where education empowers families to make informed choices; where collaboration strengthens every child; and where hope is sustained through innovation, generosity, and shared responsibility.
The People Behind the Mission
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Kia Davis
FOUNDER & CHIEF COMFORT CREATOR
Founder, visionary, and architect of the Carsyn Neille Foundation—carrying Carsyn's legacy forward by turning compassion into action and building the vision for what CNF can become. -
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Jeff Davis
FOUNDATION BUILDER & EXECUTIVE SUPPORT
Supports the Founder in building, developing, and executing the infrastructure and initiatives needed to advance CNF's mission. The person behind the scenes who helps turn ideas into reality. -
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Portia James
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY & OPERATIONS ADVISOR
A trusted mentor, prayer warrior, and steadfast source of wisdom, Portia helps CNF turn vision into structure while pouring into its Founder, strengthening its operations, speaking life into the mission and its future, and ensuring the voices and stories of the families we serve remain at the heart of the work. -
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Donnikah Khamo
CALIFORNIA FAMILY & HOSPITAL RELATIONS AMBASSADOR
A trusted friend and a steadfast prayer warrior, Donnikah brings compassion, connection, and lived understanding to CNF while helping CNF stay deeply connected to families while building meaningful relationships with California hospitals and childhood cancer communities we're called to serve.
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Julia Pearson
LEMONADE FOR CARSYN NEILLE
A cherished part of Carsyn's story from the very beginning, Julia has walked alongside our family for years; from welcoming Carsyn into the world to continuing to honor her legacy through the annual Lemonade for Carsyn Neille tradition of bringing people together to support the Foundation's mission.
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Camryn Davis
YOUNG ADULT & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT LEAD
One of CNF's earliest young leaders, Camryn continues to build community among youth and young adults while helping carry the Foundation's legacy into its next generation.
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Casey Davis
TEEN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY RECRUITMENT LEAD
An emerging young leader helping build the next generation of CNF by connecting ambitious, compassionate students to opportunities to lead, serve, and make an impact.
CNF is Built by People Who Believe in the Work.
The Carsyn Neille Foundation is carried forward by a committed group of people who give their time, talent, relationships, creativity, and heart to the mission.
Some build. Some lead. Some connect. Some advocate. Some tell our families' stories.
Some create opportunities for the next generation.
Together, they help carry Carsyn's legacy forward.
Board of Directors**
The Carsyn Neille Foundation is currently strengthening its governance structure as it prepares to establish its next generation of Board leadership.