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Behind the Scenes: FAQ With Our Founder

Here at Lacuna Loft, we are all about the behind the scenes, nitty-gritty of running an organization. When I started Lacuna Loft, I relied on some very communicative and helpful small business owners to help guide me…along with a load of library books!  In the Behind the Scenes series we’ll talk about the various stages of the development of Lacuna Loft and some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way. You’ll hear often from me, the Founder and CEO of Lacuna Loft, as well as from our Design Guru, board members, contributors, and more!

Today we’ll have a FAQ session with our Founder, Mallory!

If you’ve missed other posts in our Behind the Scenes series, check out a day in the life of Lacuna Loft’s founder, and Lacuna Loft’s First Days!

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Hi all!  I often get questions on a variety of topics related to Lacuna Loft, changing careers paths, and starting a charity.  Here are some of them.  Have a question and don’t see it answered below?  Email info@lacunaloft.org!

Q1:  Why did you start Lacuna Loft?
MC:  Lacuna Loft grew out of a deep void that I experienced during my caregiving and young adult cancer experiences.  While my physical well being was taken care of by my oncology team, my psychosocial well being was largely ignored.  My work environment was stressful and unrelenting during my diagnosis and treatments and there wasn’t a support group presence geared towards young adults where I lived.  I felt so very isolated.

Q2:  What is your job?
MC:  
I am the CEO of Lacuna Loft.  That means that I help set the direction and strategy of the organization as well as dealing with the nitty gritty of our daily activities.  I manage the Young Adult Voices program and help develop future programming.  I manage the fundraising and the move towards a financially stable organization.  I also cultivate and establish partnerships and collaborations with others in the Young Adult cancer world, furthering the mission and goals of Lacuna Loft.

Q3:  What does lacuna mean?
MC:  Lacuna refers to a blank space or a missing part… a hiatus of sorts. Loft seemed like a cool place to hang out. I wanted Lacuna Loft to be a safe place where one could come and recover while learning to thrive. Where someone would want to stay a bit, hang out, and learn to live vibrantly during their hiatus.

Q4:  Can I write with Lacuna Loft?
MC:  YES!  Email info@lacunaloft.org and we’ll send you over all of the details!

Q5:  Why is your personal instagram so full of dog pictures?
MC:  This is such a strange question!  My pups make me feel happy and fulfilled…so I take a ton of pictures of them!  (Pst, haven’t seen my cute instagram feed yet?  Check it out! 😉 )

Q6:  What is it like, starting an organization like Lacuna Loft after having been through cancer as a young adult?
MC:  It is stressful and wonderful and exhilarating and scary all at the same time.  Creating a resource that provides exactly what I was missing, and hearing from other survivors that LL provides exactly what they were missing too…this is one of the best feelings in the world.  Feeling simultaneously a little overwhelmed, super excited, and in over my head seems to be how I roll most often in my new path.

Q7:  How do you apply for your 501(c)3 status?
MC:  This is a somewhat complicated process.  Nolo has a number of great resources including (but not limited to) How to Form A Nonprofit Corporation and Starting and Building a Nonprofit.  I used a great group of lawyers through Northwestern University that handled all of the paper work for us.  Take a look at local law schools in your area for similar programs!

Q8:  Is Lacuna Loft looking for partnerships?
MC:  Sure!  Email info@lacunaloft.org with some details and we’ll see if a partnership would be a good fit!

Q9:  I’m really interested in talking more privately with one of the contributors.  Their story really resonated with me.  Is this possible?
MC:  Feel free to comment below the post that you connected with and the contributor will be able to comment back.  After that it is up to everyone’s comfort level.

Q10:  What programs are coming next on Lacuna Loft?
MC:  My vision for Lacuna Loft is that we provide the great resources that you’ve come to expect from the cancer support and resource centers but geared towards young adults and online, available whenever you want.  Having said that, our next group of programming will focus on online workshops and support groups.  Stay tuned!

That’s all for now!  Be sure to keep sending in your questions!