Vanessa is passionate about inspiring hope in families impacted by cancer. She lost her dad to cancer in 2020 along with several aunts and uncles over the past years. When her best friend Caisse Gore, founder of the Jadon Strong Foundation, shared that her son Jadon had cancer, she knew that she had to be there for Caisse, Jadon, and their family in any way that he could. 

Vanessa strongly believes in giving back to the community, and that is exactly what she and her husband did when they founded a non-profit youth basketball foundation supporting boys and girls ages 4 to 16. She understood the impact they could make in the community and volunteered as a coach for 16 years. To this day, they have long lasting relationships with many of the youth that they coached and mentored and built  life-long friendships with their parents. 

Vanessa’s passion has always been to give back to the community, helping those in need, and providing and outlet to anyone and everyone wherever needed. Many would say that she has a heart of gold and is extremely dedicated and passionate in everything she does. Her spirit is infectious. Her hobbies include creating memories with her husband and two sons, spending time with family and loved ones including her two fur babies “Bindi-Aila the Frenchie and Lord Titan the Chihuahua”, basketball, fitness, cooking, music, dancing, and traveling. 

Vanessa became involved in the Jadon Strong Foundation in 2022 and was touched by the mission to help love and serve families in the toughest time of their lives. She is excited to help the Jadon Strong Foundation achieve the mission of  providing a glimmer of hope to families faced with pediatric brain cancer.