Hi John,

I’m continually in awe of our incredible Care Fellows – the real-life caregivers and care recipients who do the hard work every day. Their stories inspire me and make me believe in the future of the care movement. 

November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to honor the incredible dedication and work of the caregivers in our communities and lives. 

As the Associate Director of our Care Fellowship program, I’ve heard so many powerful stories from Fellows and alumni. So, in honor of caregivers this month, I’m excited to share some of those stories with you!

Christina Keys, 2020 Care Fellow

Christina became a caregiver in 2013 after her mother had a stroke, and provided care until her mother’s passing in 2022. In the 9 years caring for her mother, Christina’s life changed drastically, including a change in career path and several moves to ensure her mom was supported throughout her care journey.  

Since her participation in the Fellowship in 2020, she has founded Keys For Caregiving where she connects businesses, organizations, and family caregivers to amplify our voices for change. She says the Fellowship was integral in finding her own voice at a time where she wasn’t empowered to speak about her experience and share her story.

Consuela Marshall, 2022 Care Fellow

For Consuela, caregiving was both professional and personal from the start. She was an occupational therapist for over 27 years and the primary caregiver for her mother and her aunt. 

As it is for many caregivers, providing care while managing a career, maintaining other relationships, and finding time for self-care was challenging at times for Consuela, but she found peace in helping other caregivers take on the care journey. 

Since the Fellowship, Consuela has founded Finding A Foothold Consulting Services which helps caregivers integrate care responsibilities into their lives. She says the Fellowship equipped her with important skills to advocate for caregivers like herself. 

Dr. Connie Kitchens, 2020 Care Fellow

Connie has been a caregiver most of her life, caring for her daughter who passed after a battle with cancer, and more recently, caring for her grandson who has sickle cell disease. The astronomical cost of her daughter’s and grandson’s care has shown her just how broken our care systems are.

Since completing the Care Fellowship, Dr. Kitchens has gone on to volunteer with the Clayton County Juvenile Court and provides spiritual support with Thriving and Surviving Breast Cancer Support Group Inc. to honor her daughter. She says the Fellowship helped her learn how to support others in advocating for care. 

These incredible stories are just a few of the over 200 Fellows who have graduated from the program since its start in 2019. There is power in sharing our care stories and we hope Christina, Consuela, and Dr. Kitchen’s stories inspire you the way they’ve inspired me. 

This month and every month, we’re thankful for the caregivers in our lives and communities. We see you and we will continue to fight for care alongside you. 

Happy National Family Caregivers Month to you and your loved ones. 

With care, 

Sophia Benrud, Associate Director of Training 
Caring Across Generations