Candy Taylor has seen expansive growth at HealthFinders in her eight years as Advancement Director; now she’s looking forward to helping the organization continue to move forward as a volunteer.
Candy wasn’t new to HealthFinders when she was hired in 2015; she first got involved way back at the organization’s inception. It was early 2002 when a friend came to her and said, “You’re not going to believe this: St. Dominic’s wants to take on health care… it might as well be world peace!”
Candy agreed to join the grassroots committee of community leaders and concerned residents to help raise funds to get the ambitious idea of health care access for all off the ground. She calls it one of the most fun volunteer experiences of her life. Her friend was bi-lingual in Spanish and brought other bi-lingual and Spanish-speaking folks onboard with the idea that all the meetings would be held in Spanish, so the Latine community could take part and have a voice. It didn’t matter that Candy didn’t speak any Spanish – she was all in and even picked up a little Spanish along the way. In 2004 the organizers obtained non-profit 501(c)(3) status and preliminary fundraising began. In 2005, Little Prairie United Methodist Church in Dundas agreed to let them use the lower level of the church for the first clinic and HealthFinders was officially born.
Over the next ten years, Candy worked with other non-profit organizations such as United Way, 5th Bridge and Northfield Shares. Then in 2015 she heard about the Advancement Director opening and thought it would be fun to go back and see what HFC had done, so she applied and was hired. The first order of business: plan the annual gala. She jumped in with both feet and says it’s been a great run ever since.
As someone who embraces change, Candy appreciates that HFC is a dynamic and growing organization. She has really enjoyed her tenure and says what she’ll miss most is working with the donors.
“One of the things I always say is I get to see people at the highest form of humanity. They are giving to an organization they care about – sharing what they worked hard to earn for the good of the community.”
These days, Candy is enjoying retirement as a new grandma. She wants to focus on family and says it’s the right time for new fundraising leadership. But she’s not breaking ties completely. Even though she has retired from the HFC staff, Candy is continuing her involvement on HealthFinders’ Board of Directors.
“Every organization needs different skill sets at different times and now it’s time for someone new at HealthFinders. That said, I want to continue to help move HFC forward and stay connected with the mission, so serving on the Board as a volunteer allows me to do that in a more advisory capacity. I am beyond excited for the future of HealthFinders and really fortunate to be part of it.”