At the Ryan Nece Foundation, we believe that servant leadership isn’t a skill reserved for adults in boardrooms or corner offices. We see it every single day in the young people we serve: In a student who organizes a food drive for the first time, in a teenager who stays after a service project to make sure every task is done, in a young person who looks around at a problem in the world and quietly asks, “What can I do to help?”
This week, we were stopped in our tracks by the story of Rowan, a 12-year-old boy from Georgia, and we knew we had to share it with our community.
Rowan has been fighting brain tumors since the third grade. Diagnosed with Li Fraumeni Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that increases the risk of developing cancerous tumors, he has faced three separate brain tumors over the past four years. Despite everything, Rowan continued to show up for his schoolwork, for his friendships, and for the world around him.
Last year, during a routine appointment at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Rowan learned that federal funding for brain tumor research had been cut. He didn’t spiral into despair. He didn’t decide the problem was too big for him. He called some friends, set up a lemonade and tea stand, and got to work.
He raised $22.25 through every coin collected, every cup poured with intention, and Rowan brought it to his next appointment as a surprise gift for cancer research.
“I felt that the hospital needed it more than I did.” – Rowan, age 12
His doctor, moved to tears, made a promise: “We are going to keep this, and I am going to show everybody what this young man is doing.”
And the world listened. Rowan’s story spread. Community members began donating $22.25 in his honor. An anonymous donor, inspired by the ripple his small gift had created, contributed $100,000 to the cause. A hospital room was named in his honor. What began as a bag of coins became a movement.
Rowan’s mother, Charlan, summed it up with words that have stayed with us: “I hope this is a story of light and encouragement. I hope it inspires others to do whatever they can, because it all matters. It all matters that we work together, whether you’re giving your time, talents, or treasure.”
This is what the #PowerOfGiving looks like.
It doesn’t always arrive wrapped in a major gift or a corporate pledge. Sometimes it arrives in a small plastic bag full of coins, carried by a kid who decided that someone else’s need was greater than his own.
At the Ryan Nece Foundation, we work with more than 2,100 students across Tampa Bay every year. We work with young people who are learning, often for the first time, that they have something meaningful to offer the world. We watch them discover that giving their time to a service project or lending their voice to a cause they care about can create change far beyond what they imagined possible.
Rowan didn’t wait until he was older. He didn’t wait until he was healthy, or funded, or certain his gift would be “enough.” He gave what he had, with the heart he carries, and trusted that it would matter.
It did. And yours will too.
As we celebrate 20 years of developing servant leaders in Tampa Bay, Rowan’s story is a powerful reminder of why this work matters, and why we are committed to it for the next 20 years and beyond.
Be Part of Something Bigger
Rowan’s story is proof that no gift is too small when it’s given with purpose. This year, as the Ryan Nece Foundation marks its 20th anniversary, we invite you to give what you can (i.e. your time, talent, treasure, and/or ties), and trust that it matters.
Learn more about our $20 for 20 Years monthly giving campaign here or sign up to be a mentor.
