Rick Fossali, an executive at Ferrero and Fannie May, shared his experience supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, highlighting how both personal and corporate philanthropy can contribute to advancing pediatric healthcare. Fossali was introduced to St. Jude through his daughter, Jordan Fossali Grimm, who was active in the St. Jude Chicago Area Young Professionals Committee. This initial connection led him to involve Fannie May in supporting the organization through donations and events.
Fossali described his growing commitment: “Initially, my support was modest purchasing of auction items, making donations, and supporting events. However, as my visibility of the organization grew, I became more intrigued by the mission: Finding cures. Saving children. and soon, St. Jude started to become a big part of my giving life. This includes my journey along with our Fannie May family as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility and Core Value of Work, Donate, Create.”
He emphasized the inclusive care provided by St. Jude: “I strongly believe in the vision of Danny Thomas that ‘No child should die in the dawn of life’ and we should all do whatever we can to support that vision. St. Jude cares for some of the world’s sickest children regardless of their race, ethnicity, beliefs, or ability to pay. Beyond that, families never receive a bill from St. Jude, for treatment, travel, housing, or food.”
Fossali noted that a culture committee formed at Fannie May in 2019 sought a charity partner that would allow employees various ways to participate—from volunteering to personal donations and retail fundraising campaigns.
“Each November and December,” he said, “Fannie May participates in the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign by asking Fannie May customers if they would like to donate to St. Jude at the register to be a part of our shared mission during the holiday season.” The company also promotes co-branded products with proceeds benefiting St. Jude.
Over three years, Fannie May has contributed more than $650,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through these efforts and aims to surpass $1 million this year.
Reflecting on his motivation for ongoing involvement with St. Jude’s mission—“Finding cures. Saving children.”—Fossali stated: “It means finding the best way to contribute where you can give as much as you can through multiple ways...there is so much that we can do to move this mission forward.”
In June, Fossali received the St. Jude Executive Champion Award for his engagement with the organization both individually and corporately.
Ferrero supported the first St. Jude Legacy of Equity dinner and fundraiser in downtown Chicago earlier this year—a new event focused on raising awareness about sickle cell disease within African American communities.
Looking ahead, Fossali will join colleagues for September’s St. Jude Walk at Brookfield Zoo during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and plans to participate as a fundraiser during December’s Memphis Marathon Weekend.
He encouraged other companies—regardless of size—to consider starting their own philanthropic journeys: “Your company doesn’t need to be as deeply involved as mine to make a meaningful impact—support can begin with just one small step.”
St. Jude offers various opportunities for employee engagement including volunteering programs, payroll deductions, matching gifts initiatives, local committees and workplace fundraisers tailored for organizations seeking involvement.
Fossali concluded by inviting others interested in learning more about participating or contributing individually or corporately with help from local ALSAC teams.