Banking on Bravery: Finding Strength Through Community Partnerships
When Claire’s Army needed a community partner, Park National Bank had their back.
So often when people receive life-shattering news, they don’t know who to turn to or where to go. They’re overwhelmed by emotion and heartbreak and can’t fathom how they’ll pick up the pieces.
Emily Ratliff and her husband, Kevin, experienced this firsthand. When they were in the hospital facing their daughter, Claire’s, battle with cancer, they were fortunate to have a team of people who supported them.
After Claire lost her courageous battle, Emily and Kevin knew they wanted to make a difference in her memory. To honor Claire and the many people who supported their family, the Ratliff’s founded “Claire’s Army,” an organization dedicated to helping families with children battling cancer in the greater Charlotte area.
As the organization grew, it was clear they needed strong community partners to help navigate the business needs of their non-profit so they could focus on the heart of the organization. It wasn’t long before Emily was introduced to Park National Bank, and everything came together.
A tragic diagnosis
Claire was a bubbly, warm spirit who would go out of her way to make you feel welcome. She remembered everyone’s name and went out of her way to make everyone feel special.
Tragically, before her second birthday, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma and given less than a year to live.
“We just wondered how this could happen,” says Emily. “She was a healthy baby who never even had an ear infection.”
Nevertheless, her parents knew they needed to push forward.
An “army” of support
Family and friends rallied around the couple almost immediately. Without being asked, they brought food and supplies, allowing Emily and Kevin to focus their attention on Claire. Even their employers (Emily as the member experience director at the local YMCA and Kevin in dental sales) gave them the flexibility they needed to balance their schedules around Clarie’s treatments.
While people came from seemingly everywhere to help the Ratliffs, they saw other families who weren’t as fortunate. Many lost wages because of missed work and others became exhausted by the lack of support. In some cases, these burdens resulted in families facing food insecurity, utility disconnections and even evictions.
“We recognized how lucky we were and saw that many families suffered alone because they had no one to reach out to or didn’t know who to contact,” Emily says.
From tragedy comes action
After 9 months of fighting, Claire’s little body couldn’t take any more, and she breathed her final breath. As her parents began to heal, they kept thinking about the families who took this journey with them.
In time, Emily decided she needed to help them in some way. She went back to school and obtained her certified nursing assistant (CNA) license and began working on the same floor where her daughter was treated.
This experience only solidified what she had been feeling. That while she knew she could help with what was happening inside the hospital, what many families really needed was someone to assist with the burdens coming from the outside.
Gathering the troops
Drawing from their experience, Emily and Kevin announced the launch of Claire’s Army in 2013. Their intention was clear: to help families focus solely on helping their children during their cancer battle.
“We’re trying to give time and clarity back to families by removing some of these emotional and financial obstacles that we know they’re going to experience in some way, shape or form,” says Emily.
Their first initiative was to create and provide “Claire Packages” to the two primary children’s hospitals in greater Charlotte. Each tote includes essentials like towels, a bathmat, disinfectant, dish soap, disposable utensils, gift cards for groceries/gas, a journal and more.
“On any given day, if a diagnosis is shared, the social worker assigned to the case has access to Claire Packages and can immediately provide one to the family.”
As time went on, Claire’s Army developed its meal program. Through a partnership with FS Food Group, volunteers deliver meals to families in the hospitals every Monday through Thursday. They also started an Emergency Assistance Program to help families struggling to pay bills because of treatment and associated costs.
A new addition to the team
As the organization continued to grow, so did its volunteer list. Program Coordinator Kevin Chandler started as a volunteer after he attended the organization’s annual fundraising gala in 2017.
Previously, he worked in banking for almost 20 years, primarily in a business and commercial lending capacity. But after seeing the impact that Claire’s Army was having, he knew he wanted to become involved with the organization.
“I met Emily and Kevin (Ratliff) for lunch and told them I wanted to help,” he says. Soon after that, he started voluntarily running the Meal Program.
A partnership with Park National Bank
At first, Emily worked with a few banks to help with finances, but she never felt like she was anything more than an account to them. If she needed something, she had to call an 800-number that led to a banking center. From there, she would get kicked around a few times before her issue was resolved.
Over time, Park National Bank started to get more involved with Claire’s Army. First it was through associates volunteering their time, then through bank sponsorship of various events. Eventually, the relationship between Park and Claire’s Army bloomed due to the dedication they both had to helping those in our communities who are facing difficult times.
Park even allowed Claire’s Army to use their local office spaces for board meetings and volunteer orientations. Emily realized this was the right bank for their organization and they moved all their accounts to Park.
She noticed a difference almost immediately. She had her own dedicated banker who worked directly with her for anything she or the organization needed. If she had a question and they didn’t know the answer, they tracked it down for her.
“I know I could either call my banker or the branch and everything would be handled very quickly,” she says.
Kevin Chandler, remembering his almost two decades spent in banking, also appreciated Park’s responsiveness and commitment to helping Claire’s Army.
“Coming from banking, I know the importance of being responsive to your clients,” he says. “Responsiveness and trust are huge; any time I need to talk to someone, they’re there.”
When the board of Claire’s Army determined they should start investing some of their funds to create returning revenue streams, Kevin contacted Scott McMahon from Park’s Wealth Management team.
Scott found some investments that would allow the organization’s money to grow so it could help more people in the future.
“I wish we had met with Scott sooner,” Emily says. “He’s done an excellent job managing our money, building our safety net and setting us up for a brighter financial future.”
And thanks to Park’s sound financial guidance, the organization was able to successfully offset the additional costs of a staff position created for Kevin.
The future is bright for the families that Claire’s Army supports
In 2023, Claire’s Army distributed $184,000 in assistance funds and provided 570 meals to families dealing with pediatric cancer. Recently, they expanded their services to offer end-of-life experiences so terminal clients can have one last amazing memory before they pass.
Emily can’t help but look back with amazement at how far the organization has come, and smile at what it will be in the coming years. Whatever the future brings, she knows it will be thanks to the memory of one amazing little girl and a community banking partner that wanted to help others in her honor.
“We love, love Park National Bank,” she says. “We’re very thankful for the partnership and all they do for us. And we know we’ll keep growing from here.”
There are many ways you can help the mission of Claire’s Army! Click here to make a donation or click here to volunteer.
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