Stephanie Morrison's immersion in the nonprofit world spans many decades, locations and experiences - as a beneficiary of services, volunteer, donor, supporter, intern with nonprofits as well as a nonprofit consulting firm, and as a lawyer connecting people to nonprofits. Her passion for helping others began at an early age growing up in the small town of Cape May, NJ. Her focus on community based initiatives developed during high school as the Lieutenant Governor of Division 1 then District Governor for the New Jersey District of Key Club International. ...

She graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Political Science in 2011. For years during and after college, Stephanie facilitated writing workshops at the local juvenile hall through The Beat Within. She also served as Overall Director for Stanford Dance Marathon and a JusticeCorps' member volunteering weekly with the Family Law Facilitator's Office during her senior year. In the summer, she worked for Changing Our World advising nonprofits in the New York area in addition to interning with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Following graduation, she volunteered with the California Innocence Project in San Diego before going on to work as a Legal Assistant for the Patents Team at Google Inc. for nearly three years. While at Google, she volunteered her time with Google Corps and as the Dress Committee Co-Chair with the Princess Project.

Stephanie spent her 1L year at Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, LA, where she volunteered with the Tulane Legal Assistance Program as well as with the Orleans Public Defenders during her first summer. She transferred to Vanderbilt University Law School in 2015 and immediately started interning with the Nashville Defenders. While attending law school, she participated in the Actual Innocence Practicum and was recognized by the Tennessee Supreme Court for completing over 120 hours of pro bono work. She received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University in May 2017 and became licensed to practice law in Tennessee in October 2017.

Stephanie immediately began her career as an Assistant Public Defender at the Nashville Defenders Office in Nashville, TN. Life as a public defender was marked by chronic stress and constant exposure to secondary trauma. Poverty, systemic racism, homelessness, mental health, addiction, immigration concerns, sexual trauma, childhood trauma and physical violence were among the list of issues facing each client navigating the criminal justice system. The tragedy and devastation felt by communities surviving poverty was unbearable to witness. It became clear during this time that she had to bring Giving Connection to life and disrupt the status quo.

When the pandemic intensified in June 2020, Stephanie decided to move back home to help her mother care for her Aunt Fran who has Williams Syndrome. She traded a perpetual cycle of stress and productivity-obsessed life battling an inherently unjust system for a life of endless joy and limitless creativity serving as Fran’s full-time caregiver and Direct Support Professional through Easter Seals of NJ. Together, Fran and Stephanie created a 10 episode podcast called "Fran Says Podcast" as well as a children's book, "Super Fran!".

Alongside her relentless pursuit of kindness and connection, Stephanie's passions include any activity on or near the water, traveling, health & wellness, country music, and spending time with her family and friends.

Emily Longfellow has made it her lifelong mission to help people live happier and healthier lives. Her focus on balancing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health makes her a dynamic leader in the health & wellness space as well as in her many roles in the community. Growing up in St. Louis and Oklahoma City, Emily remained heavily involved in many types and levels of athletics. From gymnastics to field hockey, lacrosse to cheerleading, Emily's dedication to physical health mirrored her commitment to the pursuit of knowledge in the classroom. She was selected to attend Stanford University and spent her freshman year as a member of the cheerleading squad. ...Throughout her undergrad experience, she volunteered with the Stanford Health Corp, where she designed lesson plans and taught 5th graders about health and wellness in low socioeconomic schools. She also acted as President of the Beta Eta Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma during her senior year, consistently encouraging her peers to stay active and make mental health a priority.

Emily graduated from Stanford University in 2011 with a B.A. in American Studies. She later went on to receive a Credential of Readiness from the Harvard Business School. Emily has spent time working in politics and teaching at a local high school in Oklahoma. She also employed her leadership skills as a coach for high school and middle school lacrosse, field hockey, and cheerleading. She volunteered with Girls on the Run promoting girl empowerment by teaching life skills through lessons and running. Emily understands the importance of community based initiatives as a way to change the world by helping one person at a time.

For the last decade, she has devoted her career to employee wellness, helping companies of all sizes, from local small businesses to global Fortune 50’s, to find digital health and wellbeing solutions to fit their population health and business goals. Most recently, Emily has taken on a fractional growth role at a San Francisco-based fintech company, and started Bloom Ambition, a speaking, coaching, and special events company for high-performing women. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, dedicated fitness fanatic, healthy meal advocate, and positive psychology enthusiast. But even with all her many successes and accomplishments, Emily's favorite role of all is of course as mom. She lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, three young sons, and two dogs.

Erikka has a diverse background encompassing education, nonprofit work, and corporate leadership development. She graduated in 2011 from Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology. She later went on to receive a Credential of Readiness with honors from the Harvard Business School. After graduation, Erikka began her career with HealthCorps, a nonprofit founded by Dr. Oz and his wife with a mission to empower youth to live healthier and happier lives. She spent two years teaching at a high school in East Los Angeles, CA where she was immersed in the daily struggles facing her students. While her primary responsibility was to educate students about nutrition, physical activity, and mental resilience, Erikka found her greatest role was empowering students to discover their own unique abilities and to be successful in their individual paths. ...

Erikka’s teaching experience inspired her to move across the country to Boston, MA in order to begin her role working for Reebok Foundation’s nonprofit called BOKS (Build Our Kids' Success). As a grassroots program, BOKS provides curriculum, support, and training to school and youth organizations across the world, with the main goal of helping kids live happier and healthier lives. Erikka held a variety of roles during her six years with BOKS. From running the program herself to creating local and national outreach strategies to leading the development of all digital tools, Erikka saw first-hand the meaningful impact this program has had on youth all over the country.

Erikka is currently the Director of Partnerships at Lean In Girls, expanding the program's reach by collaborating with schools, nonprofits, and youth-based organizations. She remains committed to making a positive impact on young lives, with a current focus on empowering girls and building leadership skills through Lean In Girls.

Erikka resides in Boston, MA with her fiancé, Steve, and 4 year old golden retriever, Lola.

Gail Wilsey-Morrison’s passion in life is serving her family, friends, and community. Growing up in the small resort town of Cape May as the daughter of two teachers, the stage was set for a life full of compassion, love, and a desire to make the world a better place. Her greatest accomplishment is her daughter, Stephanie Morrison, Founder and President of Giving Connection. Gail was a single parent since Steph was 10 months old and their journey was filled with struggles, success, and most importantly JOY! ...

Gail spent her first two years at Springfield College then transferred to the University of Colorado where she graduated with a B.S. in Physical Education and Community Recreation. She was a Collegiate gymnast which helped develop her integrity, sportsmanship, work ethic, and competitiveness that she has carried into the everyday aspect of her personal and professional life. After years of various restaurant positions in Hawaii and Seattle, Gail benefited from a ten year position as a customer service representative for Alaska Airlines. Not only did the position train her in invaluable people skills but it allowed her to travel with Stephanie to many parts of the United States that she would not have been able to see. In 1998, Gail moved home to Cape May and entered into the real estate market at Century 21. Gail's instant success in the industry has been acknowledged with her induction into the Million Dollar Club in 2000 and 2001 and membership into the Circle of Excellence from 2002 to 2008, 2010 to 2023.

Gail recognized the need for a client-centered approach to delivering real estate service and decided to open the doors of Wilsey Realty in April 2005. In December 2006, she unveiled her beautifully renovated, centrally located office, which was the winner of the Renovation Award from the Historic Preservation Commission in 2006. For over a decade, Gail and her team of talented agents were a driving force in the Cape May real estate market. Gail's belief in providing top notch customer service and harnessing technology to connect clients to their real estate needs led to her decision to merge with Long & Foster in February 2016. The combination of the "Wilsey Difference" with the tools, technology, and mission of Long & Foster helped her consistently become a top agent in Cape May.

Outside her real estate responsibilities, Gail remains a well-respected member of the community and a leader amongst her peers. She has been a member of the Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May for 60+ years and has served as Membership Chairman for over two decades. She formerly served on the Board of Directors of Cape May Stage for nine years, including as President from 2012-2013. She also coached gymnastics at Joanne Reagan Dance Studios for many years. Her most important roles remain mother to her daughter, Stephanie Morrison, and caretaker to her sister, Frances Wilsey, who has Williams Syndrome. Her reputation for kindness and consideration within the Cape May community has fostered strong relationships characterized by mutual admiration, respect and care. Gail was honored with the 2022 Arthur T. Birsh Supporter of the Year Award for her service and dedication to Giving Connection. She is excited about the growth of Giving Connection and looks forward to continuing her support for this well needed non-profit!

Kelly earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, where she was granted Phi Beta Kappa honors.

After graduation, she joined Teach for America in Colorado as a math teacher. Teaching in some of the nation’s lowest-income schools, Kelly witnessed pervasive and vast inequities firsthand. Many of her students and their parents struggled to make ends meet in a system that unfairly disadvantaged them. This ignited a deep desire in Kelly to help others. During her tenure as a teacher, Kelly also earned her Masters in Education at the University of Colorado, majoring in Urban Leadership. ...

After her term in the Teach for America corps, Kelly transitioned to a long career Dropbox, where she still works today. She spent her first four years as an Account Executive, working with educational institutions as they implemented Dropbox on their campuses. She then transitioned into various other roles, eventually landing as a Product Manager.

In her spare time, Kelly helped found Dropbox’s Social Impact branch. She served on Dropbox’s first two Grant Allocation Committees, selecting the first nonprofits to receive large grants from the new Social Impact fund. These nonprofits would become long-standing partners for Dropbox.

Most notably, Kelly helped to establish the Dropbox product donation program, of which she has been the manager for the last six years. Since its inception, this program has donated over forty-thousand licenses to two-thousand nonprofits around the world. Kelly has had a hand in facilitating each of these donations.

Born and raised in Maui, Hawaii, Makala attended Stanford University, where she was involved in a variety of volunteer and student activities. She served as President of Project Dosti, through which she volunteered at a school in rural India. Makala also served as a volunteer teacher in Bali, Indonesia and studied abroad in Beijing.

Makala’s interest in law developed during her time at Stanford. She volunteered with JusticeCorps in San Mateo County, CA where she assisted attorneys providing legal services at the Family Law Facilitator’s Office. She worked with self-represented litigants as they navigated the legal system during some of their most difficult experiences including domestic violence and child custody issues. Following graduation, Makala worked as a Legal Assistant for the Competition/Antitrust team at Google Inc. in Mountain View, CA. ...

Makala graduated from Harvard Law School in 2017. Since then, she has worked in New York City and Palo Alto as an Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in the Financial Institutions Group (Mergers and Acquisitions).

Karen was born and raised in Montgomery, Ohio, but spent several years of her early childhood in Kobe, Japan. Arriving not knowing the culture or language, she quickly learned the value of openness and humility, and the fundamental principle that different is not wrong, it's just different. While Karen and her family returned to the US shortly after the Great Hanshin earthquake, the experiences her family had in the aftermath of the disaster highlighted the powerful impact of charitable outreach and support. ...

Karen led a very active and community based childhood, where activities like undokai ('un-doh-kye') in Japan and enrollment in sports and afterschool programs in the US built the foundation for her enthusiasm for health and civic responsibility. But it wasn’t until high school that she had a striking realization of what she wanted to do in her future. At a school-wide assembly watching a drug and alcohol awareness video, Karen was struck by the image of a teenage girl, who was the victim of a drinking and driving accident, putting on eyeshadow with a prosthetic arm. In that moment she remembers thinking, “That’s what I want to do. I want to make things that help people live their version of life as normal.”

Karen carried this passion and her academic and athletic accomplishments to Stanford University, where she was offered admittance onto their Varsity Lacrosse Team and focused her studies on design and human anatomy. Being an NCAA student athlete throughout college helped define her sense of integrity, teamwork, work ethic, and accountability that she strives to embody in all facets of her life. Karen was also fortunate enough to have been surrounded by many strong, confident, and empowering women as a member of the Beta Eta Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, several of which she is serving alongside as a Trustee for Giving Connection. She graduated in 2011 with a degree in Biomechanical Engineering and later in 2013 with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, with an emphasis in mechatronics.

After graduation, Karen moved to Southern California and worked for 5 years at Beckman Coulter, a medical diagnostics company advancing and optimizing patient laboratory care. Eager to more directly and tangibly impact patients, in 2017 Karen accepted a position at Edwards Lifesciences, a company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for people fighting cardiovascular heart disease. This, as she later found out, was a fortuitous move to a company whose original founder set out to build the first artificial heart, which she wrote a paper on during senior year of high school. It is also coincidental (or is it not?) that her ankle tattoo, the Japanese symbol 心 (kokoro) meaning “heart and spirit and soul and mind all together”, is one of three Japanese words for “heart”. Karen feels blessed to be a part of an incredibly talented, passionately patient focused team, developing cutting edge mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation therapies to help suffering patients live longer, healthier, and more productive lives – exactly what she set out to do during that one defining assembly in high school.

Karen still resides in Southern California with her husband, Phil, and two cats, Clyde and Eugene.

Frances Wilsey, Stephanie's aunt and Gail's sister, grew up in the small town on the Jersey Shore of Cape May, NJ. She has served her community as the unofficial town mayor and social director for decades. Fran has many passions in life but the most important to her are love, family, her many many friends, WWE wrestling, jewelry, makeup, dessert, in addition to all music but especially John Mellencamp and Joan Jett.

Fran lived the majority of her life under the non-descriptive, non-diagnosis of “neurologically impaired”, which left her devoid of knowledge about her disorder or a community to connect. When she was 40 years old, a family friend mentioned that Fran looked similar to someone she knew with Williams Syndrome. ...After a simple blood test, it was confirmed. Her diagnosis shed light onto potential and ongoing health concerns which allowed Fran and her family to monitor her physical, emotional and social needs. Most importantly, Fran was able to connect with the beautiful Williams Syndrome community to learn that she shares many characteristics with others like her. Alongside an illuminating smile and the love of music, Fran shares what is known as the joy gene - the gift of bringing true joy to every person they meet.

When the pandemic hit, it knocked a blow to Fran and her family. Because Fran was in the vulnerable population, this meant she could no longer attend daycare with her friends, socialize at tap class, or leave the house at all. While Stephanie was living her first dream as a public defender in Nashville, TN, she quickly realized she had a bigger dream and was needed more in her own home. Stephanie moved home in the summer of 2020 to help her family care for Fran. It has been the greatest blessing of their lives.

During this time, Fran and Stephanie started a podcast called Fran Says. Fran Says is the unfiltered version of what's on everyone's mind but luckily she feels the freedom to say. Fran explores her favorite topics (WWE, bats, John Mellencamp, Williams Syndrome & everything in between) while also teaching us life lessons of love, joy, and happiness. They wrote a children’s book about Fran called "Super Fran!" In addition, they rewrote the Keith Urban song “Fighter” and created a music video to celebrate Gail on her 62nd birthday.

As Chief Joy Officer, Fran is responsible for infusing joy into everything she does which is infectious to every person she meets. While she is not a voting or official member of the Board, Fran provides inspiration, comic relief, constant joy and a grounding spirit that reminds us all that kindness and giving are the most important parts of life.