SARASOTA, Fla. – The Team Tony Cancer Foundation, a Sarasota-based nonprofit organization that provides free peer-to-peer cancer support and resources to cancer fighters, survivors and caregivers in the local community, recently appointed Melissa Ferlazzo as its development director.
In her new role, she will handle the day-to-day fundraising and development operations of the nonprofit. Ferlazzo will also coordinate special events, spearhead grants and grant writing and supervise donor relations and volunteer recruitment.
“Cancer has affected countless people around me,” said Ferlazzo. “The Team Tony Cancer Foundation is doing such great things to help those battling cancer, and I wanted to be a part of this wonderful team and help their much-needed mission.”
Before joining the Team Tony Cancer Foundation, Ferlazzo served as the director of programs for Junior Achievement. She was responsible for the implementation of elementary, middle and high school programs, which impacted more than 4,000 students annually. Ferlazzo has also held positions as a copywriter and a teacher in the Hillsborough County School District and at Goddard School.
Ferlazzo received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the College of Staten Island in New York.
Ferlazzo and the Team Tony Cancer Foundation’s other staff members work out of the nonprofit’s new headquarters located at 3562 S. Osprey Ave. in Sarasota. Called the Cancer Connection Center (C3), the coffee-shop-style concept that provides a safe, warm, supportive and welcoming environment designed to deliver peer-to-peer support, create a sense of belonging and provide free resources and educational opportunities to enhance the well-being of those impacted by cancer.
About Team Tony Cancer Foundation
A 16-year brain cancer survivor and an avid cyclist, Tony McEachern’s vision of creating a peer-to-peer cancer support foundation became a reality in 2010 when the Team Tony Cancer Foundation officially launched. Located in Sarasota, Fla., the nonprofit’s mission is to provide free peer-to-peer cancer support and resources to cancer fighters, survivors, and caregivers in our community. To date in 2018, the Team Tony Cancer Foundation has already provided more than $25,000 in gas cards, flights, and other items related to the diagnosis of cancer fighters in Florida’s Suncoast area. To learn more about Team Tony, visit www.TeamTony.org.