What started as a challenge to raise $10,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during Brittany Hebert Franklin’s college years has turned into a 510(c)(3) that raised $8.85 million to support children’s cancer research in 2024. Franklin pivoted from a successful career in oil and gas to the full-time CEO of Sky High for Kids. Now married, with a one-year-old and a hectic schedule, she is more determined than ever to make a difference in the lives of children battling cancer.
Sky High for Kids just wrapped up a very successful year, what are you most proud of?
The launch of our Sunday Supper program was a great achievement. We have partnered with local Houston restaurants to cater 170 boxed meals for families battling Childhood Cancer at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, main campus. Our goal is to one day deliver meals every Sunday and expand our meal program to the Woodlands and Katy TCH campuses in the future.
A lot has changed for you personally and for Sky High since it began in 2007. Now that you are juggling being married and having a little one, how do you handle your work/life balance?
I don’t believe in work/life balance. It’s about mindset and juggling, and I do that by being a master scheduler. My husband and I both travel for our careers, and I have two extremely busy fundraising seasons. We have a Sunday night calendar conversation to ensure all bases are covered.
When I was pregnant, my entrepreneur group gave me some of the best advice. “If you are going to be in a C-suite level position and be present for your family, you must build a bench.” Our “bench” consists of people who love and support our family. So, to all of the career mothers and those in demanding leadership roles, you can do it all.
How do you stay motivated to keep going when not every family has a happy and cancer-free ending?
I have a never-give-up attitude, so when a child gains their angel wings, it only fuels my fire to work harder. Imagine if all the healthcare workers lost motivation every time there wasn’t a happy ending – that’s not an option for me, nor Sky High for Kids. Our vision is clear: we want to eradicate cancer in children, which results in an overall cancer-free world. We must gather the community to invest in research, treatment protocols, infrastructure, and direct services.
What are you most excited about for Sky High in 2025?
Our leadership team and Executive Board have worked hard to set clear goals. We will focus on the expansion of our charity of choice, major gifts, and family member bundle divisions.
We want to complete our $40M pledge commitments to Texas Children’s Cancer Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by writing the final checks on December 31st, 2027, our 20th anniversary. I am manifesting the “Triple Twenty!” skyhighforkids.org
“What we do takes grit, determination, and compassion, and I believe that is what defines Sky High for Kids.” – Brittany Hebert Franklin