Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marguerite Wormley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marguerite , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The Touch and Agree Foundation has been originated from the idea of me surviving breast cancer. While I was going through treatment I observed many other patients receiving treatment, and some of them were not as fortunate as I was. There were patients that had to receive treatment alone, health insurances did not cover any or little medication costs to keep them comfortable and there were no resources at the time to help them stay free from reoccurrences. Once I completed treatment and began to feel stronger and better I felt compelled to write a book documenting my journey entitled “Touch and Agree . The purpose of the book was to take some of the proceeds to help someone going through cancer. It turned into a nonprofit that established in 2014 and we’re still moving forward helping and supporting cancer patients and survivors.

Marguerite , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Marguerite Wormley who is the founder and CEO of Touch N Agree Foundation. I am a native from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area with three adult children, currently residing in Durham,NC. I’m also the author of two inspiring books, entitled Touch & Agree and Fresh Focus, Embracing Your New Normal. I’m a 13 year breast cancer survivor who documented my journey and compiled it into a book entitled “Touch N Agree”. The touch and a gray foundation was established to support both adult men and women who face any type of cancer to give them one less thing to worry about. We offer mental, spiritual, physical and some financial support to help them cope with the treatment and their journey.
Touch N Agree Foundation takes pride in relating to the community, being active in the community by supporting non-emergency medical transportation and building relationships with other medical facets within the community to help people to obtain longevity of life.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

To start a nonprofit is very difficult. I had no intentions of starting a nonprofit, I only wanted to give a proceed from the sell of my book to a cancer patient. My mentor at the time felt that this passion was bigger than me and persuaded for me to take it even further. I submitted the necessary paperwork to the IRS, the idea was welcomed and now I’m a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit. This all may sound exciting but comes with it and still comes with it are a lot of challenges. I had to study about how a nonprofit organization.operates. I attended many classes to learn the trade. After getting organized and in the position to move forward into having a nonprofit to thrive, things like fundraising, pursuing grants and donations, some challenges still remain. The challenges that I’m faced with are finding the right board members, people who are experienced in different areas that are needed. Many of these positions are on a volunteer basis. So the resilience is to keep moving keep pushing and not to give up, not to fold under and to connect myself with people that mirror the same passion.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

Annually we have a fundraiser event entitled “Celebration of Cancer Survivor”. It’s a red carpet event where men and women cancer survivors are honored. We also select at least two people who are currently going through any form of cancer to give them the proceeds from the event. The risk of it all is finding survivors and patients. Due to hippa, to locate the survivors is on a personal level where someone knows someone. To have an event like this is risky because people are fickle and can change their minds not to be involved. But each year somehow it’s pulled off and everyone walk away having a great time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.touchnagreefoundation.com
• Instagram: taan_foundation
• Facebook: touchnagreefoundation