We caught up with the brilliant and insightful April Royal a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

April, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

During the hospitalization of my son at Egleston Children’s Hospital, I saw so many parents that were struggling with the cost of food, gas and hotel stay in locations that were near the hospital. At the time I felt I could not do much to assist the families because I was in somewhat the same position. Though I had lots of family support, and I was on the breastfeeding mom playing and didn’t worry about leaving the hospital for any reason, I could understand the struggle that they were going through because I know the cost of meals in the cost of gas to get to and from the hospital. When my son Kory passed away on November 27th 2007, I may need a decision to do something more than just notice their situation. I had created a book to be the first story that he would have read to him when he went home, luckily I had the opportunity to read Kory’s story to him two days before he passed away. After his passing the first thing I wanted to do to give support to other families was published his book and use the proceeds to ensure that families had food baskets and the waiting rooms. This plan turned into a program we now call Baskets of Love. I had made a decision to get a position at the Children’s Hospital to feel closer to my son’s spirit. For a year I did what I could Baskets of Love. I soon began to feel that this was not all I could do , I wanted to do more and I spoke to my late Father John W Royal who provided the funding so that I could apply for a 501c3 . After being approved , it became my goal to provide support to the family through not just Baskets of Love, but also in hospital events during the holidays and emergency support and hotel stay assistants.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For those who do not know me, I was born and raised in Augusta Georgia by my parents Mr and Mrs John W Royal and after graduating from high school and Savannah State University I moved to the Atlanta area. Becoming a mother is what brought me to the decision of starting a non-profit organization. I saw a new purpose in my life after becoming a mom and I still see and feel that purpose every day. My mission in life and through the organization is to allow families to have the understanding and faith that they are not in anything that they must handle alone. Every day we as an organization strive to ensure families the support that is necessary while their child is hospitalized in a children’s hospital.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being a small organization, most companies and individuals still don’t know who we are. Sometimes it is hard to get support because we are not a national known organization. I remember reaching out to well-known toy brands and companies such as Lays and being told because we are not an organization that is on a level to support individuals and families nationally they were unable to provide their support. I could have gotten discouraged and given up, but I decided to reach out to restaurants on a local level such as Bojangles on Panola Road, Henri’s Bakery & Deli, and Sandy Springs and a host of other amazing companies that have been saying yes to given their support for the last 6 years. This situation has taught me that giving up can’t be an option, when things seem tougher you have to work harder

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Remember the sacrifice that was made for us. Remember what Christ went through, and understand regardless of what comes at us in this life he will be there to guide us and strengthen us. We cannot forget the reason why we started our business or nonprofit organization, hold tight to that purpose and when we feel that we are too weak, say a little prayer so that we will be given the strength to continue the work that we are placed here to do. Also surround yourself with positive people who have positive views. And always know that you can do more than what you think you can, because you were created in strength

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.koryfoundation.org
• Facebook: Kory Foundationinc

Image Credits

Barbara Hurwitz Monica Chapman