Jayne McQueen

Katlyn Vacanti-Mitchell of Brentwood, Tennessee, for going above and beyond as a young person demonstrating remarkable courage and compassion while fighting a life-threatening illness. Vacant-Mitchell was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 12 and noticed during her hospital stays that other families had trouble paying for meals and other costs associated with caring for their sick children. While still undergoing chemotherapy, Vacanti-Mitchell conceived of and started “Katie’s Helping Hand,” a charitable fund that provides meals, long-distance phone calls, and gasoline, to these parents free of charge. In three years, she has raised $91,000, mostly $5.00 at a time, for the fund at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Vacanti-Mitchell’s intention is to continue opening chapters until the problem parents face is addressed in every city.



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