Lighting the way: One partner’s story of resilience and impact

By Sandra S., coffeehouse leader

My Starbucks journey began in Hemet, California, in June 2005, and I’ve now been a partner for over 21 years. Three months after I started, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and took a three-month leave of absence for surgery and recovery. When I returned, my manager, Mike C. (now a district manager in Florida), and one of my closest friends encouraged me to lead a community event called Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society. Until then, I had never heard of the organization or the event.

When the day arrived, I spent 24 straight hours sitting on a football field with a Starbucks table and Cambros full of coffee.   I was amazed at how many participants lined up at my booth, including children that just wanted an empty cup as a souvenir (this was a testament to our brand).  Throughout the day, I was touched to see how many of the partners from my coffeehouse came to visit and to walk the track or support.  This day was the start of an amazing relationship with Cathi Hill, who leads the Relay for Life in California. For the next few years, we would collaborate on how we could work together to raise money for cancer research.  Each year I created a relay team of partners amongst the district to help with this event. 

Then the dreadful news came in 2007 that I had cancer again with a malignant melanoma that had spread to my lymph nodes.  This hit hard.  I had to have surgery to remove the cancer.  I underwent interferon therapy, had 30 blood transfusions, was hospitalized for a total of 12 weeks, lost my spleen and contracted pneumonia five times.  When I had to be out of work intermittently for approximately 10 months, my assistant manager Ashlee M. took over the Relay for Life duties for me that year.  My district manager and Ashlee (now a district manager herself in the Carolinas) organized partners from all over the district to get involved in the Relay for Life’s luminaria ceremony, where decorated paper are lit with messages all around the track to honor or remember those affected by cancer.  

While I walked the track that night with lymph drains attached to my body from my surgery, the luminaria bags were lit in my honor around the track. Writing this now still brings tears to my eyes.

My work with the American Cancer Society and this moment led me to be involved in many community events over the years and to become a community leader. In 2015, when part of our area plan was to increase partner community engagement.   I felt that this was an area that I could influence. Many partners were not aware of the benefits we had, such as Partner Match.  

There was a partner in my district who was a softball coach.  I loved her passion.  I had this idea to create a Starbucks Strike out Cancer Softball tournament where we would play and raise money for cancer research.  With her support and my connection to the American Cancer Society, with more than 200 partners from coffeehouses all over their district we raised around $3,000 dollars that first year from donations and partner matches. Afterwards, partners from across the area kept reaching out to me asking when we were going to do this again.   In the more than 10 years since, we’ve raised around $50,000 for American Cancer Society.

What started with that first volunteer relay event in 2005 has became my legacy in Area 97.   I am extremely honored to tell this story because it is an amazing example of using our scale for good, what happens when we take being good neighbors seriously and the power of human connection.