Daily Inspiration: Meet Sterling Bailey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sterling Bailey. 

Hi Sterling, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m often asked why I was motivated to start the nonprofit or how I went from working a job in marketing operations to starting a charity to help cancer-fighting kids. I would start out by saying that working in my day job led naturally into the charity. First, I feel that it’s important to recognize the fundamental component of being in a position where you could even think about doing more because these days, most people are just trying to survive and have little room in their lives to help others. Thankfully, I had accomplished what so many Americans set as goals – great job, nice house, nice car, and 2.5 cats. (Yes, my cats are my children). Once these basic American-dream goals are achieved, I think some people tend to lift their head up from the grind and ask, what else? What else could I do? That’s where I was about 7 years ago. I wanted to do more. Also, everything I’d done to this point was really for myself so I wanted to see what I could potentially do for others. So, I started thinking about it but really didn’t know what I might do. 

At the software company I was working for at the time, I had a few colleagues who participated in fundraisers for pediatric cancer-focused charities and through that I started hearing the stories about these young superheroes, fighting for their lives. I was so offended by the concept that a 2-year-old was having to fight this horrible disease and might not win the fight. This planted the seed in my mind as to where I wanted to focus. I just didn’t know how. Around this time, I had several friends getting into the cosplay scene and many encouraged me to do cosplay and said I’d make an amazing Captain America. As fun as that sounded, I wasn’t sure that it would ever happen. 

Shortly after this, I ran across the story of Lenny Robinson, the route 29 Batman who would go up and down the east coast, visiting kids at children’s hospitals as Batman. I loved his story so much that it got me thinking – if Batman can do this, then maybe Captain America could too. This is where the idea for Cap for Kids sprouted. 

So, I made a Captain America cosplay and initially started out by visiting sick children and raising funds for Children’s Hospital Colorado & Brent’s Place. Then in 2015, with the help of some good friends, we formalized the cause as a nonprofit corporation and filed for our 501(c)(3) status. At that time, instead of raising funds for other organizations, we centered our focus around helping pediatric cancer-fighting families pay their bills. We began sponsoring families, assigning them a budget of $5000 and we paid their bills. Everything from Mortgage/rent, to car payments to insurance to utilities. All in an effort to help families focus on their child, rather than the stresses of a growing pile of bills. Since then, we’ve been growing and growing. We’ve sponsored dozens of families – mostly in and around Colorado but also in California, Texas, and Maryland. 

It’s worth noting that we’re an entirely volunteer organization. No one at Cap for Kids collects a paycheck. In fact, most of us donate a lot into the charity. Most of the operating costs come out of the pockets of the board members and our staff volunteers. We do this so that when people actually donate to our organization, 100% of those funds can go to the families we sponsor. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have certainly been bumps along the way but the one thing that has remained smooth is our ability to rely upon the kind and generous hearts of people. People who donate their time and their money to further our cause of helping families fight pediatric cancer. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve built my career (for my day job) in tech. I started working for software companies as a web developer back in 2002 and with the exception of a short stint at a couple of financial services orgs, I’ve worked for software companies since. I’ve always been attracted to technology and automation and loved how software can make our lives easier. After several years of working as a web developer, I got pulled into marketing (specifically marketing operations) and that’s pretty much where I’ve been since. I love it because it is a great mix of technology automation and marketing strategy – the art of creating a meaningful relationship between companies and their customers. Kind of a nice blend of left-brain and right-brain work. My success within the marketing operations world is what put me in a position where I could start (and fund) my nonprofit, Cap for Kids. Now I have these two careers that I love and it has brought more fulfillment to my life than I would have imagined. 

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
The best advice I can give would be to seek out people in areas in and related to the area where you’d like to work and thrive – and talk with them. Offer them a coffee/meal and good company in trade for their stories and advice. Doing this will teach you more about the field/industry than you’ll ever learn from a book or class. That said, books are great resources too! In starting a nonprofit, I found several books that help guide fledgling nonprofits in getting started. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@capforkids.org
• Website: www.capforkids.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capforkids/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cap4kids
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cap_for_kids