In this inspiring episode of Philanthropy in Phocus, Tommy D – the Nonprofit Sector Connector – sits down with his longtime friend Dr. Joy DeDonato, Executive Director for the Metro New York region of Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). Joy shares how a lifetime of service began with a simple feeling of wanting to help others, and evolved into more than two decades in the nonprofit sector focused on cancer support, education access, women’s issues, and amplifying the voices of those who are too often unseen or unheard. She reflects on the powerful example set by her parents, who modeled service “before it had a title,” and how that foundation of love, grit, and doing the right thing has shaped her entire journey.

Joy walks listeners through her professional path from Nassau Community College—first as a student, then staff member and later Executive Director of the college’s foundation—to a decade at the American Cancer Society, and on to SUNY Stony Brook working on women’s health and women’s leadership. Throughout, she emphasizes the power of long-term relationships, showing how mentors, colleagues, and friends have stayed connected across roles, institutions, and life milestones. Joy also shares deeply personal stories of losing loved ones to cancer early in her career, and then, 20 years later, watching close family members with blood cancers move from “despair to hope to strength” thanks to advances in treatment—an evolution that called her back into the cancer space and ultimately to Blood Cancer United.

Together, Tommy and Joy highlight the recent rebrand from Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to Blood Cancer United, designed to be more inclusive of all blood cancer patients and families. Joy outlines key initiatives including the Dare to Dream project for safer pediatric treatments, the Student Visionaries of the Year campaign, the emotional Light the Night walks, the Big Climb at Citi Field, and the Visionary of the Year competition that rallies leaders to raise critical funds. She also touches on her wider civic leadership as Vice Chair of Dress for Success Long Island and as a commissioner for both Human Rights and Women’s Leadership in Suffolk County. Through humor, Golden Girls and Fraggle Rock references, and real talk about grit and service, this episode celebrates how one person’s commitment to community, equity, and compassion can ripple out to transform countless lives.