Her husband Bill brought Ann and me together almost 18 years ago. Bill knew me from our common work with another nonprofit. Soon after I took over as executive director of Doctors Care, he felt compelled to bring us together. He knew I needed Ann and Ann needed me. Honestly, I needed Ann much more than Ann needed me but she never made me feel that way. I was tasked with running a nonprofit organization serving low-income vulnerable health care patients in need. The organization was in a financially fragile place and my focus was 100% on raising money to keep the doors open. I had just finished my master’s degree in Nonprofit Management, but was short on the experience necessary to implement strategy and run an administration. We were a small organization at the time, and the executive director did everything. I was in way over my head.

Ann stepped forward with a willingness to do whatever needed to be done. She developed HR policies, organized data and files, created messaging and helped write grants. Lots of variety and multi-tasking is a sweet spot for Ann. She made it possible for us to build infrastructure while at the same time raise money. She made survival possible. I called her a volunteer deputy director. Every nonprofit on the planet would have given their eyeteeth to have this kind of help. I receive a lot of credit for pulling Doctors Care out of a deep hole. The reality is I had someone special on the ground, lifting the organization and me out of a very difficult place. Doctors Care began to thrive.

Ann made me laugh. No frustration or problem was too big to first take a moment to laugh, and then tackle the job at hand. I have a photo on my desk of Ann and me laughing. I see it every day. It reminds me to be fearless, because that is how Ann lived her life – with gusto and fearlessness.  I will always remember and be inspired by that.

When Ann told me she was moving from Colorado to Florida I was very sad. I thought I would struggle without her by my side. Soon, I realized she was still very much there for me by phone and email. Even today, I know she is always with me. I often ask myself, “What would Ann do?” The answer is, find the laughter, and then bite off just a little bit of the task. Ann did not waste time worrying about the size or difficulty of the job – she just started moving forward.

I am grateful to have such a wonderful mentor. The memories of our time together will always remain close to my heart. I am grateful to Bill for bringing us together. I am grateful to share our story of a forever friendship.

Bebe Kleinman, CEO
Doctors Care