Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Suggitt.
Hi Doug, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey started in Texarkana, TX, the child of hardworking Christian parents Sharon and Eddie Suggitt, who have been married 56 years. They strived and succeeded in creating better lives and opportunities for themselves, their children, their friends, and community. My younger brother Dennis and I were taught to respect others, embrace work hard and appreciate what God gives you. We, and our children, still say “sir” and “ma’am,” as my dad taught us.
I am blessed with a beautiful wife, Brenda, an executive for the Alzheimer’s Association, and three happy, healthy children. Daughter Skylar, a sophomore at the University of Montevallo in Alabama, earned a scholarship in track and field and pole vault. Emily is a seventh grader in Atascocita Middle School and active in volleyball, dance, basketball, and track. My son Tanner (Tan-Man) at Maple Brook Elementary enjoys golf, basketball, driving the boat, and “Mawmaw” and “Pawpaw’s” truck in Texarkana. Brenda and I are often found at sporting events.
Back to my upbringing. My father was the first in his family to graduate high school. A plumber and welder, he went on to found Industrial Maintenance and Piping (IMP) in Ashdown, Arkansas. My mother still works part-time at Liberty-Eylau ISD, celebrating 40 years in 2024. They both taught me commitment and loyalty to your work and team.
My first job as a teen was running cattle at the stockyards in Texarkana with my cousin, Allen Brown. Later, Allen and I started a business mowing lawns. At 15, I worked with IMP at local papermills and other local industrial facilities, learning skills and life lessons from some of the best trade workers (engineers, pipefitters, welders) in the country.
After graduating from Liberty-Eylau, I attended Texarkana Community College, continued to work at IMP, and also volunteered at Temple Memorial Pediatric Center, an outpatient facility providing physical, occupational, and speech therapy for children. A favorite memory is building a standing table for a young girl whose parents could not afford one. Thanks to my hands-on experience at IMP and access to equipment and tools, I completed the table in less than a week and presented it to the family, who were overwhelmed with gratitude.
I received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Texas in Recreation and Leisure Studies, with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation and Minor in Psychology. During my time at UNT, I worked for the City of Dallas at Bachman Therapeutic Recreation Center with children and adults with mental and physical disabilities. I taught wheelchair tennis, basketball and coached Special Olympics basketball and softball. Our Bachman Bears Special Olympics softball team won 3rd Place at the regional tournament in 1995, even though we were unseeded. The athletes taught me to love sports and life.
My senior year at UNT, I interned at HEALTHSOUTH (HS) Rehabilitation Hospital in Texarkana and then joined the HS team as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), providing rehabilitation services (inpatient, aquatic) to a geriatric population. I also helped establish a revenue-producing Day Treatment Program, Acute Rehabilitation Service Contract with Wadley Hospital, and a Community Aquatic Arthritis Program. At HS, I gained compassion for patients and became a stronger leader and team member.
In 1998, I joined the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) in San Antonio through an HS mentor and friend, Julia Hollis. For the next 13 years, I was a part of the NMSS team at local, regional, and national levels raising funds for programs, services, and research.
During my tenure at the Lone Star Chapter, I was honored to lead the largest Bike MS event in the world, the BP MS 150 Bike Tour. In 2007, the tour raised a record-setting $13.5M and passed $20M in 2014, leading the nation. I joined the NMSS Home Office in 2007 and worked collaboratively with staff and chapters to support fundraising events across the country. We led Bike MS to become a $100M campaign and Walk MS to $80M. Building relationships with staff, boards, committees, and volunteers across the country and Canada taught me how to motivate teams for success.
All these experiences helped hone my vision as a servant leader.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Everyone has obstacles and challenges in life, some more than others.
My biggest challenge was work-life balance. I spent my mid-twenties and thirties focused on career development. Even if I were not the smartest person on the team, I would not let anyone out work me. I always felt the responsibility to be the team motivator. This mentality earned me several promotions, but it negatively affected my family life.
Along the way, I married my first wife Heather, whom I greatly admire, and we had a baby girl, Skylar. I can still remember Heather and I walking her to her first day of kindergarten at Elm Grove Elementary in Kingwood. The next three years, I spent the majority of my work time on the road, traveling across the country for NMSS. Professionally things were terrific, but personally I had failed. While investing in my career, I did not give enough time to my family. We divorced, and I missed a lot of Skylar’s school activities.
In October 2010, God intervened with a life-changing event. I received a call from my NMSS supervisor who told me my team and position were being eliminated and/or shifting into the newly formed six regions. If I didn’t find a position in the region, I would not have a job. This was the biggest professional blow I ever experienced. I applied for a position open in the Dallas area, but it was given to a local candidate. I felt defeated but was ready to start my next phase.
Shortly after, MS Society colleague Kelly Moran called to say she found the perfect position for me – Executive Director at The Periwinkle Foundation. This turned out to be the greatest gift I could imagine.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Although the search had been narrowed down to two candidates, the recruiter graciously forwarded my resume to Periwinkle’s interim Executive Director and Board of Directors. I prayed I might be given the opportunity to interview.
Scouring the Periwinkle Foundation website, I saw the life-changing impact it had made on children, teens, and families living with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses who are treated at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH).
I did get that opportunity to interview, and 12 years later, I am immersed in all things Periwinkle. However, I am able to be present with family activities, including coaching my children’s sports teams and being a better father, husband, and even ex-husband.
The Periwinkle Foundation was founded in 1983 as a single summer camp for children living with cancer by Paul Gerson, M.D., who explained that he was tired of walking the hallways at MD Anderson and Texas Children’s Hospital and seeing suffering children and grieving parents. He asked Dr. Donald Fernbach, the head of the cancer center at Texas Children’s Hospital, if he could start a camp in Texas for pediatric cancer patients.
Dr. Fernbach was busy working with volunteers to establish what is now the Ronald McDonald House Houston and gave Paul the nod to proceed with the camp. In 1984, he and a small team from Texas Children’s Hospital took 50 patients from Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center to the inaugural Camp Periwinkle. The children loved being away from home and hospitals, but the true magic happened when the children returned from camp. The doctors, nurses, and parents noticed a new attitude and optimism for life, with a determination to beat cancer.
Forty years later, Periwinkle now provides a year-around series of camps, arts, and survivor programs benefiting over 14,000 children, teens, and families annually. Periwinkle programs are now available at four Texas Children’s Hospital locations, including the Houston Medical Center, Katy, The Woodlands, and the Vannie Cook Cancer Clinic in McAllen, TX. What started as a nonprofit for children now takes care of children, teens, and families throughout a lifetime. This is accomplished by our staff of eight, a dedicated Board of Directors, Advisory Board, and Friends Board. Each year, more than 3,000 volunteers log over 30,000 hours in support of Periwinkle Programs.
Today, Periwinkle has seven camps throughout the year, including Camp Periwinkle, a week-long sleep-away at Camp For All in Burton, TX; Camp YOLO for teens and Family Camp for families (spring and fall); Periwinkle Day Camp at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and The Vannie Cook Cancer Clinic Family Camp at Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, TX.
The Periwinkle Foundation also funds and operates Periwinkle Arts In Medicine (PAIM) with our TCH colleagues. PAIM is a national model of incorporating the arts into the healing process. Local artists and musicians facilitate activities for outpatients, inpatients, and bone marrow transplant patients. With the Periwinkle team, 20 arts partners (e.g., Houston Symphony, Writers In The Schools, Young Audiences of Houston, Aurora Picture Show) provide outlets for creativity and self-expression for these patients and siblings. Over the last 12 years, I have heard doctors, medical professionals, and parents say that PAIM is a powerful treatment component.
Periwinkle’s third program platform is the Long-Term Survivor Program. Our survivors are the heart and soul of our organization. Some give of their time as camp counselors, volunteers, committee members, and Periwinkle Champions in the communities we serve. They greatly impact the lives of children and families going through their cancer journey. Long-Term Survivors also participate in monthly support socials and an annual retreat. These survivors have taught me to appreciate life to its fullest.
Our staff, donors, foundation, corporate partners, and Periwinkle Community of Healing are key to always keeping our programs free of charge to the patients and families we serve. Joe Birkofer, previous Board President, mentor and friend, said it best, “These children have already paid a pretty steep price for admission with their cancer diagnosis.”
Join us for an upcoming event or fundraiser as we celebrate Periwinkle’s 40th Anniversary. If you are into spirits or wine, check out Iron Bartender in October 2023 and Iron Sommelier, Houston’s premier wine tasting event, presented by AUTOSOL, on Nov. 9, 2023, at the Post Oak Hotel Uptown Houston. For a fun corporate or social outing, join us for the Periwinkle Kickball Classic October 14, 2023. Our celebration continues into 2024 as we host Periwinkle’s 40th Anniversary Gala April 20th, 2024, at the Royal Sonesta Houston.
I always say the happiest people I know are those who give of their time and talents. You don’t have to be rich to be happy. If you visited one of our camps or the Periwinkle Arts In Medicine Program at TCH, your outlook on life would change. Consider becoming a volunteer. Periwinkle has been transformational in my life. I’m a better man, family member, friend, and colleague.
What I’ve learned:
Our network of patients and families has taught me how precious life is and how to live it to its fullest.
Focus on the glass half full…not empty; embrace optimism.
Don’t sweat the small stuff because in the end, everything is small stuff.
Last but not least, they taught me to live in the moment, not in time.
Periwinkle has shown me that what I and my staff are doing is so much bigger than us. We get to do a little of God’s work here on earth.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success in life is simple. It’s happiness, love, peace of mind, community, and being a part of something bigger than you.
Keeping God first and allowing him to be your guideline light
Surrounding yourself with those who make you a better person personally and professionally
Putting others’ needs before yours, serving others
Being present when with those you love and those you work with… no really present
In the end, life is simple, we just complicate it with details. Thank God daily for your health and the opportunity to live this life every day!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.periwinklefoundation.org
- Instagram: @periwinkleFound
- Facebook: The Periwinkle Foundation
- Linkedin: The Periwinkle Foundation
- Twitter: @PeriwinkleFound
- Youtube: @PeriwinkleFound
