Becoming Unstoppable
Coming Up Rosies
It started with a smile
When we first met 8-year-old Rosie Quinn in 2019, we knew her organization's mission to instill confidence in children would make the perfect first Purple Paladin.
Since then, Coming Up Rosies has grown.
And there’s one person who can walk us through their journey best: Rosie herself.
“I’m Rosie Quinn, and I’m becoming unstoppable”
When I founded Coming Up Rosies with my mom, I wanted to help kids — especially those suffering from hair loss (like me!) — find their confidence. In 2019, I was delivering our Smile Kits to kids in 12 hospitals — but I wanted to reach more. That year, becoming a Purple Paladin helped us double our partnerships in children’s hospitals — and develop new goals we never dreamed were possible. Let me tell you how.
Coming Up Rosies: Our journey (so far)
As a Purple Paladin, we’re becoming unstoppable
We’re reaching more people.
Becoming a Purple Paladin gave us the exposure we needed. More people know who we are now, thanks to amazing experiences like bringing Smile Kit parties to the Ronald McDonald House Chicago; writing our first book; continuing to share our story in outlets like the Chicago Tribune and NBC Nightly News, and more!
We can do more in less time.
We used to pack all of our Smile Kits by hand. Now, with a team behind us and a streamlined process (which includes a lot of shrink wrap), there’s so much more we can do — advocating for wig coverage on the Congress floor, expanding our Rosebud Grant program and growing our annual Miles for Smiles 5K from $10,000 in 2018 to $30,000 this past year. And as we grow, more kids want to help. I’d love to host Smile Kit assembly parties in the future to help even more people get involved.
Our mission is expanding.
When I first started Coming Up Rosies, I was so focused on alopecia and always wore my headscarf — but now, I’m confident without it. Like me, our mission is evolving. We’ll always be sharing Smile Kits, but now, I want to show everyone it’s okay to be different, no matter what they’re struggling with. I’m excited to help children — and adults, too — embrace their differences. And of course, to make them smile.
“It started with a Smile Kit, but it’s turned into how we get children to embrace and be proud of their differences — and to acknowledge and accept others’ differences, too.”
- Paula Quinn
Rosie’s mom and co-founder of Coming Up Rosies
Making our dreams come true
Becoming a Purple Paladin has propelled our mission forward — in more ways than we expected.
A partnership beyond our expectations
The moment we became a Purple Paladin, we felt understood. The team is always willing to help us, from redesigning our website, to creating partnerships with the awesome golf ambassadors, to inviting us to present at their conferences. And one of my favorite parts about being a Purple Paladin is the community. I can’t wait to see where our journey as Purple Paladins takes us next.
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Purple Paladins
Our program helps take early-stage nonprofit organizations from startup to unstoppable.
Follow along on Rosie’s journey to become unstoppable
