My mom and I shared the same birthday, and I always had top priority in deciding the flavor of our birthday cake. For this reason, my mom always baked a double chocolate cake, my favorite, even though she preferred vanilla. Over the years, my mom consistently sacrificed her own birthday experience for mine. She always said, “Jackson, you were the best birthday present I could have asked for– I don't need anything else!”
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This idea would lead me to create The Ruth Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding breast cancer research in honor of my mom, Lisa Ruth Flagg. Drawing on my experience from stock-pitch competitions, summer programs, and leading my school's financial literacy club, the fund invests donations in select stocks.
Currently, The Ruth Fund contributes annual dividends to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, limiting the fund’s ability to make an impact locally. That's why, during my college years, I plan to gain a deeper understanding of research grantmaking. In the long term, The Ruth Fund will channel its proceeds into providing financial grants for breast cancer-related research projects within my community.
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The Ruth Fund is still in its early stages, and I can't predict the obstacles I will face. Despite this, I know that my desire to honor my mom drives me, and with this intact, there is no challenge I cannot overcome. Having already created ruthfund.org, achieved nonprofit status, and promoted the fund all on my own, I know that no matter what the future has in store, The Ruth Fund will continue to make a difference. Even though my mom cannot benefit from the organization, other women will; for that, she would be so proud.
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-Jackson Flagg,
Founder & Portfolio Manager
My mom prioritized my needs above everything else, and when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, she still managed to put me first. Despite undergoing countless proton therapy sessions and multiple brain surgeries, my mom was always by my bedside, ready to tuck me in at the end of the day. Throughout her eight-year fight, I never heard her complain, even once. My mom was the strongest person I knew, yet despite her resilience, she passed away in 2019.
I am a high school senior now, and as I grow older, I realize that my mom’s dedication to me was something I took for granted. For many years now, I’ve wanted to honor my mom, yet I’ve struggled to translate this desire into action. After much thought, I realized I could use my passion for investing to fund breast cancer research.