Leah Rozendaal
Marketing and Events Coordinator
Personal Connection
Walk With You's mission is important to me because when I was 16 years old I lost my 3 year old cousin Micah tragically to glioblastoma. The funeral director made such an impact and difference for my family by providing support, incredible service, and making my family feel comfortable. They also had a family friend photograph the funeral and burial which I find myself going back to and remembering the day through these photos. The day was such a blur, but these photos help me remember him and all the family and friends that came around my aunt, uncle, and cousin. After that experience, I knew I somehow wanted to make a difference for families someday in a similar way.
Roles & Contributions
As the Marketing and Events Coordinator I help WWY’s mission by coordinating our fundraising events (the Spring Soiree and 5K) in addition to fundraising campaigns throughout the year utilizing our communication channels. The main goal for these events and marketing outreach are to spread the mission about this incredible organization while raising funds to support the need for early grief education for our families that we walk with. We also love the sense of community and connection that our events provide so that no one feels alone.
I started as a volunteer photographer in the summer of 2023 by providing photography at funerals, honor walks, and maternity session for WWY families. I have been a freelance videographer for the last 8+ years and began to film the 5K and Spring Soiree starting in 2024 to help tell the story of these events and increase our audience. I still serve on the photography team, but now that I have stepped into this role I create content for our social media in addition to coordinating and promoting our events.
Vision & Impact
My hope is that my contribution to Walk With You will provide a safe space for families to remember, honor, and share about their child. It is a huge honor to get to preserve the memories of these children by providing events for these families and having a community to celebrate their life with is important to keep their memory a lasting legacy. I take this job very seriously and want to ensure that every family that attends our events or views our social media feels free to remember, honor and share.
I also believe that Walk With You’s mission to provide early grief support will impact how society views grief and will provide the support for these bereaved families that their own support system doesn’t always know how to . My hope is that those walking through this will feel like they have somewhere to turn to when they face the unimaginable.