May 27, 2025 • 9 mins
We spoke with Allison and Jennifer Inho about The Angela Marotta Inho Foundation, based in Hartford CT, is a non-profit organization that strives to raise awareness surrounding lung cancer. We are supporting lung cancer research by donating directly to the lung cancer research team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Additionally, we use funds to deliver care packages to lung cancer patients enduring treatment in Connecticut.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guests this morning are Allison and Hoe and Jennifer in Ho.
They're the co directors and co founders of the Angela
Morata in Ho Foundation. Good morning, morning, thank you for
being here today.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
It's funny, it's almost like you're twins. Are you twins?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
No, but you do get that a lot, and her
fiance and my boyfriend will constantly be like, are you
sure you guys aren't twins.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I love that my daughters are the same way. Actually,
it's really neat.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
For those who don't know about the Angela Marata in
Ho Foundation, how did it come about?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, So, in twenty seventeen, our mom, Angela was diagnosed
with stage four lung cancer. And she was a non smoker, she.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Was really healthy.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
She actually had just recently run the Hartford Half Marathon
and so when she was diagnosed it was it really
was a surprise to all of us. And after she
passed in twenty twenty one, we had started the foundation
in her memory and really just wanting to raise awareness that,
(01:14):
you know, anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. It's
unfortunately due to its stigma. There is a lot of
underfunding for lung cancer research, and she had an amazing
team up at Dana Farber. Uh, and so we wanted
to kind of continue that that legacy and and help fund,
you know, the lung oncology research that is in all
(01:35):
the work that's being done there in her memory. So
we we started the foundation and we we hit holes
in a walk every year at Bushnell Park in Hartford,
and this year's walk is on June eighth, and yeah,
so our our big events. Yeah, So we signed a
(02:00):
like one hundred thousand dollars pledge over five years to
Dana Farber. After two years, we are already at sixty
eight thousand, so we're actually hoping this year we need
that one hundred thousand dollars pledge in three years, which
is super exciting for us.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
And then we last year we added on another initiative,
so not only do we send funds to lung cancer
research at Dana Farber, but we also do some care
packages for lung cancer patients. So last year we did
twenty five care packages at Saint Francis to the lung
(02:39):
cancer patients, and that we typically do during November because
that's Lung Cancer Awareness Month. This year we're hoping to
actually add another twenty five on to that and do
some care packages at Harford Hospital. So each year we're
kind of trying to add some initiatives and just expand
(03:00):
and expand our reach and our mission.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Have you been able to see when the care packages
are delivered the kind of impact you've had on these patients.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, we we didn't see that directly. It was more
of you know, as the patients came in the team
at Saint Francis was handing that that out, but we
did hear back from them afterward and it just was
you know, really appreciated. There were some things that were
given that our mom had used, you know, ginger candies
(03:32):
just to help with nausea during treatment, or you know,
blankets it gets little chili during you know, treatment times.
Or we also included some grocery card gift cards just
you know tough time a year with the holidays coming up,
and obviously, you know, cancer diagnosis is a is a
lot for our family in all sorts of ways. So
(03:53):
any little things that we could do to help, you know,
we we did get really good feedback on that and
it it made us through happy to provide that to
families and also all of the volunteers and those donating.
I think it really makes an impact to them too,
to really see, you know, something that's that's more direct
(04:13):
to a patient too.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Sure how much they're cared for and not forgotten or overlooked.
You talked a little bit about donations. You guys are
involved with the Birdies for Charity program.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yes, but it's actually our second year doing Birdies. We
love that we have this opportunity. It's so amazing because
it does broad in our reach. We are on that platform,
we get opportunities like this radio interview. It has helped
(04:44):
us so much. And then we get that additional percentage
that from Webster Bank, so that one hundred getting one
hundred and fifteen percent of donations is so helpful, especially
for nonprofits in general, but something something like ours that's
a little bit smaller and we're, you know, just in
(05:06):
year three, so it's super helpful. We love it. And
last year Ali I wasn't able to attend, but Ali
was able to go to the where they give out
the checks and she was able to speak, so that
was really special for us as well. So it's just
an amazing opportunity and we love to be a part
(05:28):
of it.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, and it's great for making additional connections too, and
and networking and also just being able to see all
of the amazing other you know, foundations and charities that
are set up across you know, Connecticut and and getting
to connect with some of those people. And like John said,
you know.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
We were able to share our story a little bit further.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
That day, and and just you know, having people come
up and saying, you know, this person I know is
affected by lung cancer and we have very very similar story.
Or someone I know is getting tree up at Dana
Farber and you know they might be a recipient of
you know, maybe a treatment from some of that those
research dollars that are going there. So it is really
a great platform, like Jennifer sa to get us connected
(06:13):
to more people too, aside from the you know, additional bonus.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
So people can go right to your website it's Ami
Dashfoundation dot com and they can make a donation right there. Again,
for every dollar Webster Bank donates fifteen cents, so they're
going to get a dollar fifteen instead of just a dollar.
That event again is June ninth at Bushnell Park. You
can get all of the information there as well at
(06:37):
Ami Dashfoundation dot com. You also do a lot of
raising awareness. How do you do that?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
I think it stems from, you know, we have social
media platforms, we have our website. We're just trying to
inform as much as possible with like lung cancer facts
in general. And you know, there's there's a lot of
like even when I was researching just to put the
(07:07):
website together, there's just a lot of astounding facts about
lung cancer and if you catch it early, the survival
rate versus catching it, you know, at a stage four.
I think it's like I don't I don't remember the
exact facts, but something about like I think five percent.
It's just a really low surt of bible rate if
(07:29):
you catch it late, because unfortunately, it is just like
what they call silent cancer. So you know, it's it's
kind of doing that sharing on our social media and
then we're reaching out to other communities within Hartford as
well and like the surrounding areas to try to broaden
(07:51):
that and kind of spread that awareness. And like Ali said,
whenever we talk about it, there's always somebody that can relate,
Oh this this person I know has lung cancer or
had lung cancer, or it's going through treatments. So kind
of just connecting with all different communities and throwing our
platforms on social media is a big thing.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
To kind of add a little bit onto what Jen
was just saying too, is just like anything we can
we can do to to more so get our you know,
walkers and everyone who supports us even more involved. So
we've been trying to, like she said, do different initiatives
and things like that that are even more personal. And
(08:33):
last year, actually our funds that we raised that we're
going to Dana Farber, we were given the opportunity to
select where exactly in the lung cancer research field we
wanted those to go, so whether it was more you know,
treatment research, more preventative research options, and that was really neat. So,
(08:55):
like Jen said, we really use our social media platforms
when we can, and we actually put it out to
those that follow us and put it to a vote,
and just wanted to make sure that everyone feels involved.
And then the more we think that people can get
involved in these decisions and kind of behind the scenes
of what we're doing, you know, the more awareness we
can spread and hope that it just creates that ripple effect.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
I'm speaking with co directors and co founders Alison Inho
and Jennifer in Ho from the Angela Morada in Ho Foundation.
Ange's Warrior Walk is on Sunday, June eighth. You can
go right to their website Ami Dash Foundation dot com
and you can register for the walk. There. You can
also find out how to be a sponsor, a volunteer
(09:38):
and donate especially for the birdies for charity. Honey, your
mom must be looking down so proud of the both
of you, and I know this walk is going to
be absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for all the
amazing work that you're both doing.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Thanks for having us
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guests this morning are Allison and Hoe and Jennifer in Ho.
They're the co directors and co founders of the Angela
Morata in Ho Foundation. Good morning, morning, thank you for
being here today.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
It's funny, it's almost like you're twins. Are you twins?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
No, but you do get that a lot, and her
fiance and my boyfriend will constantly be like, are you
sure you guys aren't twins.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I love that my daughters are the same way. Actually,
it's really neat.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
For those who don't know about the Angela Marata in
Ho Foundation, how did it come about?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, So, in twenty seventeen, our mom, Angela was diagnosed
with stage four lung cancer. And she was a non smoker, she.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Was really healthy.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
She actually had just recently run the Hartford Half Marathon
and so when she was diagnosed it was it really
was a surprise to all of us. And after she
passed in twenty twenty one, we had started the foundation
in her memory and really just wanting to raise awareness that,
(01:14):
you know, anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. It's
unfortunately due to its stigma. There is a lot of
underfunding for lung cancer research, and she had an amazing
team up at Dana Farber. Uh, and so we wanted
to kind of continue that that legacy and and help fund,
you know, the lung oncology research that is in all
(01:35):
the work that's being done there in her memory. So
we we started the foundation and we we hit holes
in a walk every year at Bushnell Park in Hartford,
and this year's walk is on June eighth, and yeah,
so our our big events. Yeah, So we signed a
(02:00):
like one hundred thousand dollars pledge over five years to
Dana Farber. After two years, we are already at sixty
eight thousand, so we're actually hoping this year we need
that one hundred thousand dollars pledge in three years, which
is super exciting for us.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
And then we last year we added on another initiative,
so not only do we send funds to lung cancer
research at Dana Farber, but we also do some care
packages for lung cancer patients. So last year we did
twenty five care packages at Saint Francis to the lung
(02:39):
cancer patients, and that we typically do during November because
that's Lung Cancer Awareness Month. This year we're hoping to
actually add another twenty five on to that and do
some care packages at Harford Hospital. So each year we're
kind of trying to add some initiatives and just expand
(03:00):
and expand our reach and our mission.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Have you been able to see when the care packages
are delivered the kind of impact you've had on these patients.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, we we didn't see that directly. It was more
of you know, as the patients came in the team
at Saint Francis was handing that that out, but we
did hear back from them afterward and it just was
you know, really appreciated. There were some things that were
given that our mom had used, you know, ginger candies
(03:32):
just to help with nausea during treatment, or you know,
blankets it gets little chili during you know, treatment times.
Or we also included some grocery card gift cards just
you know tough time a year with the holidays coming up,
and obviously, you know, cancer diagnosis is a is a
lot for our family in all sorts of ways. So
(03:53):
any little things that we could do to help, you know,
we we did get really good feedback on that and
it it made us through happy to provide that to
families and also all of the volunteers and those donating.
I think it really makes an impact to them too,
to really see, you know, something that's that's more direct
(04:13):
to a patient too.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Sure how much they're cared for and not forgotten or overlooked.
You talked a little bit about donations. You guys are
involved with the Birdies for Charity program.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yes, but it's actually our second year doing Birdies. We
love that we have this opportunity. It's so amazing because
it does broad in our reach. We are on that platform,
we get opportunities like this radio interview. It has helped
(04:44):
us so much. And then we get that additional percentage
that from Webster Bank, so that one hundred getting one
hundred and fifteen percent of donations is so helpful, especially
for nonprofits in general, but something something like ours that's
a little bit smaller and we're, you know, just in
(05:06):
year three, so it's super helpful. We love it. And
last year Ali I wasn't able to attend, but Ali
was able to go to the where they give out
the checks and she was able to speak, so that
was really special for us as well. So it's just
an amazing opportunity and we love to be a part
(05:28):
of it.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, and it's great for making additional connections too, and
and networking and also just being able to see all
of the amazing other you know, foundations and charities that
are set up across you know, Connecticut and and getting
to connect with some of those people. And like John said,
you know.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
We were able to share our story a little bit further.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
That day, and and just you know, having people come
up and saying, you know, this person I know is
affected by lung cancer and we have very very similar story.
Or someone I know is getting tree up at Dana
Farber and you know they might be a recipient of
you know, maybe a treatment from some of that those
research dollars that are going there. So it is really
a great platform, like Jennifer sa to get us connected
(06:13):
to more people too, aside from the you know, additional bonus.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
So people can go right to your website it's Ami
Dashfoundation dot com and they can make a donation right there. Again,
for every dollar Webster Bank donates fifteen cents, so they're
going to get a dollar fifteen instead of just a dollar.
That event again is June ninth at Bushnell Park. You
can get all of the information there as well at
(06:37):
Ami Dashfoundation dot com. You also do a lot of
raising awareness. How do you do that?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
I think it stems from, you know, we have social
media platforms, we have our website. We're just trying to
inform as much as possible with like lung cancer facts
in general. And you know, there's there's a lot of
like even when I was researching just to put the
(07:07):
website together, there's just a lot of astounding facts about
lung cancer and if you catch it early, the survival
rate versus catching it, you know, at a stage four.
I think it's like I don't I don't remember the
exact facts, but something about like I think five percent.
It's just a really low surt of bible rate if
(07:29):
you catch it late, because unfortunately, it is just like
what they call silent cancer. So you know, it's it's
kind of doing that sharing on our social media and
then we're reaching out to other communities within Hartford as
well and like the surrounding areas to try to broaden
(07:51):
that and kind of spread that awareness. And like Ali said,
whenever we talk about it, there's always somebody that can relate,
Oh this this person I know has lung cancer or
had lung cancer, or it's going through treatments. So kind
of just connecting with all different communities and throwing our
platforms on social media is a big thing.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
To kind of add a little bit onto what Jen
was just saying too, is just like anything we can
we can do to to more so get our you know,
walkers and everyone who supports us even more involved. So
we've been trying to, like she said, do different initiatives
and things like that that are even more personal. And
(08:33):
last year, actually our funds that we raised that we're
going to Dana Farber, we were given the opportunity to
select where exactly in the lung cancer research field we
wanted those to go, so whether it was more you know,
treatment research, more preventative research options, and that was really neat. So,
(08:55):
like Jen said, we really use our social media platforms
when we can, and we actually put it out to
those that follow us and put it to a vote,
and just wanted to make sure that everyone feels involved.
And then the more we think that people can get
involved in these decisions and kind of behind the scenes
of what we're doing, you know, the more awareness we
can spread and hope that it just creates that ripple effect.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
I'm speaking with co directors and co founders Alison Inho
and Jennifer in Ho from the Angela Morada in Ho Foundation.
Ange's Warrior Walk is on Sunday, June eighth. You can
go right to their website Ami Dash Foundation dot com
and you can register for the walk. There. You can
also find out how to be a sponsor, a volunteer
(09:38):
and donate especially for the birdies for charity. Honey, your
mom must be looking down so proud of the both
of you, and I know this walk is going to
be absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for all the
amazing work that you're both doing.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Thanks for having us
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