Great Lakes Lifeline Foundation

A ripple of compassion can save someone from drowning in silence.

The Great Lakes Lifeline Foundation began with a simple truth: no one should suffer alone. Not the child facing another hospital stay. Not the parent holding it all together. Not the caregiver watching a loved one disappear into memory loss. Not the teen afraid to speak up about their mental health.

We were born out of lived experience of grief, of caregiving, of sitting beside bedsides and asking, “Who’s taking care of the ones doing the caring?”

Our founder, deeply moved by the isolation and overwhelm faced by families navigating pediatric cancer, dementia care, and mental health crises, created Great Lakes Lifeline to bridge the gap between pain and support, between silence and advocacy.

Like the waters that surround us, our mission flows with strength and grace:
To lift up those who are often forgotten.
To offer dignity where there is struggle.
To be a lifeline when life becomes too much.

Our Story

The Great Lakes Lifeline Foundation began with love, the kind that sits quietly at a bedside, whispers words of comfort in the night, and keeps showing up no matter how heavy the days feel.

Our founder, Amber Higgins, knows these moments by heart. She’s held the hand of her grandmother through the fog of dementia, stood strong beside her son as he faced pediatric cancer, and witnessed how mental health struggles can touch any family without warning. These experiences carved a truth deep into her, that no one should have to walk these roads alone.

This foundation was built in honor of the people we’ve loved, the ones we’ve lost, and the families still fighting. It’s a promise that even in the hardest seasons, there will be someone ready to help carry the weight, whether that means a warm meal, a quiet ear, a moment of laughter, or simply the reminder that they are not forgotten.

We serve families across the Great Lakes region with compassion at the center of everything we do, providing resources for dementia care, support for children battling cancer, and access to mental health services for those in need. We meet people where they are, because sometimes help means more than a program or service, it means showing up with a human heart.

Our story is still being written, every time a family finds hope again, every time a hand reaches out in kindness, and every time someone chooses to stand beside a stranger in their struggle.

And now, we invite you to be part of that story. Together, we can turn compassion into action, and remind the world that love, steady, unwavering, and true, is the lifeline we all need.

" The courage of a child changes everything. Evan’s fight became our promise to every family still in the battle."

"Her hands taught me the meaning of love without words. This is where our story begins."

Join

That caregivers are heroes too.
That mental health should be met with compassion, not shame.
That children facing cancer deserve more than medicine they deserve joy, resilience, and community.
That memory loss should not mean losing dignity.
That advocacy is action, and healing is holistic.

Through care packages, educational tools, respite support, and relentless love, we’re building a network of compassion, connection, and community, one story, one family, one life at a time.

We are the hands that hold, the voices that speak up, and the hearts that refuse to let go.

What We Believe

Our Projects

At Great Lakes Lifeline Foundation, our projects are where compassion meets action. Each one is designed to directly improve the lives of patients, caregivers, and communities affected by pediatric cancer, memory care challenges, and mental health struggles.

Purpose & Beginnings

Every movement begins with a moment, a moment of pain, of realization, or of deep compassion. The Great Lakes Lifeline Foundation was born from such a moment.

We are a newly-formed nonprofit driven by a powerful mission: to support families facing pediatric cancer, memory loss, and mental health challenges, and to be a lifeline for the caregivers who carry them through.

Though we are just getting started, our vision is clear:
To build a community rooted in compassion, support, and dignity.

We believe that by walking alongside families and caregivers from the beginning, we can help them feel seen, supported, and never alone. Our journey is only beginning, but we invite you to be part of this story, to grow, serve, and impact lives with us from the very first step.

Board of Directors

Great Lakes Lifeline Foundation is guided by a diverse and compassionate board of professionals with experience in mental health, nonprofit leadership, finance, and community outreach. For privacy and ethical boundaries, we honor the discretion of our board members who also serve in direct-care roles at other organizations. Together, they bring insight, governance, and heart to our mission.