Ellie McDonald
Ellie McDonald
Ellie McDonald
President & Founder / Executive Director
she/her/hers
Ellie grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Denver, Colorado in 2016. She moved back to her hometown in March 2019 to begin treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. This treatment lasted for 19 months. Ellie is passionate about heath care and the connectio
President & Founder / Executive Director
she/her/hers
Ellie grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Denver, Colorado in 2016. She moved back to her hometown in March 2019 to begin treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. This treatment lasted for 19 months. Ellie is passionate about heath care and the connections between mental, physical, and spiritual health. She loves learning about holistic approaches to healthcare and applying them to not only her own life but to Tend to You as well. She graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2018 with a degree in psychology and a minor in biology. She hopes to take this background and apply it to a career in the medical field. Ellie has been involved with nonprofits almost her entire life, especially ones that emphasize inclusiveness for everyone. In her spare time she loves rock climbing, snowboarding, and hiking with her dog, Lucy.
Matt Packard
Ellie McDonald
Ellie McDonald
Board Member / Treasurer
he/him/his
Matt grew up in Milford, Massachusetts, and has lived in Hudson, Massachusetts, with his loving wife, Michelle, since 2002. He received his BS in Management from Rutgers University. Matt has been a Senior Loan Officer in the residential mortgage industry since 2010, and worked in B
Board Member / Treasurer
he/him/his
Matt grew up in Milford, Massachusetts, and has lived in Hudson, Massachusetts, with his loving wife, Michelle, since 2002. He received his BS in Management from Rutgers University. Matt has been a Senior Loan Officer in the residential mortgage industry since 2010, and worked in Banking for 10 years prior to that. Always a go-getter, Matt is also active in his community. He’s the President of Hudson BNI, the former president of Hudson Youth Baseball/Softball, and the lector of Saint Matthias Parish in Marlborough. He and Michelle, married since 2000, have three kids — Leah, 21, Jack, 19, and Sam, 17 — and two cats, Churchill and Doug. When Matt’s not helping people achieve their dream of homeownership, he enjoys golf, bowling, poker, and coaching baseball and basketball. His perfect day would include traveling to a new place with his family and exploring the local food and culture.
Lauren Sheehan
Ellie McDonald
Colleen Callahan
Board Member / Chief of Operations
she/her/hers
Lauren lives in Central Massachusetts and works for a small marketing company managing daily business operations. Lauren attended Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland, where she studied media and marketing. The intersection where media meets marketing is thr
Board Member / Chief of Operations
she/her/hers
Lauren lives in Central Massachusetts and works for a small marketing company managing daily business operations. Lauren attended Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland, where she studied media and marketing. The intersection where media meets marketing is thrilling for Lauren, and she has taken that intrigue and skill to the nonprofit sector. In addition to Tend, Lauren sits on the Board of Directors for another small nonprofit organization that looks to bring education to a rural community in Uganda.
Bringing a unique background experience, Lauren was so excited to join Tend's team and mission! Having seen the effect cancer has had on her family and friends, this mission to help individuals tend to themselves in a sustainable way is aligned with what she believes in, and she's excited to bring something this impactful to the community she grew up in.
Colleen Callahan
Taylor Lissarrague
Colleen Callahan
Board Member / Director of Marketing she/her/hers
With experience in operations, marketing, business management and more, Colleen was eager to join the Tend to you team after befriending Ellie in 2020. She felt inspired by her personal story and the Tend To You inc mission of supporting both the new England co
Board Member / Director of Marketing she/her/hers
With experience in operations, marketing, business management and more, Colleen was eager to join the Tend to you team after befriending Ellie in 2020. She felt inspired by her personal story and the Tend To You inc mission of supporting both the new England community and the cancer community. In her free time she enjoys live music of any genre, writing poetry, and enjoying nature
Colleen is passionate about practicing self care through meditative practices such as, breathing, writing, and spending time outdoors. She loves to make new connections, find solutions to tough problems, and offer honest, candid advice to the people around her.
Colleen is originally from Chicago and currently resides in Cambridge, MA. Her love for New England stems from spending summers on Cape Cod and attending the University of Vermont to study Sociology and ASL. She loves New England for the beautiful foliage, mountain ranges, and the convenience of the accessibility to so many amazing states nearby.
Taylor Lissarrague
Taylor Lissarrague
Taylor Lissarrague
Board Member / Director of Development
she/her/hers
Taylor currently works over at MGH and hopes to be able to connect Tend to You to the medical system and bring it to even more patients and loved ones impacted by cancer diagnoses. Taylor has always had a passion for mental health and desires to emphasizes the
Board Member / Director of Development
she/her/hers
Taylor currently works over at MGH and hopes to be able to connect Tend to You to the medical system and bring it to even more patients and loved ones impacted by cancer diagnoses. Taylor has always had a passion for mental health and desires to emphasizes the importance of that and self-care more for the cancer community, and all people as a whole.
Taylor is originally from New Orleans and moved to Boston in 2021. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Psychology. She also attended Tulane University and got Master degrees in Social Work and Disaster Resilience Leadership.
In her free time, Taylor loves to volunteer at animal shelters, play her ukulele, run, be out in nature, meet new people and form new connections, and play with her cat Fester!
Emily Oakes
Taylor Lissarrague
Taylor Lissarrague
Board Member / Director of Event Operations
she/her/hers
Emily works in the event industry and currently resides in Killington, Vermont. Being the social butterfly she is, she’s always had a passion and gift for bringing people together. She attended MSU Denver where she received her BA in Hospitality, Tourism a
Board Member / Director of Event Operations
she/her/hers
Emily works in the event industry and currently resides in Killington, Vermont. Being the social butterfly she is, she’s always had a passion and gift for bringing people together. She attended MSU Denver where she received her BA in Hospitality, Tourism and Event management. Emily has always had a strong passion for giving back to her community and helping those facing hardships. She has ample experience in the world of fundraising and nonprofit events and looks forward to bringing that expertise to Tend. She couldn’t be more excited to join the Tend team and help her longtime friend Ellie cultivate a community for young adult cancer patients and like-minded individuals who wish to get involved.
Who We Are
Our Beginning
Ellie McDonald, our founder, had the idea for fresh and local care packages while she was receiving chemotherapy treatment. A few weeks before her last herceptin infusion, Tend to You was born. Throughout treatment Ellie noticed that a majority of the care packages marketed to her were generic and impersonal. Being a young adult cancer p
Ellie McDonald, our founder, had the idea for fresh and local care packages while she was receiving chemotherapy treatment. A few weeks before her last herceptin infusion, Tend to You was born. Throughout treatment Ellie noticed that a majority of the care packages marketed to her were generic and impersonal. Being a young adult cancer patient, she felt shocked, lost, and alone. Ellie’s mission for Tend to You is to not only provide care packages for people who need them, but also to facilitate a community of support for people in the same position she found herself in. No one expects to get cancer and the news hits like a bus; so if Tend to You can help people manage through this time - we are going to!
Our Team
We are made of a board of directors who all have wellness, healthcare, and community wellness in mind.
We are also currenly seeking new board membes, so if you are interested in joining our team, we would love to connect with you!
Our Business
Our Business
Sometimes, you just need a simple reminder to tend to yourself. Those little moments can help turn a day around.
Tend to You inc. is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization founded in June 2020 and located in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Tend to You will focus on providing support to cancer patients living in Massachusetts, particularly
Sometimes, you just need a simple reminder to tend to yourself. Those little moments can help turn a day around.
Tend to You inc. is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization founded in June 2020 and located in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Tend to You will focus on providing support to cancer patients living in Massachusetts, particularly young adults.
In partnership with local New England farmers and artisans, Tend to You strives to bring patrons the very best. Tend to You will source goods, assemble a care package, and then ship it to the patient. We hope that these gifts from the earth and from the heart will prove to lift spirits, help patrons to be mindful, and provide a community of support for each and every person involved.
