Bridge the Distance Fund provides financial assistance to adult cancer patients experiencing financial hardship who must travel for specialized medical treatment, helping ensure that distance is not a barrier to accessing lifesaving care.
Our Mission
Our Vision
A future where every patient can access the best available cancer care regardless of where they live or what they can afford.
Ashley Croft Callery has spent her career helping people overcome barriers and access opportunities. An educator and nonprofit leader, she has served students and families in Nashville, Boston, Memphis, and Washington, D.C., and currently works as an Instructional Leadership Coach supporting principals across Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
In 2025, just six weeks after beginning a new role in Memphis, Ashley was diagnosed with olfactory neuroblastoma, an extremely rare cancer affecting approximately one in 2.5 million people. At the time, she and her husband were raising their three-year-old son and settling into a new city. To receive the specialized care she needed, Ashley temporarily relocated from Memphis to Houston for treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Like many patients facing a serious diagnosis, Ashley quickly learned that health insurance may cover much of the medical care itself, but not the many costs associated with getting that care. Months of travel, temporary housing, transportation, meals, childcare needs, lost wages, and time away from home created significant financial and logistical challenges at an already overwhelming time.
Ashley was fortunate to be surrounded by an extraordinary community of family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers who stepped forward to help. Loved ones traveled to Houston to care for her, community members contributed through a fundraiser, and countless people offered practical support that made treatment possible. Their generosity allowed Ashley to focus on healing rather than worrying about how to manage the burden of being hundreds of miles from home.
That experience became the foundation for Bridge the Distance Fund.
Ashley created Bridge the Distance Fund to help ensure that adult cancer patients experiencing financial hardship can access specialized treatment regardless of where they live. The organization provides financial assistance for travel-related expenses such as transportation and lodging, helping remove barriers to care and easing the burden on patients and families during one of the most difficult seasons of their lives.
Today, Ashley is combining her experience in leadership, nonprofit management, and community building with her personal experience as a cancer survivor to build a future where distance is never the reason someone cannot access the care they need.
Meet Our Founder
Launch Team & Advisors
Marissa Croft, Launch Team Member and Marketing Advisor
Marissa Croft is Director of Fashion Marketing at Varsity Spirit, where she leads integrated marketing strategies, brand development, communications, and customer engagement initiatives across a national portfolio of products and programs. With more than a decade of experience in brand management, digital marketing, campaign strategy, consumer insights, and cross-functional leadership, she has helped organizations grow their reach, strengthen customer relationships, and bring complex initiatives to market.
Prior to joining Varsity Spirit, Marissa held marketing leadership roles at TruGreen and several Memphis-based organizations, building expertise in strategic communications, content development, public relations, customer experience, and data-driven marketing. She brings a deep understanding of brand storytelling, audience engagement, and organizational growth to Bridge the Distance Fund.
Marissa's commitment to the mission is deeply personal. During Ashley's cancer treatment in Houston, Marissa regularly traveled to provide care and support, while also opening her home to Ashley's young son for extended periods so that treatment could continue with peace of mind. She has remained a constant source of support throughout Ashley's recovery and understands firsthand the challenges families face when serious illness requires extended time away from home.
As a member of the Bridge the Distance Fund launch team, Marissa advises on marketing, communications, brand development, and community engagement. She is passionate about helping ensure that patients and families can focus on healing rather than the financial and logistical burdens of accessing specialized care.
Heather Duiser, Launch Team Member and Fundraising Advisor
Heather Duiser is the Executive Director of Development at the University of Georgia, where she leads fundraising and donor engagement strategies that support the university's mission and priorities. With more than 15 years of experience in advancement, annual giving, communications, and development operations, she has built and led high-performing teams responsible for donor outreach, stewardship, strategic communications, and philanthropic growth.
Prior to joining the University of Georgia, Heather held leadership roles in annual giving at the University of Florida and served as an advancement director in independent school education. Throughout her career, she has developed expertise in relationship building, fundraising strategy, project management, communications, and organizational leadership.
A Vanderbilt University graduate and Ashley's Delta Gamma sister, Heather lives in Athens, Georgia, with her family. As a breast cancer survivor, she understands firsthand the challenges that accompany a cancer diagnosis and the importance of strong support systems throughout treatment and recovery. She is passionate about helping Bridge the Distance Fund expand access to specialized cancer care by removing financial barriers for patients and families.
Christine Koester, Launch Team Member and Program Strategy Advisor
Christine Koester is the Director of the Legacy Fleets Incentives and Assessment Branch at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she oversees multiple federal grant programs totaling more than $6 billion in funding. Throughout her career, she has led the design, implementation, and evaluation of complex public programs, including the nationally recognized Clean School Bus Program, while working across large networks of partners, stakeholders, and community organizations.
With more than 15 years of experience in public service, Christine brings expertise in strategic planning, program development, grant administration, organizational growth, and change management. She has a proven track record of building effective programs, managing large-scale funding initiatives, and ensuring resources are distributed responsibly and efficiently to achieve meaningful impact.
Christine earned her Bachelor of Science in Human and Organizational Development and Political Science from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
A longtime friend of Ashley's and fellow Delta Gamma sister, Christine has been part of Ashley's support system through many of life's milestones. As a member of the Bridge the Distance Fund launch team, she advises on program strategy, organizational development, and building sustainable systems that will allow the organization to grow and serve more patients over time.
Christine lives in Reston, Virginia, with her husband and three children. She is passionate about helping ensure that patients can access the specialized cancer care they need regardless of financial barriers or geographic location.
Nikki Rogers, Launch Team Member and Patient Advisor
Nikki Rogers is a Registered Respiratory Therapist at AdventHealth for Children in Orlando, Florida, where she cares for pediatric patients and families navigating complex medical needs. Her professional experience in healthcare gives her a deep understanding of the challenges patients face both inside and outside the clinical setting.
In 2026, Nikki was diagnosed with olfactory neuroblastoma, a rare cancer requiring specialized treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Like many patients facing serious illness, she has experienced firsthand the financial and logistical challenges that accompany treatment-related travel, including time away from work, temporary relocation, and extended separation from home and family.
As a member of the Bridge the Distance Fund launch team, Nikki brings the perspective of both a healthcare professional and a patient currently navigating treatment. Her insights help ensure that the organization's programs, application process, and patient experience remain grounded in the real needs of those facing cancer today.
Nikki is passionate about helping other patients access the specialized care they need and about building a community where no one has to navigate the challenges of treatment alone.
Elise Russo, Launch Team Member and Governance Advisor
Elise Russo is the Director of Operations for the Vanderbilt Clinical Informatics Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she leads initiatives focused on improving the safety, effectiveness, and user experience of clinical information systems. Her career has spanned healthcare operations, biomedical informatics, patient safety, research administration, and project management, with experience at both Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine.
In addition to her healthcare leadership experience, Elise has been actively involved in nonprofit service and grant review through the Junior League of Nashville, where she has contributed to community impact and funding allocation efforts. She brings valuable expertise in program design, evaluation, governance, and grantmaking processes, helping Bridge the Distance Fund develop fair, transparent, and sustainable systems for serving patients.
A Vanderbilt University graduate and Ashley's Delta Gamma sister, Elise lives in Nashville with her husband and young daughter. Her commitment to Bridge the Distance Fund is deeply personal: her family experienced firsthand the challenges of traveling for specialized cancer treatment when her mother underwent treatment for brain cancer. She is passionate about helping ensure that financial barriers do not stand between patients and the care they need.
Katy Spinks, Launch Team Member and Grants Administration Advisor
Katy Spinks is a Grants and Contracts Officer in the Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development at Georgia State University's School of Public Health, where she manages complex grant-funded initiatives focused on supporting children and families. Her work includes coordinating federally funded programs, developing grant budgets and compliance processes, and helping research teams successfully manage funding throughout the grant lifecycle.
Katy earned both her Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Master of Education in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University. Throughout her career, she has worked in research, nonprofit organizations, and family-serving programs. Her professional experience includes supporting studies on early childhood education, family bereavement, maternal mental health, and child maltreatment prevention. Her graduate research examined how parents and siblings cope with the loss of a child to cancer and the resources needed to support families during that experience.
As part of the Bridge the Distance Fund launch team, Katy helps design grant applications, funding review processes, documentation requirements, and financial assistance procedures. She brings expertise in grants management, program administration, and creating systems that are both rigorous and accessible to those seeking support.
A Vanderbilt University graduate and Ashley's Delta Gamma sister, Katy was one of the first friends to travel to Houston to support Ashley during cancer treatment. She lives in Auburn, Georgia, with her husband and two young children. Her commitment to the mission is both professional and personal. Having supported loved ones through serious illness and witnessed firsthand the challenges of traveling for specialized cancer care, she understands the importance of reducing barriers for patients and families during an already difficult time. She is passionate about helping ensure that financial hardship does not prevent patients from accessing the treatment they need.
Bridge the Distance Fund is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Good Fund, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Through this partnership, donations to Bridge the Distance Fund are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law and are administered in accordance with Social Good Fund's charitable oversight and compliance requirements.
Fiscal sponsorship allows Bridge the Distance Fund to focus on serving patients while operating under an established nonprofit framework.