Lunch and Learn 2026
Together, We Can Change Lives
Ambassadors for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford harnesses the power of philanthropy and community to transform lives at Packard Children’s Hospital. Founded in 2005, Ambassadors now has more than 200 members who raise over $450,000 each year for a special project that enhances care at our hospital.
Give With Us
With an annual donation of $1,000 or more, you can join Ambassadors and experience enriching in-hospital and family-friendly volunteer opportunities, along with insightful forums with top physician-scientists. Your donation can be designated to Ambassadors’ annual Fund-A-Need or to any area of our hospital that resonates with you.
Become a Member to Receive an Invitation
We believe in the power of community to transform the lives of kids and their families in Northern California and beyond.
Ambassadors members are offered a wide range of impactful events throughout the year, including opportunities to volunteer at Packard Children’s, learn from esteemed physician-scientists at Stanford, and raise funds for critical programs at our hospital.
Lunch and Learn
Every spring, Ambassadors hosts a special fundraising event to support its Fund-A-Need project. Past keynote speakers include bestselling author Suleika Jaouad, Olympic track-and-field athlete Allyson Felix, and talk show host and celebrity trainer Amanda Kloots. All ticket purchases and proceeds will benefit the Fund-A-Need.
Coffee Talks
Looking to learn from the best? Ambassadors puts on intimate educational talks with leading Stanford experts covering pertinent topics in child and maternal health. From practical parenting guidance to the latest advances in pediatric research, these conversations create space to ask thoughtful questions and gain meaningful insight.
Past Events
16th Annual Lunch and Learn With Suleika Jaouad
Learn More
15th Annual Lunch and Learn With Allyson Felix
14th Annual Lunch and Learn With Amanda Kloots
What Is Fund-A-Need?
Every year, Ambassadors members select a special project to provide crucial funds for a specific program or offering at Packard Children’s Hospital or the Stanford School of Medicine.
Support This Year’s Fund-A-Need
This year’s Fund-A-Need is supporting the incredible Stanford Chariot Program. Chariot’s mission is to pioneer and accelerate the use of immersive, therapeutic technologies to enhance the well-being of pediatric patients. Through groundbreaking tools like virtual reality and Loona, the robotic dog, Chariot helps ease pain and anxiety, promote recovery, and enrich the hospital experience for children. The team has developed over 20 cutting-edge applications using VR, AI, and other immersive technologies—each designed to bring comfort, joy, and healing to young patients at Stanford Children’s and in hospitals worldwide.
Previous Fund-A-Need Projects
Stanford Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program - $452,000
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is already life-altering, but patients ages 15-29 have increased feelings of isolation from missing out on key milestones with their peers. To address these unique challenges, Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford Health Care teamed up to create the Stanford Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer (SAYAC) Program.
Wrapping Our Arms Around NICU Families - $425,000
Over 40% of patients at Packard Children’s Hospital require financial assistance to cover the cost of their care. We are a safety net hospital with a level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the highest level of care for the most critical cases. All donations to the Fund-A-Need support essential resources for families with a child in the NICU.
Strong Minds, Strong Families - $360,000
The Stanford Parenting Center (SPC) launched in 2020 to address the mental health crisis among kids and teens based on studies showing parenting interventions can be as effective, if not more effective, in treating a child’s psychiatric conditions than those focused directly on the child. Our 2021-2022 Fund-A-Need Strong Minds, Strong Families provided critical seed funding to generate and launch essential SPC programming for families coping with mental illness. Together, we laid the groundwork for mental health and parenting experts at the Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford School of Medicine to expand their care to more families than ever before.
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Teen Van
The Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Teen Van is a mobile clinic bringing free, essential health services directly to uninsured and underinsured youth, ages 12 to 25, across the San Francisco Bay Area. By visiting local high schools, community colleges, and nonprofit organizations from East San Jose to San Bruno, the Teen Van makes care accessible where it’s needed most, helping young people stay healthy and thrive.
Give to the Fund-A-Need
Your support of the Chariot Program will help enhance the well-being of pediatric patients.
Kristina Tenenbaum
Co-President
Sufi Hariri
Co-President
Mariam Breeding
Philanthropy Co-Chair
Sandy Cheung
Event Co-Chair
Andrea Draper
Volunteer Co-Chair
Margot Dudley
Membership Chair
Nicolette Ehikian
Philanthropy Co-Chair
Emily Lopez
Volunteer Co-Chair
Jessica Yecies
Event Co-Chair
Stay in Touch With Ambassadors
The Power of Giving
A cancer diagnosis is a universally devastating event, but for those on the brink of adulthood, the challenges can be especially profound. As Vivek Chotai,...
A large blue RV pulls into the parking lot at San Mateo High School, bringing with it many things: critical medical care, COVID-19 tests, and...
Husband and wife duo Pat Rice and Claire Fitzgerald volunteered for over 20 years as baby cuddlers in the NICU at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital...
Learn More About the Ambassadors
Sydney Bueno, Associate Director, Annual Giving
