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LINDA'S LEGACY FOUNDATION
PO Box 2431
Ponte Vedra, FL 32004-2431
The Linda's Legacy Foundation is a non-profit organization
founded to increase lung cancer awareness, support research for early detection and assist victims of lung cancer with special
needs.
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Michelle Paul
President/Founder |
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Michelle Paul is a graduate of The University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio where she received a B.A. Degree in
Psychology and a B.S. in Pre-Med. In 1999 her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s so she relocated to Florida to assist
her mother and older sister Linda with her father’s care. Coming from a close-knit family of five children, Michelle
also has three brothers, Danny, Frank and David, who passed away in 2006. As a Financial Advisor for Morgan Stanley
in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Michelle works with individuals and families to build and preserve their wealth. She
has been active with the Ponte Vedra Federated Republican Women’s Club and worked diligently on the 2004 George W. Bush presidential
campaign. She is an avid tennis player, an active member of her church, and enjoys traveling…especially to tennis events.
In July of 2005, Michelle’s best friend, her sister
Linda, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, a diagnosis that would forever change Michelle’s life. Four short
months later, Linda lost her battle with lung cancer. Since that time, Michelle has dedicated much of her time to the
establishment of the Linda’s Legacy Foundation. Michelle established this non-profit organization to honor the memory
of her older sister by directly assisting those with lung cancer as well as supporting research initiatives to find a cure
for this devastating disease. In 2007, her dream became a reality when she hosted the inaugural Linda’s Legacy - Tournament
of Love. This women’s doubles tennis tournament and pro-am became, in its first year, the largest event of its kind
in the state of Florida. Michelle is pleased with last year’s results and is confident that the tournament will continue
to be a success.
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Sandy Kavanaugh
Tournament Director |
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Susan Nelson
Treasure |
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Susan Nelson Sue is a Certified Financial Planner and Financial Advisor with Morgan
Stanley. She and Michelle became business partners shortly after they both relocated here from Ohio in 1999. They both
have strong ties to the "Buckeye State", but more importantly they share a strong commitment to their local community.
Sue currently serves as the Chairman of Communities In Schools of Nassau County and Chairman of the Women's Network
on Amelia Island.
Sue's friendship with Michelle and her family,
especially through the illness and subsequent death of her sister Linda, brought about a new awareness of the needs of so
many suffering with lung cancer. Sue has been involved behind the scenes from the beginning and is committed to the
future success of The Linda's Legacy Foundation. Having been a tennis player for years, she finds the event to be absolutely
wonderful, and never ceases to congratulate all of the people who work so hard on the Linda's Legacy event.
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Debbie Wotiz
Media & Communications |
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Debra Kloeppel Wotiz is principal of Rising Tides, Inc., a Message Strategy and
Management firm that works with a wide range of clients to develop business-focused communication and marketing strategies
that have defined and measured outcomes. She has worked in marketing and public relations for over 20 years and along the
way has worked with Fortune 50 companies, Madison Avenue advertising agencies, large regional businesses, government agencies,
municipalities, real estate developers and numerous political candidates.
Debra has served on the Boards of the local Leukemia
Society, the Next Step Scholarship Foundation, and Duval County Republicans. She is former Chair of the Jacksonville Urban
League and the Ponte Vedra Republican Women’s Club and continues to be a vocal force in the expansion of the area’s early
education and literacy programs.
She has been personally touched by the fight against
cancer and was deeply moved by Michelle’s love for her family in time of crisis. She now recognizes the powerful collaboration
that will transcend the energy of the Paul family through the Linda’s Legacy Foundation and hopes she can contribute to the
meaningful outreach that can be accomplished in this community.
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Nancy Palmer
Executive Director |
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Nancy Palmer A graduate of Flagler College in St. Augustine, Nancy recently returned
to the area from San Diego, California, where her husband Bo was stationed with the U.S. Navy. She is a proud stay-at-home
mother of two beautiful children, Jackson and Caroline.
Nancy previously worked with Michelle as her business
partner and financial advisor at Morgan Stanley in Ponte Vedra Beach and is a close personal friend. She has served on the
board of the Beaches Fine Arts Series in Jacksonville as well as the Ronald McDonald House Discovery Board. She is a former
committee member for the Ronald McDonald House McGala, the major annual fundraiser for the local Jacksonville house.
Just days after joining the Linda's Legacy Foundation,
Nancy learned that her own older sister was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. With a newfound commitment in the fight against
cancer, she is proud to work with the foundation and honor Linda's memory.
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Toni Skeeles-Jones
Director of Community Outreach |
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Toni Jones is the proud daughter of Linda, who desires to reach out and comfort others
who are or have dealt with this tragic disease. She is also the proud mother of a very active 3yr old, "BJ". As Linda's only
grandchild, he was a vital part of Linda's life, especially her last four months. Toni is a Credit Manager for Auto Credit
of Florida and a dedicated member of New Life Christian Fellowship.
Toni was very close to her mother and says "only
by the Lord's strength have I been able to deal with my mother loss so well." Is has been a tough journey for the family but
Toni knows that GOOD has been birthed from her loss. The relationship between Toni, her grandmother, and her Aunt Michelle
since her mother's death is just one of the blessings among many. She hopes that through this tournament "a tournament of
Love" that not only will money be raised to fight this disease but unity and relationships will be built in the community
which will help bring support to those in need
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Susan LeMasters
Honorary Board Member |
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Susan LeMaster is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and the owner of Financial
FACTS Services, Inc., a financial services firm that specializes in helping families arrive at equitable divorce settlements.
She has worked in the financial services industry for 24 years, has lived in Ponte Vedra since 1988, and is the single mother
of a 7 year old daughter, Emily.
Susan believes that the best way to overcome life’s most difficult obstacles is to DO SOMETHING to make it better for someone
in the same situation. She became a CDFA and started her company to combine her personal divorce experience with her professional
expertise to help families through the difficult process of divorce. Susan is an active volunteer in the community with her
two primary commitments being breast cancer and domestic violence. She is a Betty Griffin House Board Member and a founder
of ShowGirls which supports the Rita Foundation.
In 2007, Michelle and Susan met for the first time to discuss their respective businesses. They quickly realized they had
a very close connection through many mutual friends, business associates, and surprisingly Michelle’s sister Linda. When Susan
learned about Michelle’s plans for the Linda’s Legacy Foundation, an immediate respect and friendship developed. Although
a novice to tennis, Susan signed on as an honorary board member and agreed to work diligently to help with Linda’s Legacy
because “Michelle epitomizes my philosophy of DO SOMETHING by her commitment to start a foundation to increase awareness of
lung cancer among women in honor of her late sister Linda.”
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Toni Crawford
Honorary Board Member |
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Toni Crawford, of Jacksonville, serves on the School Readiness Coalition and is currently
the chairperson of the Jacksonville Children’s Commission. In that capacity, and in conjunction with the University of North
Florida (UNF), she has worked on improving school readiness in Duval County. Ms. Crawford received her Associate in Arts degree
from Florida Community College in 1976. She is also a registered nurse. Ms. Crawford was originally appointed to the UNF Board
of Trustees by Governor Bush from June 18, 2003 until January 6, 2006. She has been reappointed from January 7, 2006 until
January 6, 2011.
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Sherri Feldman
Marketing Director |
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Sherri Feldman,is a graduate of Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where she earned a
B.S. in Physical Education. While in school, she was a multi-sport collegiate athlete. After college, Sherri became an ACE
Certified Personal Trainer, and worked as a manager of a Wall Street health club for 8 years. Excelling in sales, she moved
on to become a Money Market Broker in Wall Street catering to large banks and institutions for over 15 years.
After successful careers in New York, Sherri, and her husband, Larry, moved to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where they currently
reside with their two children, Brianna and Bryce. Professionally, Sherri conducts Speed and Agility programs at Five Star
Physical Therapy. Also, Sherri provides private, personal training sessions and coaches several local youth teams. Sherri
is an avid tennis player, and is a member of the Marsh Landing Country Club A1 Tennis Team. As a participant in the 2007
Linda’s Legacy Tournament, Sherri met Michelle and immediately realized that she wanted to become involved in this wonderful
organization. Personally, Sherri has lost two brothers and both parents to cardiovascular disease, and cancer has touched
many of her friends’ lives. Such loss makes her committed to helping others who face devastating diseases. Through the game
of tennis, Sherri feels that raising money for the cure of Lung Cancer is an excellent way to contribute to the cause, and
to unify the community in awareness. Sherri is honored to become a member of the Linda’s Legacy Foundation.
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