The  We Cancerve Movement, Inc.

We Cancerve’s legacy is, without question, making an indelible mark on the communities it serves. To date, she’s helped the nonprofit donate more than 15,000 breakfast and brunch bags to children experiencing food insecurity; more than 5,000 pairs of socks, 1,100 dental kits and 3,100 ‘Scentsational’ toiletries kits to children experiencing homelessness; and 4,900 Easter ‘Bagskits’ and goodie bags to hospitalized children and children living in foster care group homes and homeless shelters. Camp Happy, a free summer enrichment day camp for children experiencing homelessness she created at age 10 in 2015 expanded to three transitional housing programs for homeless families by 2018.  In summer 2019, Camp Happy expanded to include a foster care group home, and by 2020, the program expanded to reach students enrolled in Title I schools. Virtual Camp Happy, introduced during Covid-19, reached youth throughout America and as far as India.

Today, Camp Happy programming is most-often requested as a series of one-day events, which best serve transient communities We Cancerve targets.   

 

La Magnifique Boutique, a free full-service boutique she created at age 11 offers modern, quality attire and accessories for teen girls living in a Bel Air, MD foster care group home. It’s served more than 300 girls to date, including 20 current residents. The We Cancerve Pediatric Patient Assistance Fund she opened in 2016 has raised nearly $40,000 to help families of critically-ill children at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. By 2019, she opened six children’s libraries, including two in low-income communities, and at the end of her high school junior year in 2022, she opened the We Cancerve Threads of Hope Clothing Closet at a Title I community school in Aberdeen, MD.

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She has been awarded more than $181,000 in national and global prizes for her service work. She’s been featured in several children's media, including Black  Girls Unbossed, Compassionate Kids:  A Children's Book about Kindness and Love, Cartoon Network, and Wonder Crate.

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Grace is currently completing her sophomore year at Howard University as a member of the inaugural class of the Humanities & Social Sciences Scholars Program. Grace sits on the Board of Directors of Music United and is an inaugural member of Give Kids the World's Youth Council. She's involved with several campus organizations, volunteers at Georgetown University and mentors youth at DC Dream Center. ​

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She is the daughter of Tanya “T’Jae” Gibson Ellis and Theodore Ellis, Jr., and Winston Callwood, and loving grandchild of NeAnni Y. Ife. She is the youngest of six siblings.

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We Cancerve is the recipient of the following awards and recognition: 

2024, Baltimore Orioles' Birdland Community Hero 

2023, Honor Rows, M&T Bank, The Baltimore Ravens and the Governor's Office on Service an Volunteerism

2023, Sodexo Foundation Stephen J. Brady Fight Hunger Grant

2021, Ravens Community Quarterback Award

2020, Honor Rows Special Spotlight, Baltimore Ravens & WJZ CBS 13

2019, Honor Rows, M&T Bank, the Baltimore Ravens and the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism
2018, We Organization/Allstate Foundation Microgrant

2018, Youth Leadership Award, Harford Family House 

2017, Honor Rows, M&T Bank, the Baltimore Ravens and the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism

2016, Honor Rows, M&T Bank, the Baltimore Ravens and the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism

2016, Start a Snowball Foundation Grant Recipient

2016, Karma for Cara Foundation Microgrant Recipient 

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Grace's individual honors, awards and special recognition include: 

2024, Children's Cancer Foundation HERO Award

2023, Hormel Foods 10 Under 20 Food Hero Alumni Honoree
2023, Stephen J. Brady Fight Hunger Scholar

2022, Baltimore Magazine GameChanger  

2022, AFRO Activist, Queens of the Movement list  

2021, Ravens Community Quarterback Honoree

2020, Youth to the Front Fund "Frontliner" Honoree

2020, Hormel Foods 10 Under 20 Food Heroes Honoree 

2020, Reader's Digest Young Women Who Are About to Make History​

2020, Cartoon Network's "Drawn To" Special Series

2019, CNN Young Wonder

2019, World of Children Youth Award Honoree 

2019, Wonder Crate Kid of the Month

2019, Gloria Barron Prize Winner for Young Heroes

2019, Carson Scholar

2019, Get Doing Award, WE Day Baltimore

2019, Women of Tomorrow Winner (7th & 8th Grade category), Harford County, Maryland

2019, Black History Month Hero, WBAL (NBC) TV 11

2019, William Donald Schaefer Award, Maryland Comptroller's Office

2019, MLK Justice Fighter: AFRO Newspaper

2018, Black History Month Community Leaders Award, State of Maryland*

2017, State of Maryland's Youth Award Recipient

2017, Citizen of the Year, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Second District

2017, Harford County NAACP Youth of the Year Award

2016, Citizen of the Year, Iota Nu Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity*

2016, NICKELODEON HALO Awards Honoree

2016, Champion for Children and Youth Award Recipient, Harford County government

2016, Hyundai Hero of Hope

2016, Ambassador, Giant Foods' Pediatric Cancer Program

2015, Fellow, Peace First 

2015, Harford's Most Beautiful Person Honoree*

2014, Association of Fundraising Professionals Maryland Chapter Youth Award

2014, Kohl's Scholarship (local) Recipient 

2014, generationOn Hasbro Community Action Hero semi-finalist

2013, “Making a Difference Award” receipient, Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary*

(* denotes the youngest or first person under age 18 to receive the award or recognition)

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A highly-requested speaker, Grace has enjoyed the following  major speaking engagements: 

2024, I You We Matter Symposium, Harford County Department of Health, Abingdon, MD

2024, Watson Institute Impact Series Lecturer on Social Entrepreneurship, Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL

2023, Chick Fil-A Leader  Academy Keynote Speaker

2023, Envisions by Worldstride National Young Scholars Program Keynote Speaker

2022, Rooted Bible Fellowship Church Youth Sunday Guest (Testimonial) Speaker, Edgewood, MD

2022, Aberdeen Middle School Presidential Awards Dinner & Ceremony Keynote, Aberdeen, MD

2022, Red Pump Elementary School, Black History Month Speaker, Journey as a Changemaker

2022, Garrison Forest School, Teen Activism Speaker

2022, Dance With Me Studio, Guest Speaker, Journey as a Changemaker

2021, Harford Day School Lower School Guest Speaker

2020, Seven Bridges School 5th Grade Social Studies Cluster Virtual Guest Speaker, Chappaqua, NY

2020, St. Mary's Church, Sunday School Special Guest Speaker, Abingdon, MD

2020, Garrison Forest School Service-Learning Special Assembly, Owings Mills, MD

2020, Harford County Branch of the NAACP Martin Luther King, Jr., Prayer Breakfast Speaker, Havre de Grace, MD​

2019, Service-Learning Cluster Guest Speaker, Joppatowne Elementary School, Joppatowne, MD

2019, 40th Anniversary Luncheon for the Harford County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Belcamp, MD

2019, Service Learning Class Cluster Assembly, Southampton Middle School, Bel Air, MD

2019, Ames United Methodist Church, Youth Sunday Speaker, Bel Air, MD

2018, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., District Citizen of the Year Recipient, Rye Brook, NY

2018, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Women’s Day Speaker, Dayton, OH

2018, WE Day Baltimore, Keynote Speaker, Baltimore, MD

2018, Karma for Cara Fundraising Event, Keynote Speaker, Jupiter, FL

2018, Vacation Bible School Conclusion Ceremony, Guest Speaker, Glen Mar, MD

2018, Peace First Summit, Keynote Speaker, New York, NY

2018, Peace First/ Football Hall of Fame Youth Accelerator, Guest Speaker, Canton, OH

2018, Hope for the Homeless, Inc., Hotcakes for the Homeless Annual Guest Speaker, Harford County, MD

2018, City College of New York Youth Education Summit, Keynote Speaker, Manhattan, NY

2017, Southampton Middle School Marathon of Achievement Dinner, Keynote Speaker, Bel Air, MD

2017, Chesapeake Professional Women’s Network, Luncheon Keynote Speaker, Bulle Rock, MD

2017, Magnolia Middle School, Honors Assembly Guest Speaker, Edgewood, MD

2017, Harford County Public Library, Summer Lecture Series Speaker, Harford County, MD

2017, American Federation of Teachers, Keynote Speaker, Washington, DC

2017, Association for Fundraising Professionals, Youth Award Presenter, Baltimore, MD

2017, Iota Nu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Citizen of the Year Recipient, Aberdeen, MD

2016, Allstate Good Starts Young/Peace First Rally, Workshop facilitator, Chicago, IL

2016, NICKELODEON HALO Awards, National television, New York City, NY

2016, LASOS Summer Camp, Guest Speaker, Bel Air, MD

2016, Mentoring Matters Conference-Youth Day, Long Island University CW Post, Long Island, NY

2016, Ahold, Inc./Giant Food Corporate Luncheon, Ambassador/Guest Speaker, Greenbelt, MD

2016, Aberdeen City Council Meeting, Community Response, Aberdeen, MD

2015, Peace First Fellow Gathering, BrainTrust, New York, NY

2015, Community Foundation of Harford County Fundraising Breakfast, Keynote Speaker, Bel Air, MD

2014, Mount Gilead United Methodist Church, Youth Sunday Speaker, Reisterstown, MD 

2012, Association for Fundraising Professionals, Philanthropy Day, Award Recipient, Baltimore, MD