17: Jen Andruzzi, Joe Andruzzi Foundation

Extra/Ordinary Small Business

There are over 1.5 million registered nonprofits in the United States alone. And just like the world of business, nonprofits come in many shapes and sizes. While profit may not be a driving force when it comes to many nonprofits, there are many similarities between small businesses and small nonprofits, from living your passion to people management to planning for the future. Today we will touch on many of those topics with Jen Andruzzi, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation. In 2007, Jen’s husband, former New England Patriots three-time Super Bowl-winning offensive guard Joe Andruzzi, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt’s lymphoma, ending his football career. Joe would go on to beat the disease, and he remains cancer-free today, but a new passion grew from his own battle: helping less-fortunate patients and their families. After witnessing first-hand the stress cancer can cause, Jen and Joe formed the Joe Andruzzi Foundation to help cancer patients and their families meet life’s day-to-day challenges.