Building this website/newsletter has been difficult, and the prospect of creating something that resonates with people has felt murky, at best. I've been a pessimist for most of my life and skeptical about my chances of making it as a writer since the sixth grade, when a teacher told me I never would.
What has kept me going is the idea that I could leverage my "talent" to make a positive impact by giving back or at least, spreading some laughter. If that happens, I must be doing something right.
The philanthropy of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates has been a real source of inspiration for me, and it's a big part of what I'm trying to build with The Pinnacle: generating wealth in order to give more back. So far, the investment stories I've shared read more like confessions of trauma but soon, these pages will be filled with tales of success that resulted from the stocks I've written about (hopefully).
That's the optimist in me showing up.
With all of that in mind, I'm launching a Charity Spotlight series, and there was really only one place to start. Promoting Love is Bald feels like the perfect place to start, as the people running it are amazing and there is a strong personal connection.
What is Love is Bald?
Love is Bald is a Wilmington-based nonprofit focused on supporting and uplifting individuals affected by cancer. As their mission page puts it, they work to make a tangible difference in the lives of those navigating the challenges of cancer.
The organization was founded by Kelli Russell, Allen Williford, and a close-knit group of friends who turned personal loss into purposeful action. I was lucky enough to meet Kelli years ago because her husband RJ played volleyball at Captain Bill's with my dear friend Amy Cromartie.
I've attended many of their fundraisers over the years. The Love is Bald Fashion Show, the Lo Tide Run, and the Chili Cook-Off were always my favorites. I've wanted to play in their golf tournament for years, but my game is not exactly up to par.
Honoring Amy Cromartie
I met Amy as a freshman at North Carolina State University (NC State), and she eventually married my childhood friend, who is more like a brother. She was an extremely warm, caring person who lost a long battle to cancer.
Amy was a loyal, trusted friend who I miss every day. She always had a smile to share and was an unwavering source of support. When Love is Bald hosted a volleyball tournament in her honor in September of 2025, it was especially moving.
The flyer they created for the event captured exactly who she was, and I couldn't have said it better myself.
Love is Bald volleyball tournament honoring Amy Cromartie in North Carolina
The bees on that flyer are no accident. Amy was a certified beekeeper. She helped people design beehives, relocate bees, and sold incredible local honey. Her work with the bees was genuinely inspiring to me, and it became the subject of the first article I ever published under my own name, after years of working strictly as a copywriter and ghostwriter.
Amy was never one to dwell on things and she was a lot of fun to be around. And in the spirit of this site's commitment to honesty about my own failures and shortcomings, I have to share the story of how Amy and I traveled to see a concert with two other friends.
The four of us drove from Raleigh, North Carolina to Boone, North Carolina to see a concert, about three hours each way. Amy volunteered to drive. She was from a small town and never locked her car when she stepped into a store.
Amy also liked to leave her car running so it was ready to go. What tripped us up is that I was raised on the "mean streets" of Greensboro, North Carolina, where anything that isn't bolted down tends to disappear.
I bring that up as an explainer for why, after she went into the store, I locked the keys in the car with it running two different times in three hours. What can I say? I thought I was helping.
The point in sharing is that it shows what kind of person she was—trusting, quick to laugh things off, forgive and move on. Amy's loss will always be painful, but her spirit lives on in the relationships she built, her wonderful family, and the positive impact she made on this community.
More from The Pinnacle
Read the article on the legendary philanthropist Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree profile. She turned wealth into purpose and made philanthropy an art form. The story of Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree is one you won't forget.
Love is Bald is exactly the kind of story that inspired the Female Power Players series, women who build something meaningful. Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree donated millions, ran an aerospace company into her 90s, and still volunteered at a soup kitchen every week. She's just the beginning. Read the Female Power Players series introduction.
New here? Read about The Pinnacle to learn what this newsletter is about.
How to Help
Love is Bald runs on donations and community support. If this story resonates with you, please consider giving directly to the organization: Donate to Love is Bald.
If you'd like to support The Pinnacle so I can keep producing content like this, you can buy me a coffee. It keeps the lights on and the stories coming.
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