Candy Elkind is the Philanthropy Officer at St. Anthony Summit Hospital Foundation, located in Frisco, Colorado, part of Centura Health—the largest health care provider in Colorado and Kansas. Candy has been in this role since fall 2018. She has lived in Summit County, Colorado since February 2013, but hails from Philadelphia.
Candy has more than 26 years of fundraising, development, marketing and non-profit management experience. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Spanish/Political Science from one the few remaining women’s colleges on the east coast, Cedar Crest College. In 2001, she received her Masters’ in Non-Profit Management from the University of Pennsylvania and in 2005, an additional Masters in Fundraising and Development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. In 2017, she also received her executive certification from the Institute of Leaders in Development, University of Denver. Her thirst for knowledge is endless and her passion for supporting the health care community is never-ending.
Prior to working with St. Anthony Summit Hospital Foundation, Candy had her own fundraising/consulting business, CLE Development, LLC. She has helped dozens of non-profits throughout Colorado, in Summit County, Boulder and Denver, raising funds for specific programs and services, grant fundraising, annual giving, and special event support. Her specialty is connecting people to their passions and in this effort she has helped raise millions of dollars during her 26-year career.
In graduate school, Candy’s nickname became, “Candy the Connector”. This holds true to this day. This is her legacy, but more importantly, she is helping those in need. In May 2020, Candy lost her 91-year old mother to complications from COVID-19. Six weeks later she lost her older sister to a drug overdose. She knows first-hand the importance of behavioral and mental health support from her own personal loss. This is near and dear to her heart, and what drives her in her career as a fundraising professional.