Jay Ganaden

San Francisco - established March 25th, 2008

In typical new-agey, west coast fashion, Jay found himself considering the questions of legacy and altruism in light of becoming a new father. With a interesting conjunction of events, Flashes of Hope helped answer those questions. In early 2007, Jay, a commercial photographer, was photographing an annual report for the Northern California Cancer Center, his first foray into the workings of a non-profit. It was successful, raising the profile of NCCC with good illustrative portraits of their researchers, but it was also a true feel-good project for Jay, as these images would indirectly support the growth of funds and work to fight cancer.
In the middle of the NCCC project, Jay learned about Flashes of Hope. Jay found that there was no local chapter, and decided to open his own. The San Francisco Chapter officially opened in March 2008 with UCSF Children's Hospital. Jay and his amazing wife Cindy, have a beautiful daughter Ava Blu, a snugly Boston Terrier Penny, and together live in the sunny hills of Oakland. In addition to running a commercial photography studio, Jay also teaches at Academy of Art University, and serves on the Board of AIGA San Francisco. Jay is sincerely honored to be part of Flashes of Hope, and secretly hopes that his achievements with it will help his mom get over the idea that he's not a doctor.