Parsons’ Passion: A decade of difference-making for Wolfson Women’s Board
As executive director of The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Sally Parsons loved taking donors and volunteers on tours of the hospital — no two were ever the same, she said, and she could never plan what would happen during any of them.
A Christmastime visit with a patient named Jake is foremost in her memory.
“I was taking a group of donors on a tour of the oncology floor and a young patient approached me in elf pajamas and asked who I was, he said I looked important,” Parsons said. “I bent down to let him know I wasn’t the important one, it was he who was important and that the group of men with me were donating funds to the hospital to help children like him get better.”
Parsons said the young boy ran over to the nurses’ station and grabbed a Post-it note and wrote “Nice — Donors” on it and placed it on a pole showcasing names of either naughty or nice individuals. The donors were pleased to see they’d made the nice list.
“They were all blown away and asked to whom they should make out the check!” Parsons said, adding Florida Forum speaker and actor Bryan Cranston met Jake during a subsequent tour of the hospital facilities. “He entertained the whole group and will be in my heart forever; God had another plan, and he is now an angel watching over all of us. Whenever I had a difficult day, I would just take a walk in that hospital and see firsthand what a difference we were making in the lives of these children and their families — I knew everything we were doing was worth every minute!”
The children served by Wolfson Children’s Hospital have always been at the heart of Parsons’ successful leadership of The Women’s Board, a role that she has relinquished after 10 highly effective and professionally satisfying years. Parsons announced her retirement from the Board this spring.
“Sally’s deep love for the children of Wolfson Children’s Hospital is evident in her dedication and support of The Women’s Board and its mission,” said Kendra McCrary, 2023-24 president of The Women’s Board. “Sally played a critical role in the successes of the last ten years including the completion of our $4 million pledge to the NICU endowment.”
Parsons has been director of The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital since July 2013 and has helped lead the all-volunteer organization through several big challenges including a transition to a new computer system, all the while running the office and organizing events.
McCrary said from the beginning of her tenure, Parsons learned all she could about the mission and advocacy work that happens at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and never missed an opportunity to share her knowledge.
“Sally is a tireless advocate for the children and embodies the spirit of The Women’s Board through her compassion for others and understanding of the vital role of donors and volunteers to this mission,” McCrary said. “She has been a dedicated, hard worker and it was not uncommon for her to be the first one in the office in the morning and the last one to leave in the evening.
Parsons said it is this spirit — particularly the kind modeled by Board founder and late philanthropist Ellen Cavert — that drew her to the position nearly a decade ago.
“This work is the vision of one woman more than 50 years ago who lost her granddaughter at Wolfson Children’s Hospital due to lack of equipment at the time which could have saved her life — that family was changed forever,” Parsons said. “Ellen Cavert was truly a visionary and didn’t want another family to suffer due to a lack of medical equipment. She set out on a mission to create an incredible group of leaders to raise awareness and funds for our beloved Wolfson and as a result, The Women’s Board was created! The funds raised during the past 50 years have saved countless families. She taught me one person can change the world — we can make a difference by following our passions!”
San Marco native Parsons, a third generation “Landonian” (Landon Junior High School) and Wolfson High School graduate who raised three children in Ortega Forest, said the Executive Director work at The Women’s Board was her fourth career in Jacksonville. She graduated from Florida State University with a degree in fashion merchandising and was training to become a buyer when she left to be a flight attendant for five years. After seeing the world by plane, she landed back in Northeast Florida to begin a for 26-year career with the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville.
“My entire family lives here so I knew I wanted to be in Jacksonville and raise a family here where everyone is friendly,” Parsons said. She is the oldest of four children and the only girl. Her mother, Sissy Barker, graduated from Landon and taught at Hendricks Avenue Elementary School for 24 years. “My family is close, and we all live here – I definitely consider myself a hometown girl!”
Just as the sweet spirit drew Parsons to her work at The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, so did the love of family draw Parsons to her new life chapter of retirement. She looks forward to enjoying and spending time with her family and extended family — including three grandchildren in St. Johns County and her new husband, whom she married just one year ago after being single for more than 22 years.
“We both love to travel so on our first wedding anniversary he looked at me and said, ‘ok I’m not getting any younger and I want to travel and we can’t do that with your work schedule.’ I asked him what he had in mind, and he replied, ‘Africa in the fall.’ As much as I loved my career I couldn’t say no to that! So, we are planning our Safari in October,” Parsons said. The couple also is planning travel to London, East Africa and Turkey.
Despite the exciting travel plans and family togetherness on the horizon, Parsons said she continues to feel honored by her board work and career.
“The Women’s Board is an incredible, dynamic group of professional women who are passionate about children’s health in our region,” Parsons said. “I am honored and so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with them for the past 10 years. I know they will continue to be successful in all ways the children need. I am so proud of the work we accomplished together and the most important legacy for me personally is that I can drive by that beautiful new Borowy Tower and show it to my grandchildren and tell them that I made a difference in the lives of children and helped them become who they were meant to be. That was and will remain my passion.”
As to when The Women’s Board will select a new director, McCrary said the group is in the process of hiring Parsons’ replacement and underscored how the director plays a critical role in supporting Board volunteers and working with the hospital.
“From the beginning of her tenure, Sally learned all she could about the mission and advocacy work that happens at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and never missed an opportunity to share her knowledge,” McCrary said. “We wish Sally the very best in her retirement and hope to see her at future Women’s Board events, where she can just relax and enjoy!”
By Susanna P. Barton
Resident Community News
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