Susan Twining

Each week the Cape Coral Breeze will feature a leader within the business community — public sector, private sector, or non-profit — asking a dozen questions that focus on the person and the business in which they hold a leadership role.

Bio:

Name: Susan Twining

Position: President of Cape Coral Hospital Auxiliary

Company or organization: Lee Health

Contact information: 440-864-9088

Your business at a glance:

What you do: I serve as Auxiliary president with an executive board of 14, which provides volunteer services for Cape Coral Hospital, approximately 600 volunteers, and provides financial funding requests from the hospital.

Unique niche: Our Auxiliary has given over $400,000-$500,000 every year to Cape Coral Hospital by requests from all departments throughout the hospital.

Bragging rights: We are able to donate $200,000 to the Golisano Children’s Hospital campaign and provide $55,000 toward nursing scholarships ever year for continuing education. Our auxiliary also has provided free swimming lessons to the children attending the Child Development Center associated with Cape Coral Hospital.

Where you see your business in five years: To continue to grow our three businesses that the Auxiliary owns — the Purple Polo Thrift Shop, the Coral Tree Hospital Gift Shop and the Cape Coral Uniform Store. We also share a partnership with Scooters Coffee.

About you:

Describe yourself in one word: Driven

Hero, role model or mentor: My father, who has passed away, who would take risks in business, was an entrepreneur and would always tell me, “You’ve got this.”

Person you’d most like to meet: I would have liked to have met my great-grandfather from the Ukraine, with whom I could discuss my lineage.

Book that changed your life: “A Child Called It,” by David Pelzer.

Best business advice you’ve ever received: My former boss, who was associate superintendent when I worked for the school district, told me, “Sue, your passion may not be someone else’s passion, but your job is to convince them otherwise.”

Biggest risk you ever taken: Going back to college in my 40s and completing another degree in social work.

Personal passion: I serve as a Guardian Ad Litem for Lee County Courts and I wish I could serve more children who are neglected and abused within our county.

Guilty pleasure: Traveling to Europe, visiting family and friends throughout the U.S. and I love entertaining at my home.