Helping cure pediatric cancer through music
BOARD MEMBERS
LUMA is comprised of professionals from the greater Seattle area who have come together with a common goal: to improve the lives of families with children going through treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital
Mateo Messina
Guild Founder & President
Grammy winning composer Mateo Messina’s distinct, moving, and often quirky musical voice has graced Oscar-winning films, indie hits, and popular television alike. As well as volunteering writing songs with patients in the hospital playroom, he has composed over 20 symphonies to benefit families at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Mateo founded LUMA in 2005 to make a positive difference in the lives of families with kids going through treatment at the hospital. He is an accomplished performer, a unique storyteller, a seasoned recording artist, an innovative composer, and a dependable man of his business. His two favorite sounds in the world are the orchestra tuning and children’s laughter.
Kids are Mateo’s favorite people on the planet. He’s always been able to relate well to kids. This is why volunteering in the playroom at the hospital came so naturally to him. His passion for families at the hospital is what guided him to lead this group. Mateo is passionate about supporting uncompensated care and research at Children’s because this fund changes people’s lives for the better. These families are undoubtedly going through some of the hardest times in their lives, particularly when their kids are battling severe cancers, and uncompensated care is the real deal; it relieves families of some of the burden.
Mateo’s three words to describe the concert:
Enchanting. Fun. A Big Community.
Sarah Gibbons
Vice Chair
A LUMA member since 2005, Sarah is a jack of all trades. A pioneer in the digital media world, where she worked for corporate giants for more than 15 years, she is also a wife, a mother of three boys and founder of Conscious Working Mama (a global coaching practice). She walks her talk, and leads with wisdom, inspiring others to do the same within LUMA. She’s volunteered in almost every role and is able to jump in the trenches to get the work done, while also serving as a visionary on the leadership team. Sarah brings a wealth of fundraising, marketing and people skills to LUMA, making her one of the go-to veterans on the team.
Sarah’s story: The way in which I became a member of LUMA is a funny story. A friend had invited me to the concert in 2004. I left the concert with my arm hair on edge. I had never seen anything so jaw-droopingly beautiful and inspiring. I knew immediately that I had to be involved with the concert. But as life usually has it, things got busy and time passed. A few months later I was at the Sundance Film Festival and bumped into Mateo. I introduced myself and told him that I had to be a part of his group. I ended up chairing tickets that year. Fast forward a few years I had moved to Europe for a couple of years, and was heartbroken to be away from LUMA. When I was moving back, the Vice President role was open, and Mateo kindly offered it up. It’s been a wild ride. I’ve made some incredible friends and helped fundraise over $1 million for SCH.
Sarah’s three words to describe the concert:
Magical. Imaginative. Electrifying.
Martha Belmont
Marketing
Passionate about volunteering and fundraising, Martha has over twenty years’ experience with various organizations (the Junior League of Seattle, Mary’s Place, Jubilee Women’s Center and Treehouse – to name a few), and over 6 years working with LUMA. Martha has degrees in Marketing and Public Relations and has been a Residential Real Estate Broker for ten years. In her roles as Marketing Manager, Sponsorship Manager and as Vice President of LUMA, she has been able to her to use her professional and creative skills for a cause that is very near to her heart.
Working with LUMA is inspiring to her because the work touches so many families who are going through the worst fight of their lives. Martha is most passionate about supporting uncompensated care and research at Children’s Hospital because she feels strongly that the last thing a family should have to worry about, when they have a sick child is how they will pay for the care. To Martha, the focus needs to be on the healing of the child, and with this fund, exactly that is accomplished. In a guild that also supports research, the more money raised, the closer we are to finding cures and treatments for these illnesses that can give these children the time they need to live out their childhoods, and just be a kid.
Martha’s three words to describe the concert:
Inspiring. Unique. Amazing.
Julianna Flanders
Digital Communications
Julianna is a design and communications expert with over 8 years of experience whose work can be seen in organizations across Pierce and King County. Her expertise lies in marketing, website production, and graphic design: using those skills to assist brands to organically connect with their audience.
Julianna first got involved with LUMA Guild in 2008, starting out as a backstage production volunteer for the concert as she volunteered alongside her family.
Julianna’s three words to describe the concert:
Magical. Inspiring. Unforgettable.
Sig Gustafsson
Design
Sig, a Seattle native who now calls Lake Tapps his home, relishes the moment when he happens upon brilliant design. “Great design can take on many different forms; visual design, music and performing arts,” says Sig, “and when those elements come together, something very special happens.”
Collaborating alongside Mateo Messina and the LUMA Guild gives Sig the opportunity to work with both his creative passions; human connection and visual design. Having three boys of his own, Sig understands the precious gift that life brings to each and every one of us, and when you can combine that gift with memorable experiences, usually great outcomes follow.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel,” Maya Angelou once said. To Sig, her words are reminiscent of a LUMA concert. Sig says “you’ll leave different than you arrived.”
Sig’s three words to describe the concert:
Authentic. Memorable. Illuminating.
An Huynh
CRM + Events
An is inspired to volunteer with LUMA because she loves giving back. It fills her heart with happiness and gratitude to be involved with such a great cause as Children’s Hospital.
An has spent much of her time working with orphans in Vietnam and foster kids in in SF/LA…she believes the world’s goodness is fueled by children and wants to help make their lives easier in any way she can. She also loves music. An grew up playing the piano and violin, and knows first-hand how much music can impact lives. An is passionate about supporting uncompensated care and research at Children’s Hospital because it saves lives.
An’s three words to describe the concert:
Illuminating. Magical. Giving.
Jennifer Jewell
Production
Jennifer has been a member of LUMA since 2007. She brings organization, humor, problem solving, and event planning know-how. She was an executive assistant at Weyerhaeuser Company for 10 years.
Jennifer’s inspiration for this work is all about the children. She loves that the whole production is accomplished by volunteers. Although everyone is busy, they take time out from their lives to produce this fantastic annual benefit concert. Her husband and both daughters also volunteer night of. It is something their whole family looks forward to each year.
Jennifer loves the energy and dynamics of LUMA. She’s blown away each year by the patient musician and their families. She’s inspired and humbled especially when meeting the families of the patient musicians. The support and love they not only give to the patient, but also receive during this trial they are currently undergoing is what inspires her the most. Jennifer is passionate about supporting uncompensated care and research at Children’s Hospital because in addition to being a patient herself, her oldest daughter, and sister, have also been patients at Seattle Children’s. Jennifer’s first husband died from a cancer that he developed as a child. Research is vital to a cure.
Jennifer’s three words to describe the concert:
Amazing. Inspiring. Unique.
Veronica Larson
Volunteer Engagement + Events
Veronica is a passionate volunteer around the world and teaches children’s and special needs yoga. She has served several non profits as Communications and Events Director. Additionally, Veronica has spent years as a Campaign Manager for United Way fundraising and building relationships between companies, their employees and community programs. Her events have created opportunities for young adults to connect with their philanthropic passions and bring in funding that support critical services.
Veronica loves kids and believes it is imperative to fund research on the diseases that pose threats to children as well as support the Uncompensated Care Fund which allows families to focus solely on the care and healing of their child.
She describes volunteering with LUMA as a privilege and enjoys working with the group’s talented and big-hearted volunteers on events that benefit such an incredible cause.
Veronica’s Mantra: Allow the way to your great works to be guided by your service to others.
Veronica’s three words to describe the concert:
Touching. Inspirational. Brilliant.
Jose Moreno
Public Relations
Jose Moreno is a public relations specialist with a thirst for the unimaginable. A veteran of Network TV, with stints in sports and world-record breaking events, Jose is the PR Pro that will keep you engaged while keeping you abreast of new mediums and will do so while packaging fun and professionalism.
Born in Anaheim, CA. Jose attended college in Los Angeles and Seattle, before working his way through various stops around the globe. It is that global journey that helps Jose draw from his experiences and allows him to relate to individuals of all walks of life.
On top of his PR expertise, Jose also delves in photography and can often be found on the sidelines at some of the region’s biggest events. A self-taught photographer, Jose has been able to attend World Cup’s, World Series Finals, MLS Cup Finals as well as CONCACAF Events, including the Gold Cup.
For LUMA Guild, Jose works alongside Mateo on publicity efforts for LUMA Guild and is passionate about the work and research done at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
When not volunteering, Jose can be found complaining about meetings and recovering from Zoom Fatigue, he is allergic to meetings.
Jose’s three words to describe the concert:
Community. Art. Love.
Toby Turlay
Tickets
Toby Turlay is a former Medical Device Rep turned Winemaker. She and her husband, Chris Dukelow, founded their winery in a single bay of their Issaquah garage in 2013. After raising their blended family of six kids, they moved their winery to the Walla Walla Valley and planted a small vineyard. Besides making wines, Toby enjoys her flock of chickens and working on their 1921 farmhouse.
From the first LUMA concert, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be involved in such a creative and worthy cause. Handling group tickets allows me flexibility to help from the other side of the mountains. Every year, I’m amazed at the creativity and gathering of so many wonderful people! It’s so heartwarming to see so many people come together from all over the world to support Seattle Children’s and Fred Hutch.
Toby’s three words to describe the concert:
Transformative. Impactful. Indescribable.
Cindy Parks
Raffle
Starting out as a raffle ticket seller, Cindy was hooked on the concert and the cause after her first year. Cindy is in sales for a commercial printing company and loves networking and putting the right people together for the right reason. Cindy has helped with many non profit’s fund raising events.
Cindy’s journey with the concert began when her company president was on the LUMA board and recruited a few employees to sell raffle tickets in 2008. After the first concert, she knew she had to continue helping. After selling raffle tickets for 4 years and involving her sister and best friend, Cindy became the raffle chair. Now she and her posse recruit around 40 volunteers to sell tickets the night of the concert. It’s always a bit of chaos and a lot of fun.
Cindy has 2 grown sons and 2 grandchildren. They have been blessed with good health but knows there are many not so fortunate. Children’s Hospital’s uncompensated fund is so important – no parent should have to worry about their finances when their child is in sick. The breakthroughs in research have been amazing and brought new hope to countless families. “It makes my heart happy to help these children get well and get back to being healthy kids”.
Cindy’s three words to describe the concert:
Inspiring. Joyful. Unforgettable.
Marion Richards
Treasurer
Marion is originally from South Africa, but moved to Seattle 12 years ago. She has a background in accounting, and has over 14 years experience working for a number of organisations in South Africa and the UK. Recently she has put her skills to use serving as Treasurer for a 501(c)(3), and works in the Business Office at a Seattle school. She is excited to volunteer for LUMA, to give something back to Childrens Hospital and to help fundraise for uncompensated care and research. We are so grateful to have this amazing hospital on our doorstep.
