What We Do

Through our unique matching process, we connect support seekers to a personally selected Peer Mentor Guide whose breast cancer experience is similar. There are no automated matches here. Our program staff are personally involved with every single match, taking into account each person’s life experience and what is important to you. Our mentorship program is free and available at time of diagnosis, during treatment, and into survivorship. While Firefly Sisterhood was founded and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, our support services are available coast to coast.

Firefly Sisterhood Staff

Shanna Swanson
Executive Director

Shanna Swanson, our Executive Director, brings a wealth of experience as a licensed health services executive to Firefly Sisterhood after building her career in senior housing and long-term care operations. Drawn to our organization’s powerful mission, Shanna made the purposeful transition from managing systems to empowering women facing life’s most challenging journeys. Her leadership style emphasizes genuine connection, whole-person support, and community building—values that stand at the core of our work.

With a warm, compassionate, and solution-oriented approach to leadership, Shanna is passionate about helping others grow and develop in meaningful and authentic ways in both their personal and professional lives. Her master’s degree in holistic health studies has instilled a profound understanding of comprehensive wellness that resonates deeply with Firefly Sisterhood’s approach to supporting women through their cancer journey. This background, combined with her operational expertise, allows her to bring both heart and strategic vision to our organization.

Grace McConnell
Grace McConnell
Program Manager
Kara Nielsen
Marketing & Program Coordinator
Amy O’Donnell
Program Support Coordinator

Firefly Sisterhood Board of Directors

Brianna Blazek

Vice Chair
Chief Legal and Administrative Officer
Wildfire Water Solutions

Kristin Schrubbe

Secretary

Operations Manager, Wealth Management

U.S. Bank
Renee Brethorst

Renee Brethorst

LearningOps & Delivery Director

WEX Inc.
Linda Garrett-Johnson

Linda Garrett-Johnson

Program Officer, Housing and Youth Development

Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
Deb Martinson

Deb Martinson

President

Mackubin Group
Lisa Mayberry

Lisa Mayberry

RN, Monitoring Manager

Bright Research

Yee-Ling Supik

Business Development Director

Salo, A Korn Ferry Company

We are seeking passionate leaders to join our Board of Directors.

We are looking for mission-driven professionals with: leadership experience, strategic vision, commitment to supporting women impacted by breast cancer, and a collaborative approach.
Send letter of interest and resume to: info@fireflysisterhood.org

Firefly

Our History

In response to extensive research led by the Yoplait Division of General Mills, Firefly Sisterhood was founded in Minnesota with a bright vision: a world where no one faces breast cancer alone. The Big Bold Experiment was a General Mills company-wide campaign to promote innovation and community engagement. The Yoplait team worked alongside Olson Agency, conducting focus groups with breast cancer survivors. What they discovered was that women were craving meaningful connections with peers who had been through similar experiences, and the idea of Firefly Sisterhood was born.

The image of the firefly was the perfect symbol for the idea of one-to-one peer support, mentors lighting the way through dark times. “The more fireflies, the brighter the light. It really encapsulated what we hoped to create by connecting survivors.”