Rob Belanger
Chairman and Co-Founder
Rob’s childhood was split between Massachusetts and Baltimore during the years his father, Mark Belanger, played shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. After Mark’s death from lung cancer in 1998, Rob co-founded the Belanger-Federico Foundation/Cool Kids Campaign to honor his dad and to help others whose lives are affected by cancer. Rob played baseball for Towson University in Maryland, where he graduated in 1992 with a Sports Management degree. He and wife, Natasha, have two daughters. The Belangers live in Towson.
Chris Federico
President and Co-Founder
Chris’s mother died in 1995 from leukemia. This motivated him to create a foundation that would help others with cancer. When doctors told Susannah Federico she had only six weeks to live, she answered, “That’s not going to be enough time. There’s just too much to do.” Fourteen months later at age 66, her battle ended. Susannah was a woman in love with her family and the world. Her spirit of generosity lives on through her seven children and 19 grandchildren. Chris and his wife are parents to three wonderful kids.
Sharon Paul Perfetti
Executive Director and Co-Founder
Sharon co-founded the Cool Kids Campaign after her interest in helping others to cope grew from the death of her daughter’s friend Annie, killed by a drunk driver. When folks kept asking, “What can we do?” to help the family, Sharon spearheaded the construction of an enormous playground project called Annie’s Playground in Fallston, Maryland. Sharon wanted to continue to help kids and families, thus the idea for Cool Kids Campaign evolved. Sharon graduated from the University of Baltimore with a degree in Corporate Communications. She lives in the Baltimore area with her three children.
Kimmie Meissner
Co-Founder
Kimmie is the 2006 World and 2007 National Champion Figure Skater who was drawn to help children cope with cancer after losing two friends to cancer at a young age. Kimmie splits her time between college, skate training, and assisting with the development of additional programs for Cool Kids Campaign. She lives in Maryland.
