Fortune 52: Kerry Gillick Goldberg

In February of 2008 I met with a group of high school girls from Merrick who wanted to inspire other teenagers to believe that even with a limited amount of resources they could make a difference in someone else’s life. The girls had seen a segment on the Oprah Winfrey show about little boys in Ghana, Africa, whose parents had unwittingly sold them into slavery. The group came up with the idea of making macramé bracelets to sell to their families and friends on Long Island, and set out to raise $4,300, the amount required to rescue just one of these children. Not only did they succeed, but since then their non-profit group, now named One Is Greater Than None [1>0], has thrived, becoming a national phenomenon. Their success is due in part to the efforts of another Long Island woman, Kerry Gillick Goldberg, whose own story is as inspiring as the girls she helped put on the map.

Kerry and her sister Heather were co-owners of a rep firm in New York City, but Kerry decided she wanted to stay closer to home to be with her husband, Joe, and her daughter, Brittany, 5. She heard about a new networking group called Women on the Fast Track, founded by Long Islander Lucy Rosen, and went to the inaugural meeting in 2007. That meeting changed her life. Kerry says, “the members of Women on the Fast Track are responsible for each other and were there to help with each other’s successes. I think that’s what resonated with me about the group.”

At the first meeting she met Karen Dallheo-Barnovsky, who told Kerry about the idea her daughter and her friends had to raise money for the boys in Ghana by selling bracelets. “They [the Barnovsky’s] were from Merrick and I’m from Merrick,” Kerry says, “and I told Karen that I’ll do anything I can to help her.” Kerry and Karen were both on the same wavelength. They had both read the best selling book The Secret and as the book directs, “put it out to the universe”, that if someone hired Kerry full time on LI she would leave her business in the city.

The following week Kerry was contacted by a Canadian manufacturer and just a few days after that was putting together a licensing deal for 1>0. Kerry began working for them full time and says the rest is history. “1>0 is the poster child for networking,” she says and adds, “There is no way we weren’t meant to meet each other.” Through Kerry’s efforts the girls have received numerous accolades including television appearances, speaking engagements, and media recognition. In just 2½ years, the group has financed 48 rescue operations to save these young boys’ lives. Kerry continues to help 1>0 grow, connecting them with other non-profits including the Carol Kestenbaum Foundation, founded by Fortune 52 honoree Rita Kestenbaum.

Kerry consistently keeps her ideas fresh, her demographic engaged and the message benevolent.

She is bringing her PR magic together with Ally Katzz, a 100-percent monitored social networking site, which encourages girls to speak up and change the world. Kerry is working with Ally Katzz, hosting a tween summit in New York City in October. “I want a very strong Long Island contingency at the event, including teen reporters. We will have Ally Awards for kids who started their own non-profits and for kids who help [existing] non-profits,” she says. Some local award recipients include past Fortune 52 honorees, Project HEAL, three LI teenagers who started a non-profit to help anorexic girls stay in treatment, and Kyle Orent, a Northport teen who raised $135,000 for Canine for Companions by selling lemonade.

Originally a middle school English teacher, Kerry has found her niche working with young girls. “I feel like my whole world makes perfect sense because now it’s focused on teens and tween companies as well as non-profits,” Kerry says. “I’ve taken every facet in my career and made it work for everybody else. My whole career is about figuring out how to do PR and marketing while doing good deeds.”

Kerry’s ultimate mission is to inspire girls to get interested in philanthropy at a young age, including her daughter Brittany. “I talk to [her] all the time about how blessed she is because she doesn’t have a need. It’s our role to give back to people who don’t have.”

Kerry encourages others to fully express their unique gifts and talents and to share their new ideas as a way to support their own growth, both personally and professionally. “I would be really happy being known as the one on Long Island that teaches kids to give back. I want to be able to wake up every morning knowing I’m going to be doing something positive, because we don’t always think that about PR and marketing people.

Contact Kerry at Kerry.Gillick.Goldberg@gmail.com or call 516-455-3179.

If you know a super woman who deserves good Fortune—and a profile—e-mail your nominations to Beverly at bfortune@longislandpress.com.