Kimi's Closet Inc.
Meet Our Board Members
We are a team united in the effort to bridge the gap between an underserved group of men and women diagnosed with triple-negative invasive breast cancer. ( TNBC)
Kimberly Skinner
Alethea Skinner
Johnnye Yates
On December 31, 2019, at the tender age of 38, I was diagnosed with triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma with metastasis 2B (TNBC), after being misdiagnosed with benign tumors a month earlier. Happy New Year? Not so much. At the point of my new diagnosis, I realized I needed to become a patient advocate—my own advocate.
This realization inspired a dream from which grew a project I named “Kimi’s Closet, Inc.“ It is the mission of Kimi’s Closet, Inc., to give scholarships to African American Women who are currently being treated or who have been treated for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (or the child of a woman in that group) who wants to return to school.
Alethea Skinner is a photographer and author who enjoys gardening, quilting, sewing, crocheting, macrame, and playing the piano--when time permits. She is also involved in Community Service activities through her church.
And, she is a cancer caregiver.
Being a caregiver for Kimi on her cancer journey gave Alethea the unique position of being the first to know of her dream, her hope to leave a legacy of love and care for her Pink Sisters—named “Kimi’s Closet”. Having learned of and witnessed first-hand the disparity in care and resources available to black and brown women and men with breast cancer, Alethea joined her daughter in working to fulfill this dream. It is her determination to see Kimi’s Closet, Inc., grow and thrive, no matter how Kimi’s battle goes. She has witnessed the need for the Comfort Pouches, the need for each person in the cancer battle to know they are not alone, that someone really cares about them and their struggle to survive.
For this reason, each pouch is prayed over as it is prepared, and an additional prayer is prayed for every recipient, by name. Each is then sent on its mission to bring a ray of sunshine, a glimmer of hope into what often is a dark day for those in this battle.
For Johnnye Yates, a college microbiology class and a summer-break-nursing-home-job helped change her childhood desire to become a doctor to pursue a non-medical career as a creative education consultant. She is passionate about helping women, children, and youth learn to experience optimum health, the joy of learning, and productive life. Her favorite scriptures mandate being anointed to heal, deliver, and liberate the brokenhearted, blind, and bruised. She believes God has gifted her with much--and much is required.
“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Luke 12:48
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18,
Johnnye is a strong advocate for Christian education that encompasses academics and mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual development from childhood through adulthood. She explored creative learning environments while homeschooling her three children, tutoring, and student enrichment (art, music, and science) support for homeschooled and underprivileged students.
Kimi's Journey
