Taylor resumes nonprofit’s leadership

Diane Taylor and a group of fourth-graders were sitting around her dining room table trying to come up with a good service project.

She mentioned that many families were unable to provide food for their families at Thanksgiving.

“The kids all jumped up and yelled, ‘We’ve got to do something about it!’ and they went to the garage and found a red wagon. That is literally how Pass It Along began with this little red wagon,” said Taylor, founder of the nonprofit organization based in Lafayette.

The group went door to door asking for donations for weeks.

The next year, Pass It Along, which was not yet officially established, began a new project. The group of then-fifth-graders wondered what homeless children do on their birthdays.

They began collecting their allowance money and using it to buy ingredients for a cake or party favors. They then went to a homeless shelter and held a birthday party for children throughout the year.

“For me personally, it was a calling,” Taylor said. “The kids drove me to make that shift to create the organization.”

Pass It Along was established in 2001. Taylor says the children were the driving force behind it.

Joined Lakeland Bank

Since 2001, Taylor became a certified yoga instructor and mindfulness facilitator while also raising four children.

After 17 years of running Pass It Along, she took a job at Lakeland Bank as vice president of culture, wellness and engagement.

There she taught employees yoga, got them involved in volunteer work and built strong connections. She considered the job a grown-up version of Pass It Along that would bring out the best in people.

Although she no longer was running Pass It Along, she continued as president of its board and helped the organization survive during the coronavirus pandemic by focusing on social media, online meetings and socializing at a safe distance.

On Nov. 1, Taylor returned as Pass It Along’s chief executive and president.

She is looking to bring the best of the organization’s early days back, focusing on service.

“I wanted to share how grateful I am to everyone who has supported PIA throughout the years - teens, families, adult volunteers and supporters, business support and community support,” she said.

Special thanks go to the group’s annual partners: Orthopedic Institute of NJ, Thorlabs, First Hope Bank and Brazill Brothers & Associates, she added.