Finalist: Michelle Gwen Wulfestieg

Executive Director
Southern California Hospice Foundation

Michelle Wulfestieg, a two-time stroke survivor and executive director of Southern California Hospice Foundation (SCHF), embodies the power of resilience. Despite permanent paralysis, she transformed SCHF from a startup into a multimillion-dollar organization, aiding over 7,000 patients. Her leadership addresses diverse needs from essentials to fulfilling final wishes, often collaborating with celebrities. Wulfestieg’s paramount achievement, “The Heavenly Home,” Orange County’s nonprofit end-of-life care facility, offers 24-hour care for the terminally ill, ensuring no one dies alone. Honored as the Outstanding Founder for Orange County’s National Philanthropy Day, her memoir “All We Have Is Today,” her advocacy, and docuseries “Time of Death” underscore her remarkable impact.