A Palisadian Force For Good

By GABRIELLA BOCK | Reporter

Alex Baxter spent the first nine years of his life without ever stepping foot inside a classroom.

Born in Toronto, Canada, Baxter and his mother were drifters who moved from city to city  with whatever items they could fit inside their small car.

The transient lifestyle would eventually bring the family to California, where the young boy, his mother and her boyfriend took up quarters in an uninhabitable home in a impoverished  Sacramento neighborhood.

“The house didn’t have any electricity or running water,” Baxter told the Palisadian-Post.

“At night we would light kerosene lamps.”

Instead of attending school, Baxter would stay at home or follow his mother to local Goodwill Donation Centers where the two would scout out clothing items that they could take unnoticed.

It was the type of childhood that will keep a social worker up at night.

But things began to change when Baxter was 9: His grandparents, who had been estranged from his mother, took on full parental custody of the boy, moving him into their home and offering a stable life that had been, up until that point, an entirely foreign concept.

After years with little to no education, Baxter was enrolled in school, where he thrived and eventually earned himself a scholarship to college and later, a spot at New York’s prestigious Columbia Business School.

Although miles away from where he started, the erratic and penurious nature of his upbringing would remain with Baxter as he sought out positions that would make a positive impact on those who needed it most.

Such philosophies led the business-minded professional to begin his career working for organizations like TAOnline—an internet jobs board that assists transitioning veterans back into the workforce—where Baxter helped develop the company’s early software.

“I wanted to use my education as a way to give back,” he explained. “I knew what it’s like to be behind in life … our veterans shouldn’t ever have to feel that way. ”

After spending several years building up the career site, Baxter went on to work for publications like Rolling Stone and PARADE, before eventually landing a role as the president and CEO of CauseForce, an innovative, peer-to-peer fundraising marketing company for nonprofit organizations.

CauseForce, which works primarily with medical research, treatment and care organizations, has produced over 170 events—from 5K races to Canadian axe-throwing parties—and raised nearly $1 billion for beneficiaries across five countries.

Baxter, who lives in The Highlands with his wife and 9-year-old daughter, told the Post that he feels honored to be working in a position where he can be both a creative thinker and a positive role model for his child.

“I feel extremely lucky to be where I am today,” he said. “This world can be a pretty crazy place to live. To be here—among kind neighbors—and to be compassionate in my work is an absolute dream come true.”