About UsFostering Hope Florida is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing help to foster children and foster families in the Tampa Bay area. We provide homes, called Hope Houses, to foster parents who are interested in fostering siblings in foster care in Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties. We rely on donations to provide foster families with the necessary things to maintain an enriched family life. Foster children often come from difficult backgrounds and need a lot of nurturing, support and love from their foster families to help them enjoy the childhood they deserve.
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Board of Directors
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Gloria West-Lawson
President/ Founder Volunteer Executive Director Gloria West Lawson has been an ardent advocate for foster youth and families. After obtaining her BA from Eckerd College in Human Development Services, Gloria worked for Family Resources teen shelter and the Child Abuse Prevention Project at the University of Florida. She also served as a Guardian ad Litem advocating for the best interest of children for 10 years. In 2004, she founded Fostering Hope Florida to push for a more compassionate system of foster care that honors and protects the rights of children. Fostering Hope has served thousands of children in foster care through housing, resources, events, advocacy, mentoring and educational programs and continues to expand its reach.
Gloria and her husband, Jerry have fostered several teenagers and adopted 4 teenage boys from the foster care system. In 2017 she was recognized by the Lightning Foundation as a Community Hero. In 2019 she was named Outstanding Advocate for Children of the Year by Florida’s Children First. She leads by example and continues to support youth throughout the community. |
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Ed Fay
Vice President / Chairman Ed is currently a Director with the Taubman company, accountable for revenue, profit, and client satisfaction in the Tampa Bay market. In his role, he has responsibilities for overseeing the company’s one-billion-dollar assets in West Shore. This father of 5 currently resides in Hernando County Florida and became associated with Fostering Hope Florida as a volunteer during one of their outreach events over two years ago. He began attending FHF board meetings, was then asked to join as a board member, and in 2019 was voted in as committee chair for Fostering Hope Florida.
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Patty Hole
Secretary Patty Hole has a company that makes life easier for our elderly in their own homes. Her passion has always been to help children, and Fostering Hope Florida caught her heart.
"These kids need so much, and we are dedicated to help in a way that will make a difference in their lives. We are committed to keep them safe with a loving and surrounding comfort level." |
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Heather Strassel
Director Originally from Columbus, OH, I moved to sunny Florida towards the end of 2014 to start the next chapter of my life in the sunshine state. I currently work for a global ad/tech start-up company as a marketing strategist/analyst, and in my free time I love traveling and getting involved in the community. After meeting some wonderful folks on the board of Fostering Hope shortly after moving to Florida, I was inspired to help out and get involved with their organization. Every child in foster care deserves love, compassion, and the opportunity to live the life they want. The folks of Fostering Hope do everything in their power to make this dream a reality for foster youth, and I am truly humbled and honored to be a part of such a wonderful group making a positive impact.
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Debra Thomson
Director |
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Raquelle Hale
Director |
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Michael Rivera
Director |
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Marion Thomson
Advisory Board |
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Bob Hale
Advisory Board Bob Hale has been a Guardian ad Litem since 2014, a realtor for more than 40 years and raised 6 children. In his spare time he coached 42 youth sports teams over 30 years, umpired youth sports for multiple years. He's also a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Commander and an avid volunteer for FHF and has a passion for children.
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