Hope Village Herald: Winter 2023 Edition

2/2/2023

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

The beginning of the year is a wonderful time to reflect. Last year brought many blessings to our organization and to the foster families we serve. With your help, support, and generosity we were able to YES to 100's of requests. Thank you from our hearts to yours. Cheers to another year of co-creating a compassionate foster care system.

If you love what we do, join us.

With a monthly donation, (less than a daily cup of coffee), you help us do more, serve more, and grow our mission. Together we can build the compassionate system of foster care that our children deserve.

Upcoming
Event

Join our Cornhole Tournament: Benefiting our local kids in foster care.

To sign up, scan the QR code with your phone & download the app. Pay entry fee at the door upon arrival.

Past Event News & Highlights

Happy Hour & Toy Drive

Many thanks to Team Armored Roofing and Titan Solar Power for your support, and to each of you that helped make this evening a success! We appreciate all of you, and are so glad to have you in our village!

Congratulations to Beth D. for winning the Golf Cart & Matthew H. for winning the E-Bike.

Breakfast With Santa

Over 300 people (200+ children) attended our Breakfast with Santa. All this fun for our community’s kids is made possible by our donors and volunteers. Thank you to everyone who donated toys, time, talent, and food. Thank you to Fellowship Community Church for the venue, our volunteers, and our sponsors: Terlep Chiropractic and Palm Medical. FCC provided the space for our Breakfast with Santa and FCC’s parishioners purchased gifts for over 80 children through our Angel program!

Florida Youth SHINE

We are so proud to celebrate Shawn Mitchell, a member of the Fostering Hope Florida Youth SHINE Nature Coast Chapter as 2022 Youth Advocate of the Year! Keep using your voice to advocate for positive change in our foster care system.

The Statewide FYS training is being held Jan 28-29. We need speakers to educate our youth.

Please reply if you are interested or know someone that can motivate/educate young advocates. Helpful topics: media, legislation, motivation, foster care reform, etc.

This Is Foster Care

I received two new placements last night. They showed up filthy & with shoes that didn’t fit. I was told they hadn’t eaten in three days so I fed them & gave them each extra snacks to take to bed with them.

Today I took them shopping for clothes & shoes. The twelve year old kept passing & touching a pair of Nike’s. I knew he was passing them up because of how expensive they were.

I grabbed them & told him that I wanted him to have a really nice pair for school so he should get them.

Right there, in the middle of the store, he cried & then, so did I.

It’s pretty amazing the things we get to experience as foster parents that others don’t get to see.

– Written by D, an awesome foster momma

Happenings In Our Community

Guess who came to town? No, not Santa, Nancy Blount! With a special delivery for our teen girls…new bras! Just one more item we can offer our foster youth to enhance dignity and self esteem. Thank you to I Support the Girls!

Thank you, to Flagship Bank for purchasing and wrapping the gifts for all 10 children in our Pinellas Hope House.

The Polar Express chugged on through The Concourse, delivering all the magic of the Season. Thank you to the Kiwanis of Weeki Wachee, for bringing so much joy to our foster families. Every child left with a gift, a winter coat, and dozens of kids won a new bike.

Thank you, Coastal Financial Services for your donation of over 200 gifts and gift cards. Your generosity will help make many children’s days a bit more magical this year! We appreciate you and are glad to have you in our village.

Thank you, Crosspoint church for your generous donation of over 500 gifts for local foster children this holiday season. It’s beautiful when people put love into action-thanks for being a part of our village.

Our team of elves began their mission to ensure every child in our community has gifts on Christmas morning.

The Pinellas Realtor Affiliates pulled off a big surprise for Fostering Hope at their annual holiday luncheon. First off the event was first class with the hall decorated, catered lunch, and a powerful Emcee, Pres Tina Housdan that had the room laughing and crying. Several charities were surprised with a large check. Fostering Hope received Not ONE but TWO checks! ONE as the selected 4th qtr Charity and then a SECOND check as a total SURPRISE. Combined the donation totaled over $10,000! As if that wasn’t enough the PRO team packed our van with diapers, wipes, socks and children’s underwear. Thank you PRO Affiliates for caring about our community’s children.

Thank you! to the KSM Foundation, and Krewe of the Santa Margarita for your donation of $1000 at our annual toy drive. Your donation is already at work filling children’s wishlists.

New foster dad met up with our founder, Gloria West Lawson at the local Walmart. He and his wife received an 8 y/o girl and a 7 y/o boy right before Christmas. Thanks to our generous donors, Fostering Hope was able to purchase bikes for under the tree and some life vests for a planned family kayaking adventure.

Thank you, Bob Lyons, with Sunwest Construction LLC for a gift certificate (for a raffle prize) to a hotel they built. He said yes to providing a gift certificate and then added a $10,000 check to the donation!

We have many donors to thank for making the holiday season bright and full of gifts and smiles–you are incredible! Thank you to:

💙 Little Friends Foster Closet

💛 Lisa Huber and Infinity & Beyond Treasures

💙 Charlene Kenyon and the Pasco Kiwanis

💛 Team Armored Roofing

💙 Caledonia Brew House

💛 Christina Zenchak

💙 Shay Galarza

💛 Cheryl Lawson and Christian Church in the Wildwood

💙 Judy David and the Joshua Foundation

💛 Carter Foreman Law Attorneys

💙 Dorne Tzoucalis and friends

💛 Sophie Sheppard and Scentsy, Inc.

💙 Erin Brandenburg and Coastal Financial

💛 Espiritu Santos Catholic Church.

Thank you for being our village. Our work is only possible through your support. If you wish to help make a monthly or one-time contribution, click the button below.

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