Hope was founded in 1957 and this year marks our 65th anniversary. What began as a small school in Springfield, founded by parents who were desperately trying to find services for their young daughter with multiple disabilities, has grown into a nation-wide organization. We now impact thousands of individuals who represent a broad spectrum of learning styles and abilities. Today, Hope serves individuals with disabilities and their families by providing educational, residential, and clinical services across six states, as well as community education and training.
The Hopeful Futures Gala is an event that we put on every March in Springfield to celebrate our success stories and raise money for our organization. We truly cannot do what we do and impact the lives of those we serve without support from our community. We are extremely lucky to be a part of this supportive community and are continuously grateful to our neighbors.
At the gala, we tell several stories of Hope. These stories are typically told by the parents or family members of the individuals who are directly impacted by our services. We have found that the services that we provide create a ripple effect into the community. We impact the person we serve, which then impacts their parents or caregivers, their siblings, their grandparents, and other extended family members, positively. Because of Hope, not only is the individual able to receive life-changing services they desperately need, but the family members also are impacted positively by the outcomes that we are able to provide. Parents get to hear their children say “mama” and “daddy” for the first time, when they previously thought that would be an impossibility. Brothers and sisters are able to join sports teams and clubs, have friends over to their house for sleepovers, when that was never possible before. Parents can see their children acquire job skills, which leads to gainful employment in their communities – a possibility that most never even dared to dream. Hope literally provides hope to thousands of families every year, which leads to richer and more fulfilled lives for everyone involved. We are proud to impact so many people positively and we hope that you will come and join us as we celebrate Hope and those that we serve on March 19th at the Wyndham.
More information can be found about Hope and the Hopeful Futures Gala at hope.us coming up Saturday March, 19.
