Why Should You Partner with the Chris Hope Foundation?
Partnering with a charitable organization is one of the most powerful ways that businesses, both large and small, can encourage their employees to be active outside of the workplace and in the community, keeping them connected to what matters most. Deciding how you want to make an impact can be overwhelming, particularly with a wealth of nonprofit organizations at both the national, state and local level.
Still, smaller might actually be bigger when it comes to the impact of your time, talents and resources. Choosing to support a local resource means that, especially with travel and other constraints unique to the coronavirus era, team members can see and feel the change they are making as volunteers or sponsors. And when it comes to the kind of impact you want to make, ask yourself which issues that your company and its people are most likely to personally connect with.
All of us have something in common: a serious diagnosis could impact ourselves or someone close to us, transforming our lives and theirs without warning. It doesn’t matter how healthy we are or the place we are in life.
In the case of childhood cancers, pediatric tumors generally cannot be prevented or identified through screening. And once a diagnosis arrives, the impact is lifelong – and not only on the child themselves.
Statistics from the National Children’s Cancer Society suggest that while 20% of kids who receive a cancer diagnosis are already living in poverty, another 15% of families who were not poor became poor in the course of treatment. Savings accounts are decimated. The stability of jobs and housing comes under threat.
Indeed, the Chris Hope Foundation began in 2015 when our founder Chris Hope crossed paths with a woman from Louisiana who had come to Memphis for her child to receive cancer treatment. She had taken so much time away from her job that it became uncertain how her family would make the next mortgage payment on their home. “Me and some friends all pitched in $100 and luckily we were able to pay the mortgage for them so they could remain living in their home. Seeing the reaction from this family gave me all I needed in terms of inspiration to start my own foundation and help as many other people as I could in a similar situation,” said Hope, in a National Digest interview.
Motivated by need, ours is a mission led by faith, persistence and passion. These three elements have provided scholarships and temporary housing, gift baskets and shopping sprees, fundraising to find cures, and too many smiles to count.
There is also a fourth ingredient to our success: relationships. The people who make up the Chris Hope Foundation meet some children and families at brief moments in their journeys, while others we follow for most of their lives – our hearts growing with each and every encounter. It is not just children and their families who we treasure, but also our volunteers, sponsors and donors – without whom none of this would be possible.
Leading with “yes” when asked for help from a family in need or from one of our community partners can only happen with the generous support of our donors and we invite you to join us.
For your company, making Chris Hope Foundation your chosen charity adds a powerful community presence and purpose for your business and its people. With Memphians’ knowledge and awareness of CHF’s work, a partnership can raise loyalty and engagement among your clients and business partners, and expand brand recognition by playing a part in an everyday, grassroots movement to relieve the burden of pediatric cancers and other diagnoses.
Our founder Chris Hope remembers every day that it was his dedication and love for his neighbors that inspired him to create CHF. The Foundation’s story is a reminder to all of us that there is no reason to stay on the sidelines when it comes to helping our neighbors and our community.
Indeed, we all need to be on the field, playing for those who can’t.
Learn more about becoming a Partner in Hope by visiting our Give page.