Late last year, we founded and launched a nonprofit organization called The Hope Effect.
From the very beginning, we have dreamed big dreams for this company. Our mission is to “change orphan care around the world by focusing on solutions that better mimic the family.”
Decades worth of research indicate traditional, institutional-style orphanages with large child to adult ratios are failing those they desire to help. When children do not receive adequate personal interaction within a loving environment, development is stunted and learning abilities are delayed or lost. Kids are “aging out” behind in almost every stage of human development.
To foster better solutions for orphaned children, we are building smaller housing units—providing individual homes for 2 parents and 8 orphans. In this way, children receive the love and attention and affection they would in a family and are provided an example of how a family functions for when they start their own.
On November 1, 2015, The Hope Effect was launched.
To say the public’s response to our work has been positive would be an understatement. In less than four months:
- We have raised over $110,000 from 1,000 different supporters.
- We have fully funded and broken ground on our first project: a family-style home on the campus of La Providencia in Honduras.
- In partnership with KZ Architecture, we have started architectural design for future construction.
- We have begun the process of finding personnel and researching land options for the construction of our first full-fledged orphan-care campus.
We have accomplished quite a lot in just our first 15 weeks. But there is much left to do!
So this Spring, we invite you to partner with us to change how the world cares for orphans by hosting a garage sale.
The concept is very simple: Commit to clearing the excess clutter from your home. Then, host a garage sale. Using the flyers and posters that we provide, promote your sale in your local community. Using your personalized campaign page, donate 100% (or a portion) of the proceeds to The Hope Effect.
Our goal is to host 250 garage sales this Spring. Tell us you are participating by following this link and clicking the “Become a Fundraiser” button. Your excess can become provision for a child in need.
If buying stuff hasn’t made you happy, maybe selling it will. (tweet that)
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Or, you can participate/contribute in other ways:
- By committing at least $10 per month, you can join our $10 Team of 250+ recurring donors.
- Whether selling things or not, you can always make a one-time donation.
- We depend on private donors and corporate sponsors to cover our administrative costs so that 100% of donations can be used directly for orphan care. If you would like to support our work in this way, you can do so here.
- Follow the Hope Effect on Facebook and Twitter.
Small acts, when multiplied by thousands of people, can transform the world. Thank you for providing yours.
Fabulous idea – kills many birds with one stone. Time to start clearing….
Although I am unable to donate to the Hope Effect, I applaud your efforts in providing family care for children in need. May your enterprise flourish and grow and embrace many children.
This is a great idea! I’ve informally been doing something similar. I’ve noticed that a lot of the “clutter” we have that’s worth selling were gifts or hand-me-downs. So I often donate what I make from selling these items.
What a great, practical idea you’re suggesting that dovetails your missions perfectly.
Agree most the stuff I sold or donated was either gifts or passed down by friends or family, no longer used but still functional. I help several group homes in my area that house school age children and house parents. They are also supported by community fund raisers, individuals and churches. I choose to support projects in my state and local community and interact with the board or directors or some of the staff.
Will do. Not much clutter laying around and I know anything will help. This is GREAT and looks like you have been working hard. Wishing you the best.
A very close Honduran friend of mine is involved in the same sort of work there. Maybe it’s the same project. I’ll have to ask her. She, too, is very enthusiastic about it. I will ask my Cursillo group to join with me in having a garage sale.
This is very cool. I’ll be sharing this with as many people as I can!
Hi Joshua
Our daughter Jenna’s former youth pastor. We new God had some unique things up his sleeve for you and Kim. This goes beyond our
wildest dream. Many blessings. I will forward this on to as many as I know. Mike and I are behind you.
Love what you are doing! In my town, I support a local group that built and runs a school and medical clinic in Belize. They choose one or two students each year to send to college, with the agreement that each student returns to the village after receiving their diploma. Very satisfying work. I wish you success beyond your wildest dreams!
This is a great idea. I completly agree with the plan you have and the benefits you want to provide. I was doing something similar in El Salvador, that is a small country in central america. I’m a decorative proffesional designer and I started to make all my designs trying to include a spa in every area my client wanted to decorate, and that extra mil, that income from the little extra job was destinated to the project, it took a lot of time, and we’re still working on it but is a beautiful experience, so many lifes can be changed, mine changed for good. So thank you for sharing your project ideas and I’m going to share this with my coworkers.
This is a fantastic idea and endeavor – well done! Thank you for using your blog’s publicity to do God’s work and serve others. It is incredibly inspirational.
Tiffany
https://happythankfulhopeful.wordpress.com/
New Post: That Time I Physically Felt God’s Presence
This is just fabulous! I will definitely be sharing this on my blog and within my community.
Wonderful! Great inspiration for cutting clutter, and great work you’re heading up. If I wasn’t going to be in the trenches with twin newborns this summer, I’d consider doing this! It may have to wait. :)
What a great inspiration!! Sometimes, I need that extra “kick in the pants” to motivate me…..how great will I feel, to sell extra things, which no longer serve me, but may be a bargain for someone else!!!
I’m in the planning stage of a “multi-family” yard sale…mostly our own families, living nearby.
I’ll bet I can motivate them, as well!!
I will be back here, posting, very soon!!!!
Keep up the good work…my life has become so much more “self-motivational”, as a result to your posts!
My husband and I are working on our home study to adopt a child from China; learning about the short-term and long-term effects of being raised in an institutional setting has been eye-opening and heartbreaking. The love and nurturing of parents is irreplaceable, but creating more opportunity for kids to live in smaller home-like settings will no doubt make a difference. Maybe this will be good motivation to clean house!
Why China?
Joshua, do you know John Marshall? He’s another champion of “getting it right” when it comes to being the best kind of caretaker for orphans, and I think he’d be really interested in what you’re doing here.
I’ve tucked a little note in to build a bridge between you two should you be interested:
https://www.facebook.com/sbraiden/posts/10153372224836330
John left Hollywood behind to take his family around the world to “minimize” in a very wholehearted way. Like you, he just wrote a book about it, and I think the two of you have some terrific common ground.
Worth checking each other out. I suspect you’d be great natural allies.
Keeping a warm thought,
Sue Braiden.