Way back in 2010 when Hannah’s Hope co-founder, Mike Martinez, suggested to his wife Mary that he was interested in hosting a golf outing to help children in Northwest Indiana with special needs, she kindly told him that he was crazy. Their daughter Hannah had just been diagnosed with suffering a possible prenatal stroke and would be severely developmentally delayed. There was going to be enough on their plate as it was; yet Mike decided to move forward anyway. Eventually Mary came around to the idea as it grew momentum and back on a very rainy day in July of 2010 the inaugural Hannah’s Hope golf outing took place and Hannah’s Hope was born. They raised $17,500 on that day and haven’t looked back since.
Hannah's Hope has come a long way since that very first golf outing. They have hosted a wide variety of successful event ranging from an annual Vendor/Craft Fair and bowling tournament, to other great events such as a softball tournament, a 5k race, pop tab collections, and more. Co-founder Mary Martinez said that, “We have been truly blessed with the success that the charity has had thus far. What started out as a simple idea has grown into something that is beyond my wildest dreams. We wanted to do something to help other children like Hannah, and a decade later, I think we are still doing just that.”
One of the biggest accomplishments of the organization was the opening of the Hannah’s Hope Playground at Founders Square in Portage in October of 2017. A dream of Mary’s after noticing that there was very little she could do with Hannah at most other playgrounds. The playground provides a state of the art space for children and families to come and interact as one cohesive unit. Board member Megan Minter stated, “We are proud of what we have accomplished and we have no plans of slowing down now. Although the Hannah’s Hope name is attached to all of these great projects and events, everyone needs to understand that we could not have done any of this without them. From participants, to attendees, to volunteers, to donors, and especially our generous sponsors. Our successes are also their successes.”
Sponsorship information and registrations for the 10th annual golf outing will be hitting mailboxes this week. Online registration and sponsorships are currently open and is filling up quicker than expected. The golf outing will take place this year on Saturday July 13th at the Brassie Golf Course in Chesterton. A shotgun start will begin promptly at noon. Not a golfer? Swing on by for lunch from 12:00-3:00 for a cost of only $10.00.
For online registration and sponsorship information, please visit www.hannahshope.org. For any additional questions, please contact Mike Martinez at mikem@hannahshope.org.