Volunteers Attend Hannah’s Hope Appreciation Dinner

Volunteers Attend Hannah’s Hope Appreciation Dinner

Hannah’s Hope, a non-profit in Portage that provides developmental equipment to kids with special needs, hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Wednesday Night at Woodland Park. Volunteers filled the room and their bellies with a tasty dinner buffet as a token of gratitude.

Founded in honor of Hannah Martinez, a girl who was born with severe brain damage that heartbreakingly passed away in 2012, Hannah’s Hope has been the hope in so many lives beyond her own. During her life, Hannah faced many challenges which became the inspiration behind the Equipment Assistance Program, EAP, of Hannah’s Hope. Without volunteers, none of Hannah’s Hope’s success would be possible.

Brittany Long, who helped build Hannah Hope’s playground, actually knew about the organization prior to volunteering. Hannah’s Hope has been providing equipment through their EAP for Long’s two-year-old son who has ATRS, an intellectual and developmental disability. They’ve provided an iPad for communication services, a compression vest, and more. “They’re amazing,” said Long, who has also worked with Hannah’s mother and HH Co-Founder, Mary Martinez at Porter Regional Hospital and has gotten to know her well. “She’s such a wonderful person. She has the most giving heart. She will do anything for anybody, and it’s just amazing that they’ve taken something that would have provided so much grief to anyone normally, and grown it to provide so much out of that experience to the whole community. It just blows me away.”

Long found out about the fundraisers that she could help with when Hannah’s Hope began helping her son. Many volunteers at the dinner who donated their time maybe once or twice came to the realization that there were so many other volunteer opportunities they didn’t know about.

Mike Martinez, father of Hannah and HH President, felt that treating their volunteers to a dinner was the least the he and organization and could do.

“This is our way to say thank you to everyone that makes us, us," stated Martinez. "We don’t get to see everybody at once. There’s a lot of people that volunteer at our events that volunteer for one event or another. We have a handful that volunteer at all our events, but to get all of our volunteers in one room and share all of the events that we do and the great success that we’ve had over the course of the past year – that’s really the important thing – to share our success with them because it is their success as well.”

Scott Carr, HH Treasurer, has seen the outpour of volunteers that have come out to events such as their playground building. Carr couldn’t be more proud and humble to be a part of what volunteers at Hannah’s Hope do. “They’re amazing people,” said Carr. When he asks volunteers to help with something going on, Carr said, “They don’t even bat an eye at it. It’s what they do.”

After the dinner, Portage High School Cheerleaders presented a $1250 check to Hannah’s Hope, the money that they managed to collect in a t-shirt fundraiser for the organization.

Because of every volunteer that donates their time, and every sponsor that helps to fund HH’s mission, 178 families were assisted through the EAP in 2017 that was funded through the events that volunteers ran and the money that sponsors donated.

Although many of HH’s volunteers are regulars, the organization wants to see their events get bigger in the community, hoping to draw in more volunteers to further benefit families that can’t afford equipment for their disabled children because of their insurance and the high costs associated.

For more information on Hannah’s Hope services or to volunteer for an event, visit http://www.hannahshope.org/index.php.