Hope Station

HOPE STATION serves children who are orphaned by raising up champions and caregivers who are motivated by love and equipped to care for their unique needs. We partner with local organizations and people to provide real and lasting solutions for vulnerable children and families through support for local orphanages, caregiver training, therapy, and support for local special needs families. The children we serve will move from simply surviving towards thriving.\n\nA champion is any adult who will do whatever it takes to see that child thrive. Champions are caregivers, parents, teachers, volunteers, therapists. Of course, forever parents are the ultimate champion for any child. But unfortunately, many children (and especially those with special needs) will never know the love of a mom or dad. Hope Station stands in the gap for these children. Raising up champions for each one.\n\nChildren with special needs are sometimes viewed as undesirable. It\u2019s not a given that their caregivers will see their value and be moved to love them well. Caring for children with special needs can also be really tough. It requires a very unique skill set and lots of perseverance. This is why we strive to raise up champions that are both motivated by love and equipped to care for children. One is not enough without the other.\n\nHope Station extends a hand of hope. Whether living in an orphanage or living in a vulnerable family, every child deserves the chance to thrive. Our volunteers go into local orphanages week after week to hold a crying baby, to play face-to-face with a child who\u0027s been forgotten, to sing happy birthday to a teen who\u0027s never blown out the candles before. Hope Station staff members meet with young parents who just found out their son has autism and don\u0027t know where to turn. Our trained therapists listen to orphanage caregivers share their struggles and then offer practical solutions.\n\nAs children receive Hope Station\u0027s support, no longer are they ignored or invisible. They are precious, they are known, and they are loved.

Hope Station serves children and vulnerable families in 5 distinct ways:\n\n1on1 Volunteers: Hope Station has an incredible team of consistent volunteers who give their heart and their time to children living full time in orphanages. We host volunteer visits at least once a week in our partner orphanages, during children get to spend quality 1on1 time with a loving adult. Volunteers commit to visit every week for an entire semester so that children have time to build a quality relationship with them.\n\nCaregiver Training: Orphanage caregivers are often uneducated and receive little to no training regarding special needs. Hope Station\u0027s team of experts provides monthly training opportunities to caregivers on special needs, basic care methods, and child development.\n\nTherapy: Children with special needs require specialized therapy services in order to reach their full potential. Hope Station\u0027s team of therapists (both volunteers and staff) provides direct 1on1 therapy services to children in need.\n\nAdoption Support: While we are not an adoption agency, we stand in the gap for waiting children and families. We provide a real person connection to the child as parents wait to meet their children. And we continue staying in touch with adoptive families after their \u0022gotcha day\u0022 to provide a connection to the child\u0027s first home for whenever he might want it.\n\nFamily Strengthening Services: Local families who have special needs children are in desperate need of support. Hope Station provides resources, training opportunities, companionship, financial support, and therapy services.

The Right People:\nHope Station believes that the best way to support people is through people. Each person on our team -- staff, therapists, experts, and volunteers -- is specifically chosen, trained, and equipped to serve our constituents. On our team we have therapists, teachers, moms, dads, adoptive parents, special needs parents and siblings, and a variety of others uniquely picked to provide our unique services.\n\nCollaboration:\nHope Station believes that collaboration is the key to a changed society. For that reason, we eagerly pursue collaborations with like-minded organizations and businesses. Our partnerships with local therapy centers, counseling centers, medical professionals, and adoption agencies have set our programs up for success.

In 2019:\n2 orphanages received support services\n75 children served in orphanages\n35 orphanage volunteers\n10 caregivers supported\n144 orphanage visits\n7 kids received therapy\n4 families received adoption support\n3 local special needs families supported\n\nIn 2020 and beyond, we hope to see more families supported through our Family Strengthening Program. We hope to collaborate with more organizations or businesses that are doing similar work, and see an increase in the amount of support that is available to special needs people and families in our region.