LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDERS
When we started the Hance Family Foundation, we had the goal of reaching 50 participants—over the last 15 years, we have served over 235,000 participants worldwide—which is remarkable.
If you stop and think about that number, you quickly realize that those 235,000 participants all went home and talked about Emma, Alyson and Katie—their impact and confidence—to family, friends, neighbors and classmates, spreading our girls' spirits, enthusiasm and confidence ever farther.
Three short years ago we were celebrating reaching 100,000 participants. We have more than doubled that number since, and we are laser focused on expanding our programs nationwide.
The 15th year mark has been a transformational year for us:
•We have hired a seasoned Executive Director to continue to build a diverse, experienced and enthusiastic leadership team.
• We are partnering innovative nonprofit strategies with best-in-class business strategies, so that we are simultaneously expanding our programming, diversifying our funding streams and strategically evolving operations to ensure longevity.
• We have procured an online learning management system, and we launched new training modules to reach more teachers at a lower cost.
Most importantly, we continue to provide our programming free of charge, so that cost is not a barrier to empowerment. We are only able to do this because of the overwhelming generosity of YOU, our supporters—so thank you for being you. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for being a part of our family.
Please stick with us and watch our impact grow even larger over the next 15 years.
In gratitude, Warren and Jackie Hance
An Everlasting Legacy of Confidence
RESILIENT
Alyson JOYFUL
Katie LOVING
“My girls’ time while they were here mattered. Their lives with us were important. Now their lives are still important and my job is to make sure of that.” -Warren Hance
2009-2010
•The Emma, Alyson and Kate Hance Family Foundation receives its Certificate of Incorporation.
•The very first Beautiful Me workshop takes place with the goal of teaching the class to 50 of Emma, Alyson and Katie’s friends.
•The first Beautiful Me class is taught outside of the tristate area in Chicago, IL!
•The HFF celebrates 1,000 Beautiful Me graduates!
2013-2014
•First Beautiful Me program adapted for learners with special education needs.
•University-level Beautiful Me groups continue at Scranton University’s College of Nursing and Marist College.
•First Beautiful Me at St. Francis Prep, the nation’s largest Catholic high school.
•Camp ANCHOR partnership begins.
•First international Beautiful Me in Uganda!
•Beautiful Me photo campaign went viral—over 5,000 people sent photos from around the world.
•Memorial services held for Emma, Alyson and Katie at St. Ann’s Church in the Bronx by a grateful community.
2011-2012
•Beautiful Me’s first higher education event takes place at Molloy College.
•The first Raising a Beautiful Child seminar is presented to parents & guardians.
•Warren Hance opens a Beautiful Me event for the first time for college athletes at St. John’s University.
•HFF partners with COFCCA to bring Beautiful Me to child welfare and juvenile justice agencies.
2015-2016
•HFF travels to Hopkinton, MA to launch a corporate partnership with Dell EMC (formerly EMC Corporation).
•This Dell EMC partnership allowed us to present Beautiful Me in Tampa, FL.
•Photo shoot in Washington Square Park.
•Partnerships began with NYPD’s Chief of Community Affairs for Grandmother’s Love and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Saturday Night Lights program.
2017-2018
•HFF honors activist and philanthropist Mindy Stearns.
•Self-Esteem Rising launches, including Beautiful Me, Raising a Beautiful Child and Empower Me.
•Head Start partnership in Camden, NJ.
•Trained future Beautiful Me teachers in graduate school at Molloy College and St. John’s University.
•Beautiful Me and Raising a Beautiful Child presented at Fontbonne Hall Academy.
•Warren and his foundation’s work honored at Floral Park Memorial High School’s National Junior Honor Society.
2021-2022
•A two-year independent research study by Harvard Medical School’s Baker Center for Children and Families concludes with outstanding evidence and results.
•Legacy of Hope celebrates 100,000 Self-Esteem Rising participants!
•HFF opens its first brick-and-mortar location, classroom and mentoring center in Floral Park, NY.
•Self-Esteem Rising reaches 43 states with Confidence Club lessons in Hawaii!
2019-2020
•HFF partners with Thrive Causemetics and Ole Henriksen to provide self-care support to over 3,500 healthcare heroes working during the pandemic.
•Beautiful Me pivots to a virtual model.
•Confidence Club and Self-Esteem Rising Ambassadors launch!
2023-2024
•We reach 18 countries with Beautiful Me groups in Colombia!
•HFF introduces an online, asynchronous platform for the Beautiful Me Teacher Training, allowing flexible, accessible and equitable program delivery at a lower cost.
•HFF presents Self-Esteem Rising in Chicago, IL as an exclusive exhibitor at the SEL Exchange by CASEL, whose work has set the gold standard for social-emotional learning.
Our Reach Becomes Limitless
Significant Investments in Our Future
Board of Directors
Our Generous Supporters Impact Numbers
Yes, Self-Esteem Really Is That Important
A Year of Innovative Transformation
Groundbreaking Growth in 2024
Laser Focused on Making Confidence the Standard
Fiscal Responsibility and Best-in-Class Charity Ratings
Testimonials
PROUDLY PRESENTED BY THE HANCE FAMILY FOUNDATION
OUR IMPACT OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS
235,382
Self-Esteem Rising graduates
43 states across the country
18 countries around the world
SELFESTEEM RISING BY THE NUMBERS
99,210
10,486
121,296
social-emotional learning lessons downloaded
4,278 Raising a Beautiful Child participants
112
Self-Esteem Rising Ambassadors
YES, SELF-ESTEEM REALLY IS THAT IMPORTANT
Why do girls and women need self-esteem programming? Disturbingly, studies show that for most girls, unbridled confidence peaks at only age eight before declining precipitously.
Self-esteem has a profound impact on the lives of girls and women. It affects how they operate in school and in the workplace, how they interact with people, how much they achieve, how they choose romantic partners, how they raise their families, how they avoid risk and so much more. Further, females’ self-esteem has repercussions beyond the individual—it impacts society as a whole. Women‘s empowerment is widely understood to be key to fighting poverty, lowering rates of violence and broken families, promoting health, realizing human rights and even sustaining peace. The importance of self-esteem for girls and women cannot be overstated.
Today, only 38% of girls worldwide report having high self-esteem, and the trends are alarming. School avoidance, severe depression, anxiety-induced vomiting, self-injury and more are prevalent. The CDC found that between February 2020 and March 2021, suicide attempts resulting in emergency room visits for girls ages 12-17 shot up 50.6% compared to the same period in 2019 and compared to an increase of only 3.7% for boys.
We recognize that women and girls face distinct barriers when it comes to fulfilling their potential—professionally and personally. We know that the ripple effect of this lost potential is enormous. Improving girls’ and women’s self-esteem is a simple intervention that makes a huge impact. Inspired by the enthusiastic confidence that distinguished the lives of Emma, Alyson and Katie Hance, we have made this our foundation’s mission.
The impact of our flagship program, Beautiful Me, has been verified by Harvard Medical School. Every single participant surveyed in the evaluation reported leaving our program with higher levels of self-esteem, happiness and confidence. Together, we can change
PROUDLY PRESENTED BY THE HANCE FAMILY FOUNDATION
GROUNDBREAKING GROWTH IN 2024
The delivery of our programming experienced a significant increase, and by December 2024 of the 2024-2025 school year, we had already surpassed the total number of Beautiful Me participants for the entire 2023-2024 school year. 2024 saw:
390 new Beautiful Me teachers trained
14,007 Beautiful Me graduates
19,907 Confidence Club lessons downloaded
34,304 total Self-Esteem Rising participants
235,382 all-time SER graduates
OUR REACH BECOMES LIMITLESS
The Hance Family Foundation is on the cusp of a major scale-up. In 2024, we hired a seasoned Executive Director and introduced an innovative, asynchronous platform for our Beautiful Me Teacher Training that has made our training model far more scalable. This online learning management system (LMS) allows the HFF to reach and train more teachers across the country at a reduced cost. Moreover, the new training system fosters increased inclusivity and accessibility, which is of the utmost importance to our organization.
Every year, the HFF trains educators and mental health professionals nationwide to deliver Beautiful Me absolutely free of charge at schools, hospitals, senior centers, juvenile detention facilities, child welfare organizations, corporations, prisons and anywhere a desire is present. Originally, our capacity was limited because we delivered our training in live group environments. Now, prospective Beautiful Me teachers can engage at their own pace, from the comfort of their own homes.
Self-Esteem Rising programs are almost infinitely replicable and are easily self-sustaining after launch requiring only the expense of supplies, which are provided by the HFF free of charge to reduce barriers and promote equity.
Angela Huss-Marvin, a social worker in the Rochester City School District, completed the new online training and remarked, “Every slide makes me want to share this program with every girl I know! This is such an amazing program! I wish I knew about it sooner.”
2024: A YEAR OF INNOVATIVE TRANSFORMATION
The HFF Executive Board of Directors developed an ambitious but achievable strategic growth plan, that has put us on track to expand our programming by more than 300% this school year alone. We have projected a year over year growth of 300% for the next three years. With the continued support of our generous donors, we will bring programs to half a million people by 2030.
We have made crucial investments in our people, technology and processes—that will ensure our programs reach the girls and women who need them most—and will benefit from them the most. Our organization and our programs are now evidence-based and impactful, inherently inclusive and highly scalable.
We were first-time exhibitors at the annual CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning) conference in Chicago. This prestigious gathering attracted over 1,800 educators, counselors, school principals, superintendents and professionals from around the world. Our booth became a hub of activity, drawing attendees eager to learn more about our Self-Esteem Rising programs.
CASEL, whose work has set the gold standard for social-emotional learning (SEL), celebrated its 30th anniversary and we were fortunate to meet the visionary Timothy Shriver, co-founder of CASEL in 1994 and active board member. We also had the privilege of learning from the esteemed Dr. Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, who shared how SEL is transforming student outcomes both inside and outside the classroom.
We forged a new and exciting partnership with the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA)! Sharing the same belief that, self-esteem and confidence can be taught at any age, DOEA will offer our Beautiful Me program to 5,000 older women who are caregivers to family members with dementia over the next year. HFF will be training 100 task force members, who will teach Beautiful Me across the state of Florida as a tool to support caregiver resilience.
Timothy Shriver
Dr. Marc Brackett
LASER FOCUSED ON MAKING CONFIDENCE THE STANDARD
Over the last fifteen years, the HFF has seen significant and impactful growth—but there is so much more on the horizon. Our Board of Directors crafted a strategic expansion plan focused on securing a larger, everlasting legacy for Emma, Alyson and Katie. We are committed to partnering innovative nonprofit strategies with best-in-class business approaches—so that we are simultaneously expanding our footprint, diversifying our funding streams and professionalizing our operations. We hired a seasoned Executive Director; our virtual training has exponentially increased our capacity (and decreased our per teacher training costs); and we will introduce a CRM system to better track our impact. Untold numbers of girls will be inspired to lead bigger, brighter lives.
We have identified a three-pronged approach to increase the number of people our programs reach annually:
We are transitioning from forging individual school partnerships to developing broader, systemic partnerships and institutionalizing our curricula in large school districts that serve many of our most at-risk youth. We are building relationships with the New York City Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, Puerto Rico Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Clark County School District, Broward County Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Hawaii Department of Education. Once launched in districts like these, our programs are designed to become easily self-sustaining and run indefinitely, with the HFF intervening only to restock supplies as needed.
We are establishing broader, nationwide partnerships with social service providers to reach more high-risk youth and adults. We are replicating the success of previous local partnerships, such as:
▪ The Women's Prison Association, which provides assistance to women currently incarcerated or re-entering the community—75% of whom are likely to experience mental health challenges, and all of whom face significantly lower employment rates than men following incarceration.
▪ The New York State Housing Authority (NYCHA), where nearly two-thirds of families are led by women, offers specialized programs for single mothers who are heads of households and seeking to enter or advance in the workforce.
▪ The LYFE program is a New York City Department of Education initiative that provides free early childhood education and support to children of student parents enrolled in NYC schools.
Summer camps, out-of-school time (OST) programs and community-based organizations represent an additional, valuable pool of potential participants. Organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, Commonpoint, Girl and Boy Scouts, 4H and Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education (SCOPE) stand to benefit from the implementation of our Self-Esteem Rising programs. Our goal is to build long-term, meaningful partnerships with key leaders in these spaces. To further extend our reach, we have engaged 70 Beautiful Me teachers to gather referrals and tap into their networks, identifying contacts who can help raise awareness and promote the adoption of our programs as we expand our impact into new settings.
SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN OUR FUTURE
The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation has made a multi-year, $250,000+ commitment, investing in our strategic expansion and in our mission, setting the stage for advancement and large-scale systematic partnerships. With their generous support, the organization will be able to simultaneously provide free teacher training and program supplies to tens of thousands of participants, while building an advanced corporate operating structure and monitoring the fidelity and impact of our programming nationwide.
We were awarded a $25,000 capacity grant from the Flagstar Foundation to build and launch a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This CRM will help us track and analyze our work and impact more effectively while fostering meaningful interactions with donors, volunteers, teachers and program participants. It will collect and manage crucial quantitative data, such as tracking participants' success after completing our programs. This data is key to making informed decisions, improving our programs and refining our outreach efforts. One of Flagstar Foundation’s key priorities is workforce readiness, particularly supporting women ages 19 and older. With this new CRM system, we’ll enhance our Ambassador and Empower Me programs over the next three years.
We received a $25,000 general operating grant from AllianceBernstein (AB) to help fund our strategic expansion. AB’s holistic approach to giving back follows a five-pillared strategy: philanthropy, volunteering, board participation, gift matching and civic engagement. Senior Vice President, Head of Fixed Income, Scott DiMaggio, is not only a longtime supporter and volunteer of our organization, but also co-chair of our largest event and a valued corporate mentor.
Our brand partners—Enkay, 605, Kosmonia and Thrive Causemetics—supported us with both monetary and in-kind donations, while also amplifying our mission to their extensive audiences. 605’s Long Island office transitioned to a remote setup, and in an extraordinary display of generosity, they donated computer equipment, printers, office supplies, materials for hosting training sessions and other essentials. These contributions are not just gifts—they are vital resources that enhance our programming and help us reduce general operating expenses.
After connecting at the CASEL conference, Harry Wilson of National University agreed to be our Executive Mentor in 2025. We started conversations with the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Tucson Unified School District—home to more than 40,000 students—will be piloting Beautiful Me in 5 schools in 2025.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND BEST-IN-CLASS NONPROFIT RATINGS
We take your investment seriously. For every dollar donated to the Hance Family Foundation, 94 cents are attributed to our overall mission, as reported in our last 990. Additionally, we are proud to hold the highest independent charity ratings across the top four evaluative services.
$346,927
$53,269
$22,970
Fundraising Expenses
Management & General Expenses
Program Expenses
TOTAL EXPENSES: $423,166*
*August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2023
Confidence Empowerment Resilience
Sisterhood
Finley Middle School in Glen Cove, NY, has embraced Beautiful Me and seen remarkable results. In the 2023-2024 school year, girls represented 55% of all school suspensions. However, after the implementation of Beautiful Me, the following year (2024-2025) saw a dramatic reduction, with only 24% of suspensions involving girls—cutting the rate by more than half.
“Since introducing Beautiful Me, our girls have grown into leaders—supporting each other, making positive choices and embracing their unique beauty. We’ve seen a remarkable change—Beautiful Me has empowered our girls to make better choices, lifting one another up instead of tearing each other down.
The program gave our girls the confidence to see their worth, and it shows in their actions, attitudes and friendships. Beautiful Me not only empowered our girls, but it also created a powerful bond between them and our female teachers, who became role models and mentors throughout the journey.”
Nelson Iocolano Principal, R.M. Finley Middle School
Glen Cove City School District
“I am being bombarded by messages from my colleagues about how impactful Empower Me was in our session this morning. The women were blown away... It was absolutely amazing—nobody wanted it to end.
We laughed, we cried, we connected. These are women under pressure, ashamed to ask for help fearing it conveys weakness, powerhouses in their fields. They needed this so badly—we all did. It was nothing short of magic.”
Katie Scerbo Flywheel Digital
“I learned what it means to be confident and what it means to be a leader. I really have grown in my confidence and have been able to do things that I wouldn’t have done before because of this program. I’ve used these skills to not only help myself, but to help others who might not be feeling confident and happy.
One more really important and wonderful
“I am 97 years old, still very active, and still learning as evidenced by this new interest of mine in facilitating Beautiful Me sessions. I am planning to do them within our community with independent living residents. I have already talked to staff in our nursing home who are eager for me to host sessions. I’m excited about these possibilities and hope that I’ll be able to help older women like myself who have faced various issues in their lives.
The fellow participants in the two sessions I have attended have been thrilled about the experience. They brag about it to others and often wear the necklace from Jackie Hance. One recent widow told me that wearing the jewelry had a feeling of support for her. Whenever she felt sorry for herself, she would touch the three hearts and find support.”
Retired Social Worker
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CO-PRESIDENTS:
Warren J. Hance, Jr., SRA
WJH Appraisal Services, Inc.
Jackie Hance
Hanover Bank
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS:
Kerry Connolly
Freelance Print Producer
James Gill Cox Automotive
David Hance, Master Sgt.
United States Air Force, Retired
Douglas Hayden, Esq.
Wright Risk Management
Brendan Healy
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bradley Katinas Jefferies
Sheila McKeough Flagstar Bank, Retired
Lynn Pombonyo, Ed. D.
Floral Park-Bellerose School District, Retired
Kate Tuffy, MS Ed., BCBA Changing Behavior, Inc.
Kathryn Zeppieri
Ridgewood Savings Bank
EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS:
Ayanna Greenidge Principal, PS/IS 266 Q
Caitie McCabe
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Claire Byrnes
ADVISORY BOARD:
Kerry Boyle
Laura Bressmer
Sophia Brivio
Geralyn Corcoran
Katie Geraghty
Courtney Hance
Denise Hayden
Judy LaRocca
Mike Mathis
Terry Miccio
Kerrie Murray
Joe Pelletiere
Karen Phannemiller
Andrew Scerbo
Rosemary Wagner
TOP AMBASSADORS
$100,000+
Thrive Causemetics (In Kind)
The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation
THE EAK CREW
$25,000-$50,000
Alliance Bernstein c/o Scott DiMaggio
The Brivio Family (The Well Seasoned Chef)
Flagstar Foundation
Florida Department of Elder Affairs
SELF-ESTEEM RISING SOCIETY
$15,000-$24,999
Jefferies
Six Zero Five (In Kind)
CONFIDENCE CLUB
$10,000-$14,999
Brown and Brown
Bruce Dunn (Auramet)
EMPOWERMENT ADVOCATES
$3,000-$6,000
Capitol Electric
Con-Kel Landscaping
John Corcoran
Daniel Hannon and Associates
The DiCarlo Family
Hanover Bank
Brendan Healy
Island Trees Middle School
Islanders
J. Fallon’s Tap Room
Michael and Barbara Lynch
Napa Auto Parts (David Adams)
The Nunan Family
Peter Ozzimo
Dr. Lynn Pombonyo
Rose and David Tsoupros
Matthew Viscusi
CIRCLE OF STRENGTH
$1,500-$2,999
Capco
CFO Legal
Charles Cocuzza
James Craig
Donnelly Mechanical
Evelyn Crisci
Kevin Fitzpatrick
James Flaherty
Floral Park Police Benevolent Association
Genentech
Gary Intoccia
Ivy Rehab
Bimal Kadikar
Brad and Melissa Katinas
Craig and Lori Katinas
Nels Larsson
Amanda and Kevin Lawrence
Lynch and Associates
Maspeth Federal Savings
Nielsen, Zehe and Antas, PC
Novus
James O’Connor
The Rossetti Family
S and P Global (OSTTRA)
Tiempo Soccer
Edward Vincent
Robert and Jeannine Votruba
Xhordi Xhokola
BEAUTIFUL ME FAMILY
$1,000-$1,499
Bobby K Architects
Maggie Boland
Michele Botte
Bridge Community Church
The Centeno Family
Chubb Charitable
Chris Chimera
James Colasanto
Kerry and David Connolly
John Constantino
Geralyn Corcoran
EBM Distribution
EWG Glass Recovery
Sharon Fressle
Keith Fordyce
Mike and Kathleen Genovese
David and Courtney Hance
The Harrison
Doug and Una Hayden
Herbert & Lillian Heilpern Family Foundation
Jacquelyn Hulse
Joseph Incantalupo
Jamie and Paige Malone Foundation
The Kelly Family
Kosmonia
James and Christine McLoughlin
Mom's Kitchen and Bar
New York Life
Pryor Law Firm LLC
Ridgewood Savings Bank
Ellen Sokol
Swing the Teapot
Tulip Bake Shop
Uptown Taco
The Vecchio Family
John Vinoski
Brad Wolk
Kathryn Zeppieri
FOUNDATION FRIENDS
$500-$999
3G Warehouse
Stephen Acquario
John Agunzo
Robert Baxter
Mike and Lisa Binkley
Bob GaNun Insurance
Thomas Bruno
Joseph Buonocore
Mariano and Jean Canglialosi
Andrew Cappacio
Mary Chimera
Kathleen Doerrie
Chris Downes
Gustavo Frances
Garden City UFSD
James Gill
Gyro Village
Jameson’s
Michael and Jennifer Goldfeder
Kathleen Grey
Michael Hance
Happy Bookers
Timothy Howlin
Anna Joyce
Claire and John Katinas
Carol and Jeff Kaufman
Laura and Fran Lawrence
Legacy Strength
Vincent Lopes
Sheila McKeough
Keith Muller
Liz Munro
Kerrie Murray
Never Stop Moving 365
OLV CYO
Ray Paprocky
Joe Pelletiere
John and Mary Pelletiere
Catherine Quinn
Tara Reed
Maurice Reilly
Maureen Smith
Christine Sorenson
John Sproat
Stella Ristorante
Dawn Tinnirello
Michael Tinnirello
Traffic Systems Incorporated
Trinity Restaurant
Kate Tuffy
Van Buren
The Ventura Family
Village Pizzeria
Michael Viscusi
Catherine Wall
Joanne Wolfring
Zef’s Pizza
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