FY 2025 Impact Report
A Message From Our Executive Director
Over the last five years, we have intentionally built an organization that better reflects the people we serve expanding and diversifying our staff and Board, strengthening our presence in hospitals and trauma centers, and deepening relationships with the medical professionals and vendors who guide families to us We have launched new tools and initiatives designed to meet real, urgent needs from our compassion funds like our Plaintiff Fund to our Fund Request Portal, which has transformed how quickly and transparently we can support families with critical expenses. This growth is not just measured in numbers; it is reflected in our largest Live It Up! gala to date and in the increasing demand for our services nationwide
This year, we are proud to introduce the theme of this report: The Power of Your Voice
At Help Hope Live, we see every day that collective voices have the power to change lives
When one person shares their story, it creates a ripple, inviting others to listen, to care, and to act. Our clients and Ambassadors give voice to experiences that might otherwise go unheard Families and friends rally around them, turning love into tangible support. Donors lend their voices through generosity. Medical professionals amplify awareness, ensuring families know there is a trusted path forward. And when these voices come together, something extraordinary happens… communities form, barriers soften, and hope becomes actionable
Here in Philadelphia and across the country, we are seeing the voices of collaboration in action Thanks to the generosity of partners like Prelude Solutions, Penn Lacrosse, and others, our Bags of Hope initiative, which brings care packages to people who are hospitalized, is growing rapidly Inspiring collaborations like the Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Association adaptive bike giveaway program grounded in the belief that every child deserves access and opportunity are helping us to build something far greater than fundraising alone. That same spirit of giving is reflected in the support of partners like the Foxwynd Foundation and the Transplant Alliance Foundation, whose contributions enable us to give more than any one community can raise on its own. Together, these programs and partners remind us that the voice behind every contribution has a story, a connection, and a desire to make a difference These stories and the voices behind them are what carry us forward.
As we look ahead, we do so with clarity and ambition. The need continues to grow, but so does our capacity to meet it. We are committed to expanding access, strengthening partnerships, and continuing to innovate in how we support families facing medical challenges…so that no one has to navigate both a health challenge and a financial hardship alone
To everyone who has lent their voice to this mission, thank you Your belief, your advocacy, and your generosity are what make this work possible
With hope and gratitude,
Kelly L Green Executive Director,
Help Hope Live
OUR MISSION
Help Hope Live supports community-led fundraising for people with unmet medical expenses and related costs due to cell and organ transplants or catastrophic injuries and illnesses
The Reach of Your Voice
Since 1983, donors like you have fueled every milestone of our mission helping more than 25,000 individuals and families meet critical medical and related expenses.
Through your generosity and commitment to community-led fundraising, Help Hope Live campaigns have raised over $194 million to ease the burden of out-of-pocket medical costs. Our impact spans more than four decades and continues to grow. Here’s what you made possible in FY 2025:
Vans
Modifications
Statements of Financial Position
“I give to Help Hope Live because I want to support the passion and the hope, because I've seen our process work. I am committed to helping the organization grow so that we can meet the needs of more patients and families.”
- Chris Kanter,
former long-time employee turned Board member
More than 150 runners, walkers, and rollers came out for the 2 Annual Hope Travels 5K, raising more than $50,000 to support our mission Ambassadors and Board Members from outside the area pitched in by organizing virtual teams in their communities
Statement of Activities
Live It Up!
This year ’ s Live It Up! gala was our most successful ever, raising over $170,000 and attracting more than 300 attendees Our honorees were recognized for their advocacy for the spinal cord injury community, access to organ transplantation, and equity for the disability community
Amplifying Hope
Our Outreach team spends months and sometimes years cultivating relationships with partners, communities, and supporters to raise awareness of
Hope Live’s mission through education and
FY 25 highlights include:
One Ripple, Endless Impact
Every Child Deserves a Bike
Thanks to the kindness of partners like the Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Association, the Rosenblatt Foundation, Troy Brown, and other generous donors, Help Hope Live has funded more than 60 custom bikes since the inception of our Adaptive Bike Fund in 2020. The bikes help children facing mobility challenges build strength, confidence, and independence
Annual Visit to Howie’s House
Every year, Help Hope Live staff and Ambassadors team up with Gift of Life to prepare dinner for folks staying at Howie’s House, known as a “home away from home” for transplant patients and their families.
Bags of Hope
Your support helps us deliver thoughtfully curated care packages to transplant hospitals and rehab centers, offering comfort and encouragement when it is needed most What began as a small holiday effort by staff has grown into a year-round initiative thanks to the support of corporate partners.
Partners and donors don't just support our mission, they expand what's possible for the families we serve.
“The
Cate
beyond
Heaman, CEO and Founder, Prelude Solutions
“If these stories don’t bring a tear to a person’s eyes.…Thank you for what you do!”
Raymond Hippele, Long-time Supporter and Donor, Zim Development Co
The Power of Community
Oftentimes, the most powerful voice we hear isn’t from our client, but their community. That’s the case with 31-year-old client Dan Walker, whose community pulled together to raise more than $50,000 in just 8 days after Dan became paralyzed from the chest down following an unprovoked attack Dan’s friends cite his strength and his will for inspiring their fundraising efforts
Lilly and Lucy Thomas
When twins Lilly and Lucy Thomas were born conjoined from liver to bladder, their family had to relocate two hours from their home to be close to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Intensive monitoring and medical care would be required throughout their young lives, both before and after a surgery to separate the girls.
Funds raised through their campaign enabled them to relocate to Philadelphia while awaiting and eventually undergoing separation surgery. Today, the twins are thriving!
“If Dan is so driven to walk again, then who are we to tell him he can’t? And if cost is the inhibitor, we want to get that out of the way, and that is the goal.”
– Marcus Lotierzo, Dan’s friend and campaign team member, interviewed on Action News 6abc, Philadelphia
Philanthropic Support
Fundraising to help people fundraise poses a unique challenge. In FY 2025, we were honored to receive a $30,000 grant from the Foxwynd Foundation to support outreach and client services for individuals confronting the catastrophic financial strain of a cell or organ transplant, chronic illness, or traumatic injury
Transplant Alliance FoundationMary Jo Lovely Memorial Fund
Named for a woman who underwent two lung transplants herself, the Transplant Alliance Foundation - Mary Jo Lovely Memorial Fund was designed with the help of her family to support others going through their own transplant experiences In 2025, the fund distributed more than $61,000 to the campaigns of 32 individuals who are fundraising with Help Hope Live for their unmet transplant-related costs.
