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 Flyers Alumni 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, whose contributions enable us to give beyond what 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-based 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:
Statement of activities
"The impact of Help Hope Live extends far beyond financial aid; they offer hope, empowerment, and a renewed sense of possibility. We’re proud to support such a vital organization.”
- Cate Heaman, CEO and Founder, Prelude Solutions
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 $190,000 and attracting more than 350 attendees Our honorees were recognized for using the power of their voices to advocate for the spinal cord injury community, access to organ transplantation, and for 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 Help Hope Live’s mission through education and connection
FY 25 highlights include:
One Ripple. Endless Impact.
In addition, the team disbursed $36,000 to 35 individuals for emergency
Every Child Deserves a Bike.
Thanks to financial partners like the Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Association, the Rosenblatt Foundation, and individual donors like Troy Brown, Help Hope Live has funded the creation of more than 40 custom adaptive bikes for children in the Greater Philadelphia area dealing with mobility challenges enhancing their mobility, strength, and independence.
Annual Visit to Howie’s House.
Every year, Help Hope Live staff and Ambassadors team 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.
Because you care, Help Hope Live is reaching communities in our own backyard and beyond.
Your support helps us deliver thoughtfully curated care packages to transplant hospitals and rehab centers, offering comfort and encouragement when it’s 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.
STATES REACHED THROUGH BAGS OF HOPE
AMBASSADORS AND CLIENTS PARTICIPATED
DELIVERED IN FY 2025
“My annual support and my 40 years of connection to this organization…Every year that I’ve been involved with this organization is me giving a piece of myself.”
Chris Kanter, former long-time employee turned Board member
“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 30-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
Lily & Lucy Thomas.
When twins Lily and Lucy Thomas were born conjoined from liver to bladder, their family had to relocate two hours from the home they knew to be close to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) The girls would require intensive monitoring and care throughout their young lives, until they were old enough and strong enough to undergo separation surgery and follow up care 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 6, 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
The Transplant Alliance Foundation: Mary Jo Lovely Memorial Fund
Named for a woman who underwent two lung transplants herself, 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 This year the fund distributed over $61,000 to 32 individuals who are fundraising with us for their transplants.
