TRANSFORMING A DEVASTATING FAMILY TRAGEDY INTO A LEGACY OF BRINGING JOY TO UNDERSERVED CHILDREN OF MERCER COUNTY AND BEYOND, CHRISTINE’S HOPE FOR KIDS IS POISED TO CELEBRATE A DECADE OF HELPING THE KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
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It’s all about the little things: the new toothbrush, the cozy pajamas, the baseball spikes, the engrossing plot of a gently-used Harry Potter book. Christine’s Hope for Kids not only recognizes the importance of what many of us take for granted, but it makes sure the little things find their way to children in need, making a world of difference, one smile at a time.
THE NAMESAKE The little things were also important to Hopewell, New Jersey native Christine Gianacaci: taking a new student under her wing in homeroom, playing a good round of golf, winning a pizza party with the school mascot at a parents’ weekend auction just so she could donate it to a local shelter. A communications major at Florida’s Lynn University, Christine was already, at age 22, a longstanding champion for “the kid in the corner.” Called “The Mayor” as a young child because she was ever-smiling and outgoing, things changed when Christine developed Tourette syndrome as a teenager. She was unable to do many everyday things, worried about