About Us
How it all started.
Hope Strengthens Foundation (HSF) was founded in 2010 by long-time friends James Fahey and Jacob Ferreira in response to their efforts to support a mutual friend, Joe Merry, during his long battle with and recovery from cancer.
Joe was empowered by a simple yet compelling motto: Hope Strengthens. His family and friends drew strength from it, too, rallying around him to form a powerful community of support. Seeing a need to raise money, they organized a fundraiser to help cover his expenses while he was out of work so he could have the peace-of-mind necessary to focus on recovery.
Their collective efforts paid off and today Joe is in remission and cancer-free. But while this battle may have been won, the mission is not over. There is work still to be done.
Who we are.
Jim, Jacob, and Joe realized that the need was great and ongoing, so they made a long-term commitment and developed a plan to provide support to as many people in need as possible. Joe’s strength and courage became the catalyst for launching the Hope Strengthens Foundation.
Hope Strengthens Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides critical financial support to individuals and families facing life-threatening illness, disability, or are recovering from traumatic injuries. We seek to positively change the lives of those facing hardship as a result of their illness, disability, or injury.
Our assistance programs include financial support to pay medical expenses, purchase specialized equipment to assist in recovery, and to cover other expenses directly related to medical care.
But our work doesn’t stop there.
We’re also seeking to effect long-term change and assist in the training of future healthcare professionals who may not have the financial resources to successfully complete their educations. To accomplish this, we have established scholarship programs with the University of New Hampshire College of Health and Human Services and Northeastern University | Bouvé College of Nursing to support students with an expressed financial need who are pursuing a career in healthcare.
There are a number of ways you can support our efforts to make a difference in people’s lives.
How you can help.
Charitable donations can take many forms: cash, stock transfers, donor-advised funds (Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or BNY Mellon Charitable Donor Advised Funds), and rollover IRA’s, to name several. If you prefer, we’d be honored to discuss planned giving with you as well.
It takes a village
Hope Strengthens Foundation not only provided my children and I support during the worst time in our lives, they made us part of their family. Words cannot express the gratitude my boys and I have for this amazing organization. You could not ask for a better foundation to invest in, the founders are amazing men with very big hearts.
-GISELLE TEAGUE
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