TOMORROWS HOPE INC
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Mission Statement
We used to fund raise for a national organization. When we found out the dollars raised did not stay local we choose to start our own non-profit and called it Tomorrow's Hope. In 1998 we decided not to focus on simply one illness, instead we choose to create an organization that would support research, education and support services for those touched by all life-limiting illnesses such as Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, MS and more. We have a strong focus on investing our dollars locally. Our healthcare region is Southeastern Wisconsin. Accountability is important to us. We require each recipient of grant dollars to sign a contract with us. That contract requires them to: 1. Use the dollars in a way that will mirror our mission statement 2. Send us reports twice a year telling us where (what communities) are served, what programs the money is supporting and how many people benefit from the program.
About This Cause
Moments and Memories, Hope and Healing....that's what we're all about. When touched by illness, your world is turned upside down. Whether it's yesterday or 20 years ago, we remember these moments in our life as if it just happened. When illness touches your life, your life changes forever. Tomorrow's Hope is all about making a difference in the lives of others. When we create our events our focus is always on our participants...our survivors and their loved ones. What can we do to make their challenges 'go away' for a moment in time? What moments and memories can we create for them? We accomplish this by having many activities that peak the interest of many. We start our Hope Fest weekend with an event called: Ride With a Buddy: This is a motorcycle and classic car ride that invites drivers of the vehicles to 'buddy' up with a survivor or their loved one(s) to go on a slow, leisurely 30 mile ride. Just imagine what that is like for someone who has never been on the back of a Harley or ride in a classic car! Here are a few quotes from past participants: "When I was on the bike, I forgot I was sick. I will never forget this." "My fondest memory of the ride is riding on Hwy 18 with bikes riding 2-by-2 in formation, stretching as far as the eye could see, rolling and rumbling down the road like a giant snake made of shiny chrome, black leather and blue jeans. It will be one of those memories of a lifetime." Before the Ride returns to the grounds, we give the survivor on the lead bike a torch we borrow from the Special Olympics. We light the torch and they carry the Flame of Hope onto the grounds. The Ride participants are greeted by cheering family and community members. After they have gotten off the bikes and out of the cars, a select group of survivors pass the torch around a track that has been lined by luminaries. A survivor of cancer from Jefferson, passes the torch to a survivor of diabetes from Fort Atkinson, who passes it to a survivor of heart disease from Watertown, who passes it to a survivor of Alzheimer's from Johnson Creek. The last person to carry the torch is someone using the services of Rainbow Hospice Care. This individual uses the Flame of Hope to lights a huge basin which is our beacon throughout the weekend. This passing of the torch reinforces our goal to support all people from all communities touched by all illnesses. This isn't about one community it is about all of us working together to make a difference. The Walk From there we flow into an event we call The Walk. The Walk focuses on individuals who want to walk, talk, watch their kids play and simply reconnect with family and friends. This is a great opportunity for family and friends to bond, reconnect and show support. Even though our mission includes people touched by all illnesses, the fascinating thing is that no matter what the illness is, we are all connected. We all now know what it feels like to watch a loved one travel this incredible journey that challenges them physically and emotionally. Over 2,000 people gather and we are all connected because we know what is in their heart because it is in ours as well. Night Light Bicycle Ride When it gets dark, we have an event called The Night Light Bicycle Ride. We decorate the bikes with neon lights and take a leisurely 12 mile ride on the bike trail. The event is another opportunity for families to do something unique with each other. When they return, we spend a quiet night under the stars either walking or sitting by our campsites catching up with family and friends. Kids Fit We invite kids to join us for our Kids Fit mud run. We have invited the area DIvision III National College Football Champions from UW-Whitewater to participate in the Kids Fit mentoring the kids and encouraging them to complete their challenges. Just imagine what's it's like to have a big football player cheering you on! It's fun and it's dirty! With the variety of events, we offer an opportunity for everyone to get involved. Not only as participants but as sponsors or with in-kind donations. This gives the guy with a motorcycle a chance to give. It gives an area excavator the opportunity to dig the trenches for our Dirty Fit. It give the area food vendors an opportunity to donate food. It gives our local VFW's and Legions an opportunity to donate their services as Honor Guards. We all have something to give, our goal is to open that door of 'giving back' and healing to everyone. In 21 years, we have granted over $4.2 million dollars to area recipients including: Alzheimer's Association-Wisconsin, American Family Children's Hospital-Madison, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Fort HealthCare-Fort Atkinson, Rainbow Hospice Care-Jefferson County, Johnson Creek Cancer Center-Johnson Creek, Rock River Free Clinic, UW Carbone Cancer Center-Madison, UW Health-Watertown Regional Hospital-Watertown and Watertown Area Cares Clinic. Because we keep our dollars local, we have created a local economic benefit of over $7.2 million.