We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jen Hilderbrand a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jen , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
Hope is unique. Our Foundation gives the gift of therapy to applicants for a therapist of their choosing who financially qualify. We have awarded over a thousand hours of therapy services through sponsorships to children as well as the elderly. In a world where things can feel hopeless, therapy gives people the ability to obtain tools to deal with the mental struggles they may be facing. Our applicants are recieving HOPE in a unique form. We are establishing ourselves in the mental health world as an advocate and not an obstacle for mental health services.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
HOPE was created by Dr. Floyd Godfrey who saw a need within the therapy world to finically help those in treatment or seeking treatment. His insight into the world of therapy was vital in creating a resource that could serve the community he was driven to help. My role in HOPE originated a few months prior to the lockdown of Covid when I was asked to sit on the Board of HOPE. Being an advocate for therapy because I myself had received services, I immediately agreed. I wanted to be a part of a movement to make mental health services available to everyone, not just those that could pay for it. Therapy can be very expensive and insurance sometimes does not cover a particular therapist or deductibles may be high. HOPE gives applicants the ability to pick their own therapist and receive paid for sessions upon approval of financial need. Covid brought mental health struggles to the surface as we were isolated, the future seemed unsure, and fear was dominant. At HOPE we provide the ability to receive help. Therapy can give you the tools to deal with uncertainty, overcome fear, sadness, isolation and many more. Mental health struggles look differently to each one of us but there is hope. We can change the future by providing the ability for people to take their lives back, to receive the tools and guidance to navigate their struggles and find the light.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start?
We are a 501 C 3 charitable foundation and run on donations from our community. We hold 3 major events each year, a 5k Ruck March to say thank you to our military as well as raise funds to offer therapy services to them, a golf tournament, Sweat for Mental Health, and a Charity Dinner. These 3 events help to fund our budget for the upcoming year. We also have implemented a corporate program where a corporation can donate to our Foundation which is tax deductible, and have a portion of the proceeds earmarked for their employees. It is a great way to help those seeking therapy within a business obtain mental health care. We believe it not only shows the corporations care of their employees but helps to increase the wellness of their business also.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
HOPE is working diligently to build a reputation of honesty, transparency, and progress. We are working hard to keep our overhead very low and our sponsorships awarded high. Our donors money is something we are very grateful for and want to use in the ways promised. To date we have awarded over 1000 hours of therapy and that number will just continue to grow!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hopefoundationgives.org
- Instagram: hope_gives
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-hilderbrand-b94574235/
- Other: https://ruck4freedom.org
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