No organization or nonprofit can be successful without the help of the local community. The community members, who give their time and talent to help those in need, are the heart and soul of an organization.
No organization or nonprofit can be successful without the help of the local community. The community members, who give their time and talent to help those in need, are the heart and soul of an organization.
Christine's Hope for Kids (CHFK) was founded to continue the memory and legacy of the late Christine Gianacaci, a 22-year-old Lynn University student from Hopewell. Christine had a passion for helping children in need and was fulfilling that passion on a January 2010 mission to Haiti when her life was taken by a catastrophic earthquake. Her determined pursuit of spreading hope to children led her parents, Jean and John Gianacaci, to found the organization in her honor.
When tragedy struck, John and Jean Gianacaci were embraced by not only their Hopewell Valley community and the Princeton community where John grew up, but also by the Mercer County community that supported them through the worst time of their lives.
When they decided to start Christine's Hope for Kids, John and Jean depended on many people to help them find their way. They depended on the people from their community who stood up and said, "We will help."
The Gianacacis had an idea of what they wanted to accomplish. They wanted to help kids in the local community. They wanted to give back to the same community that helped them get through this tragic experience. There are so many kids right in here in Mercer County that need help. John and Jean feel a strong passion and responsibility to take care of these kids as Christine would have.
So, John and Jean Gianacaci reached out once again to their community, and help came. They received guidance from volunteers, financial advisors, educators, attorneys. It was with many hands that Christine's Hope for Kids was built from the ground up.
After more than five years, it is still important to CHFK to involve the local community in their mission to give kids a better life. They enlist the help of student volunteers in schools, and through this experience students are taught the lesson about giving back to the community.
Student volunteers come in on weekends and summer vacations to organize collections and drives to support CHFK. The mission of CHFK is not just about the dollars raised, but also about teaching the importance of giving back. It is about being good to your community, taking care of your community and being involved in your community because you never know when you will need that community to lift you up.
It is because of the generosity of the donors and volunteers who have helped build the foundation that they have been able to help tens of thousands of children.
"A child's face is on every donation we receive," said John Gianacaci. "That is why it is so important to us to keep costs down. We want to make sure most of every dollar we receive goes directly to help a child in need."
That is also why John and Jean stay active with the organizations they serve and check in regularly to make sure their donations a being put to good use.
Your donation to the 2015 Times Holiday Appeal will help Christine's Hope for Kids continue its mission to help kids in need in our community.
To make a donation to support Christine's Hope for Kids, make your check payable to The Times Holiday Appeal and mail to Times Charities, Inc., 413 River View Plaza, Trenton, NJ 08611.
All gifts will be acknowledged in The Times. Anonymity will be granted, if requested.
For more about Christine's Hope for Kids, go to www.christineshope.org.
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