When one of our founders, Ann Hartle, visited a foster home of a child she mentored, she noticed there was a little boy who had received word that he was going to be placed in yet another foster home. This poor child carried what little belongings he had in a black garbage bag. Upon seeing this, it broke her heart. Not only did this child not have a permanent home, but the only possessions he could truly call his own were carried in a small plastic garbage bag. Ann made it her passion to see that no child in the Pinellas County foster care system, in time, would ever think their clothes and only belongings were no better than garbage.

In the summer of 2002, Ann Hartle contacted several friends and family members for help. Two of those friends, Billy Huettig and Kim Greenleaf, were immediately drawn to the cause and gave their commitment to help.

For almost two years, these three friends personally financed the children’s needs by purchasing new duffle bags and getting donations of gently-used clothing from friends, neighbors, and business associates. As word got out within the foster care system of our generosity, the requests from the Case Managers became greater and greater.

In 2004, we made our little operation a business, became incorporated, and received our 501(c)3 tax exempt designation from the IRS. Thus, Raising Hope was established.

Later that same year, our good friend, Jeanne Davis joined our Board of Directors and brought with her her expertise in marketing and printing.

Since the beginning, Raising Hope has been the only charity in Pinellas County to provide duffle bags, clothing, and age appropriate toiletry items to meet the emergency needs of the foster children in Pinellas County.

At any given time, there are more than 3,000 children in Pinellas County who are not able to sleep at home because of abuse or neglect. The children’s ages range from newborns to teenagers. In some cases, they are brothers and sisters that have been separated because of lack of room in the foster care homes. In other cases, they have mental and physical disabilities that make them hard to place in a loving foster care home. But one thing for sure, these children all have needs for love, affection, and a caring community to help soften the turmoil they encounter in their daily lives.

The foster care system attempts to provide a nuturing environment for displaced children, but the needs go much deeper than this. Additional funding is needed to help provide items such as clothing, toiletries, and baby products. Community-based support is desperately needed to fill this gap. And this is where Raising Hope, Inc. and you can help.