Nathaniel's Hope

The Organization celebrates and serves kids and adults with all types of disabilities (VIPs) as well as educates and equips the community, particularly churches, with programs to assist and enrich the lives of VIP kids/adults and their families. All programs and services are provided to VIPs for FREE. The Organization currently serves over 15,000 VIP kids/adults throughout the year. The Organization has developed four major programs and utilizes thousands of volunteers to accomplish its mission cost-effectively.The core programs of the Organization include: (1) "Buddy Break" - A FREE Parent's Day Out/Respite Care program for VIP kids and siblings. The Organization has trained churches in 38 states and three countries to host this program. The program serves over 2,000 VIPs and their siblings each month, providing VIPs with friendship, a community, and giving caregivers a much-needed break. (2) "VIP Birthday Club"- VIP kids of all ages can become Club members and are initially sent a "Bearing Hope" teddy bear, an official VIP Membership Card that provides free perks and easy registration for the Organization's free events, and a birthday card annually to celebrate their special day. VIPs can also have their photographs posted online. The Organization currently serves over 15,000 VIP kids and adults from all 50 states, several U.S. territories, and 12 countries. (3) "Christmas with Nathaniel's Hope" is a special time of year when "Nathaniel's Toy Shop" provides kids with special needs and their siblings whose families are experiencing financial hardship FREE donated toys. This past year, Nathaniel's Toy Shop helped over 1,500 VIP families (5,000 VIP kids and siblings) in Central Florida and in satellite locations in Jacksonville, Lakeland, Tampa, and the Space Coast. In addition, over 100 "Caroling Caravans" volunteer teams delivered bags of toys and Christmas cheer to homebound VIP families. (4) Make 'm Smile is an annual festival celebrating kids with special needs held in downtown Orlando. This is the Organization's biggest party in the U.S., which celebrates kids and adults with disabilities and invites the community to participate. This past year, Nathaniel's Hope hosted over 3,000 VIPs, their families, and thousands from the community. The event has been hosted in Hartville, Ohio for the 4th year in a row and has now expanded to the West Coast! This year, Make 'm Smile SoCal premiered in partnership with the American Teaching Zoo in Ventura County! The Organization continues to work on developing new initiatives to assist this underserved community. Nathaniel's Neighbor is a pilot project under development to "Bring Help and Give Hope" to VIP families by engaging people from the community to help VIP families in practical ways. This year, Nathaniel's Hope celebrated 20 years! As the Organization has watched kids with disabilities grow into adults these last 20 years, it has become obvious that there is a need for more support, programs, and opportunities for this demographic. In 2021, Nathaniel's Hope purchased 171 acres of property to develop a community called "HOPETOWN" where adults with disabilities could live, work and play. HOPETOWN will be an inspiring community that will serve individuals with disabilities of all ages and their families and aspires to provide residential facilities, an employment center, an agricultural center, an animal experience, cafes, and more!

The Organization is a sending missions organization whose mission is to "share the love of God with those who know Him not, and with those who want to know Him more." The Organization continues to provide support for missionaries and offers short-term mission opportunities for individuals and teams, serving as a bridge between the local church and the national church in Guatemala. Short-term teams serve on medical, construction, children's ministry, training and education, evangelism, and feeding teams that assist in the benevolent care of the indigenous people. The Organization's missionaries provide educational and leadership training to help nationals establish new churches. The work has now expanded within Asia.