OUR MISSION:
WE ENSURE THAT ALL CHILDREN WHO ARE HOMELESS AND IN NEED ARE PREPARED FOR SCHOOL BY INITIATING Day4Hope AND COACHING FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
Pam@hope4c.us Pam Hawn is our Executive Director. She is a Wife and Mom with a huge heart for her community. Throughout Pam’s life she has served with many outreaches geared towards the homeless…growing up in New York, developed Pam’s heart at an early age for the hurting and the lost. Since moving to Florida in 1981 her passion grew to help those with less. Pam continued being involved with organizations who shared her same passion for the homeless. In spring of 2009 when our economy was sluggish, Pam and her husband, Mark recognized that there was going to be a change of lifestyle. God laid on her heart to remain focused even as it was getting harder for her and Mark to provide for their three children, how were the parents in the homeless community providing for their children?
Kaylie@hope4c.us Kaylie Hawn is our staff office assistant. Kaylie Hawn, daughter of our Executive Director, Pam Hawn, grew up serving with Hope 4 Communities since the age of 9. She now serves along side her mom as an office assistant. Kaylie's heart beat for Jesus and her love for people shines through as she serves students, many her same age, who struggle. Kaylie loves being involved in ministry, music and dance. She often goes to Zambia to serve the orphaned and teach them about the Lord! We are blessed to have her on our team.
In spring of 2009 when our economy was appearing sluggish at best, Pam and her husband, Mark recognized that there was going to be a change of lifestyle. Being self employed in their family business they were beginning to feel the effect of the changing economy. At the same time Pam shares that God laid on her heart that despite the struggles she is to remember her heartbeat for the homeless and as it was getting harder for her and Mark to provide for their three children, how were the Moms and Dads in the homeless community providing for their children??
That began a passion in Pam that lives out today. Matthew 25:35-36 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
We, at Hope 4 Communities, want to raise awareness of the shocking number of “homeless and needy” children in our community; and in turn raise awareness that we have a program (Day4Hope) that can help meet so many of the needs.
Providing homeless and needy children with a back to school event on a local church campus. Each child receives a medical exam, dental exam/cleaning and floss treatment, eye exam, haircut, school and family portrait, new backpack filled with all the needed school supplies, a care bag of personal care items, gift cards for new clothes/uniforms and shoes, and meals throughout the day.
Many individuals and agencies are present to share invaluable resources. Along with our general volunteers, we have Doctors, Nurses, Dentists, Hygienists, Hairstylists, Barbers, and Photographers all giving of their talent and time to help kids in need in our own backyard. We also have many more community partners that come together for this special day. It is a day that gives parents peace and kids hope!
From there a connection is made and it is important to the Day4Hope leaders to continue a relationship in the lives of these children. Day4Hope are not a one day / one touch event; but rather the introduction to new formed relationships.
Churches are taking it past the day by inviting the families back for church service, Sunday school, youth group, providing Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gifts …helping them move into better living arrangements, helping with car repair and job searches, …sponsoring kids in sports programs and for holiday programs. The list goes on…investing in the children; that’s what it’s all about. Making a difference in the lives of these students.
Hope 4 Communities is sponsored as a 501(c)(3) affiliate of galatians 6:2, inc. (www.g62.info). All donations to Hope 4 Communities are tax deductible.
Copyright © 2022 Hope 4 Communities. all rights reserved.
Cean Cerny is part of our Advisory Counsel. Cean has been involved with children in various ways throughout her career. She currently is a substitute teacher, a Guardian ad Litem volunteer, serves on the Hope Kids Community board, volunteers with the Kids Live after school program through Youth for Christ and volunteers at her church. She is also an avid Apple fan and tutors adults on all Apple products. Cean teaches computer classes for the Sarasota Technology Users Group (STUG) as a volunteer and is involved in a Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) serving as a volunteer in both the local and state level. Cean has worked as a Children’s Director and also in schools teaching Exceptional Students. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Education at Northeastern Illinois University and her Master’s Degree at National Louis University in Chicago. She is married to her husband, Jim and has 1 daughter, Caitlyn, a teacher in the Chicago area. In her spare time she loves to read and travel.
Gary Crawford is part of our advisory council. Since early 2010 Gary has been the Managing Partner for BI-IT Consulting Services, LLC and is the President of Galatians 6:2, Inc. (www.g62.info). Before that he served with the executive management team of Hide-Away Storage Services for 16 years. He has an MBA from Florida State University, Bachelors from Purdue University and is a CPA (retired status) in the State of Florida and has served on the Board of Trustees for LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. He has been an Elder in his church for 20 years and married for 39 years with three daughters and two granddaughters.
Bob Rosinsky is part of our Advisory Council. Bob has been with Goodwill for 43 years. He began his career at the Milwaukee Goodwill after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin and doing graduate work in psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Bob has published articles in professional journals and presented papers at national and international conferences. He has worked at Goodwill Industries of Southeastern, Wisconsin as Associate Director, The Zanesville Ohio Welfare Organization and Goodwill Industries as CEO, Goodwill Heart of Florida as CEO and Goodwill Manasota as President and COO. He owned his own consulting business from 1991-1996 working with Goodwill’s around North America along with several private sector clients. He has received several national and local awards including the Watkins Award for Mission Advancement from Goodwill International and the Humanitarian of the Year from the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation. Bob is an avid scuba diver, hiker, runner, tennis player and fisherman. He lives with his wife Ruth in Bradenton, Florida.
Dean Dancer is part of our Advisory Council. Dean has worked in the financial services industry since 1990. After graduating from Eastern Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, he went to work for Barnett Bank in Naples, Florida. Ten years later in 1999, he became a financial advisor at Smith Barney, where he joined his friend and colleague T.J. Goelz to form the Palm Avenue Wealth Advisory Group. He is a member of the UBS Director’s Council, which is comprised of the top Financial Advisors of the firm. Dean has deep roots in his community where he serves as the Board Chair for Hope 4 Communities, a local non-profit providing annual Day4Hope to homeless and needy children to begin the first day of school on an even playing field. Dean also serves as a trustee at The Shore Church assisting with membership growth and leading connect groups. Dean is passionate about sports, playing tennis, hiking, biking, and enjoys active vacations with his wife, Kelly and their two sons, Mack and Mason.
Heather Koester currently serves on our advisory and as part of our continuing hope committee. She began her career in the United States Army as a Combat Medic. After her time in the military, she worked as a Business Development Manager analyzing market strategies to drive integration of new ventures. In Sarasota, she has been connecting the community through her career and volunteer activities. She worked as the Lead Community Engagement Coordinator with The Patterson Foundation, positively impacting the work in a four-county region for the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Initiative. Currently, she continues her consulting work as President of Koester Consulting Group. She also works for Manatee Schools as the Business and Industry Coordinator focused on creating a stronger workforce impacting the economic development for our region. She earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus on Executive Leadership. She recently earned a Marketing Strategy Certification from Cornell University and is currently obtaining her Project Management Certification. Her dedication to the local community can be seen in her years of civic leadership on numerous local nonprofits boards.
Pam Kelly is our Medical Liaison. She is a proud mom and nana of 4 amazing children and 5 beautiful grandchildren. Loves spending her free time with family and friends. She loves to travel. A believer for as long as she can remember and has a passion to serve. She is a long time member at Church of the Palms. This is where she met Pam Hawn and learned about and fell in love with the Day of Hope. A Family Nurse Practitioner at Intercoastal Medical Group. She Loves Sarasota and always look for ways to help our community.
Dr. Ashley Wagler is serving are our Dental Liaison! She recently graduated from LECOM Dental School and is practicing General Dentistry in Venice, FL. She was born and raised in Sarasota and follows her belief in giving back to the community. She has a passion for volunteering and providing pro bono dental care for those in need. In her free time, she enjoys boating and hanging out with her husband and 2 miniature Australian Shepherds, Dexter and Cooper.
Karen Calyer serves as our County Liaison. Karen is a Florida Registered Paralegal. Karen previously volunteered with Gifts-From-God Ministries from 2004 to 2011 and served on their board of directors the later two years. During her time with that ministry she served the homeless, as well as co-lead a youth group from the Sarasota Newtown neighborhood. Her passion for the homeless and youth carried over to her volunteering with Hope 4 Communities. She has been a Hope 4 Communities volunteer since 2013, having previously served as a Board member. She is the mother of three adult children. She resides in Sarasota, but her roots are from the hills of upstate New York. Her home church is Church of Motion in Sarasota County, Florida.
Jane Weichmann is our warehouse liaison. Jane has been a resident of Sarasota since 1988. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Buena Vista College in Iowa, Jane and her husband, Arlyn, moved to Cape Coral, Florida in 1979, and then to Sarasota when Arlyn was transferred in 1988. Jane retired after teaching for 36 years however currently she is teaching intervention math and reading part time. Jane and her husband have three sons, two daughter in laws, and three grandchildren. She has served in numerous capacities at church for many years and is currently attending Sarasota Baptist Church
Jennifer Hancock is our Christmas Liaison and serves on our continuing hope committee. Jennifer has been involved in missions and outreach for the past 30 years. Her love of outreach and missions started when she took her first trip to Honduras, where she was a part of a team that helped build a home for a family with a deaf child. In 2008 she took her first trip to Haiti to visit an orphanage that she was going to be working for stateside. In 2010 she moved to Haiti with her family to serve on the mission field. While there they provided a home for 7 boys from the mountains to live during the school year so they were able to attend school. They also hosted and led teams in VBS, installing rain catching systems, worked with local pastors helping provide the basic needs of their congregations and working with orphanages, doing repairs or just playing with and loving on the children. Jennifer and her husband Jon have 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren that all share their love of outreach. They have been event coordinators for Day4Hope at Crosspointe church since 2016 and Hope 4 Christmas for the past 2 years.
TJ is currently a Christian photographer of many years, who works as the Computer/ IT person for Grace Community Church. She loves her community and has served as a photographer and liaison for Day of Hope events and Hope 4 Communities for years.
Kevin Angell is our Media Liaison and comes from a background in both television and radio. He is a retired police officer and veteran with a variety of non-profit experience from being the President of the Sarasota Sailors Football organization to holding board positions with Little League, More Too Life and the Georgia Alliance of School Resource Officers and Educators. Kevin looks forward to promoting the mission of Hope 4 Communities through his connections in local media and relationships made as a Sarasota native. Kevin has been with H4C since 2019.
