Sunday, November 1, 2015

Bootlegger's Bash - Preview Coverage

Read and watch some of the preview coverage The Bootlegger's Bash is receiving!

Insider Louisville - by Sara Havens

WDRB - by Kate Springer

Tickets are still available and can be purchased in advance at tinyurl.com/bootleggerticket


Friday, October 2, 2015

Gabe


When Gabe was 17 years old, his life, like those of so many teenagers, was focused on finishing high school, playing his XBox, watching TV, seeing movies with friends and (unlike most kids) driving his white '82 Super Sport El Camino.  But while taking his final exams during his Junior year he suddenly collapsed at school and his normal teenage life was interrupted by a diagnosis of medulloblastoma - a cancer tumor on his brain stem.

Gabe underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and fought his cancer for 15 months before being declared No Evidence of Disease in August 2014. Gabe then got back to continuing his regular life but in May 2015, just 2 days after graduating from St. Xavier High School, Gabe and his family received the news that his follow-up scans showed he had relapsed.

Now Gabe is undergoing a stem cell transplant, which is an aggressive and a far-from-easy treatment.  He has received extremely strong chemotherapy, obliterating his bone marrow and immune system, and has gotten infusions of his own stem cells to allow his body to rebuild his bone marrow so he can once again produce his own blood cells and immunity. While his bone marrow regrows, he fights pain and weakness and requires blood and platelets every few days.

Gabe and his mom Lisa (who is staying with him in the hospital) were the recipients of our first-ever Hope From Harper Transplant Survival Kit when Gabe was admitted for his stem cell transplant.  Stem cell transplants can involve hospital stays that can be weeks (and sometimes months) in length without being able to leave the hospital. Having a few comforts (especially a few things they didn't think of or know to bring with them) can make life a little more bearable during such an ordeal.  Their kit was specifically designed based on the tastes, preferences and interests of both Gabe and Lisa.








Gabe is now on day +8 of his transplant (8 days after stem cell infusion), with many more to go before being able to leave the hospital and continue recovery at home. We wish him and his family continued recovery and the end of Gabe's cancer journey.  They appreciate your support and prayers.

We will be continuing to work toward supporting other kids receiving cancer treatment at Kosair Children's Hospital. Your ongoing support of Hope From Harper make this and other programs benefiting pediatric cancer patients possible.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Auction!

A generous Hope From Harper supporter has recently donated a pair of tickets to the America's Got Talent LIVE tour show in Louisville, KY on October 11th.  We are holding a "not so silent" auction on eBay to allow the tickets to go to the highest bidder!



Please feel free to go visit the auction to check it out.  The tickets are 3rd row Orchestra section, so GREAT seats!

The auction ends on September 9th at 9:28AM - so don't wait to get in your bids!

Face value on the tickets is $65 each, but the starting bid is only $50 for both!


The highest bid will go to Hope From Harper, with no fees, as the item is listed through eBay's Giving Works program (Direct Listing). 

Hope From Harper is now an eBay Giving Works participating charity, and any listing can be listed to benefit Hope From Harper!  If you sell items on eBay, be sure to consider choosing Hope From Harper to benefit from your sales!



Sunday, August 16, 2015

Bootlegger's Bash

Join us November 6th for Bootlegger's Bash at The Calumet Club - a 1920's Gatsby-esque speakeasy experience with live music, dinner and dancing!

Tickets are now on sale - http://tinyurl.com/bootleggerticket


Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Scholar Grant

One year ago we heard the news: After being declared NED just months before, Harper’s cancer had relapsed. For us, this blow was possibly more devastating than the original diagnosis. For Harper, it meant she got to see more of her nurse, which she was glad about. Amazingly to us, Harper walked out of that appointment with a smile on her face.

There is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.” ~ Pollyanna

There have been many times since then when we have struggled to find something to be glad about. Other times, it has been easier to feel the love and joy around us and so we continued to move forward. In March we shaved, raised money, and made new friends who helped celebrate Harper’s life and the promise of research to benefit others. In April we founded the Hope from Harper charity, bringing Harper’s legacy to life in exciting new ways. Most recently we announced the creation of the St. Baldrick’s Hope from Harper Hero Fund. Today, we have the great pleasure to announce one way it all ties together.

Thanks to your generous donations and support the Hope from Harper St. Baldrick’s Scholar Grant has been established. This year, this grant funds research at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, headed by Dr. Daniel Lee. Because of the Hope From Harper Hero Fund, Dr. Lee will be able to continue to research an exciting new option for pediatric cancer therapy.  Dr. Lee’s research is laying the groundwork for several clinical trials to be initiated studying breakthrough immunotherapy. This therapy approach has the potential to radically change the way we treat many childhood cancers. Because of work like Dr. Lee’s, immune cells can now be engineered to recognize and kill cancer cells and then administered to patients.  Dr. Lee’s project is one of the first to bring this promising therapy to children with cancer. You can read about Dr. Lee's grant here.

As we’ve said before, we believe this is just the beginning. Hope from Harper is dedicated to funding lifesaving pediatric cancer research and improving the care of patients and their families. In the future we look forward to announcing more details on how we plan to continue to spread Harper’s joy - helping patients and families to find something to be glad about, even on those many days when being glad is the last thing on their minds.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Hope From Harper Hero Fund


We are so happy to announce that a mere 4 months after the overwhelming success of our St. Baldricks event we can share the permanent Hope From Harper Hero Fund page.

Click here to see the site, dedicated to Hope From Harper efforts with St. Baldricks to fund childhood cancer research.

There are many more exciting things to come, and this is just the beginning.

Remember to Choose Joy every day, no matter what life throws at you. 

Sunday, June 21, 2015

The Hope From Harper Hero Fund

One of the primary missions of Hope From Harper is to bring hope to kids with cancer by funding childhood cancer research.  It is probably not hard to imagine that finding, vetting, selecting and ultimately funding quality and impactful research projects is not an easy task.  The idea of establishing and operationalizing an entire grant making process is something that is extremely daunting, especially for a young organization like ourselves.

In order to clear this hurdle we have partnered with a much larger and established organization that Hope From Harper supporters likely recognize - The St. Baldrick's Foundation.



In March of this year, shortly before officially founding the Hope From Harper charity, friends and family of Harper came together as a team participating in the Louisville St. Baldrick's Community Event. Through this head-shaving event the Hope From Harper team shaved countless heads and raised almost $75,000 as part of the more than $155,000 raised at the event.  The St. Baldrick's Foundation is one of the premier organizations funding childhood cancer research. Since 2005 the foundation has awarded more than $154 million to researchers for childhood cancer research.

We have now officially expanded our relationship with The St. Baldrick's Foundation. While we will continue to help drive head-shaving events (as well as other, non-head-shaving events - stay tuned for more there...) we have also established The Hope From Harper Hero Fund.  In establishing this fund, we have committed to raise and provide funds to St. Baldrick's in an amount no less than $10,000 a year (though we expect our efforts to raise a lot more).  In exchange for this commitment, we have the opportunity to designate the area of research we would like our funds to benefit, which will initially be funding research in the area of stem cell transplantation survivability.

We are currently working with St. Baldrick's to get a dedicated Hope From Harper Hero Fund website established, and we will share the link once it is available.

This is an extremely exciting time for us as we work to lay the foundation of our organization and start to accomplish our work.  The expanded relationship with St. Baldrick's will help jump start our efficient support and impact in the area of childhood cancer research.  We can't wait to share more information about other programs in development as they become formalized.

We want to thank all those who continue to support Hope From Harper, helping us to establish and spread the word about Harper's legacy of love and hope.  Your invaluable support is allowing us help find ways to ultimately improve treatments, resulting in more kids beating childhood cancer.



Friday, June 19, 2015

The Hope From Harper Store Grand Opening

We're excited to announce the "Grand Opening" of the Hope From Harper online store!

Visit http://www.hopefromharper.org/p/hope-from-harper-store.html (or click the STORE button at the top of any page at hopefromharper.org) to find available items like t-shirts, polos, hats, decals and bracelets.  As new items become available, we'll also add them to our online store and send out alerts so you can shop new goodies!



All proceeds from the sale of these items will directly benefit Hope From Harper, allowing us to expand our mission of funding lifesaving childhood cancer research and improving the care received by pediatric cancer patients and their families.

Initial orders may take up to 4-6 weeks to process as we get the first shipments of these items in and begin to have some on-hand inventory.  Orders may take less time depending on items ordered and the timing of having them produced.

Our continued thanks to those who support Hope From Harper.  We look forward to seeing you in your new Hope From Harper swag!

GoodSearch and GoodShop

For those looking for another quick and easy way to support Hope From Harper and our mission of funding lifesaving childhood cancer research and improving the care received by pediatric cancer patients and their families - we have more exciting news.

Introducing GoodSearch and GoodShop.




GoodSearch - GoodSearch is a yahoo-powered search engine that allows you to select a charity to benefit (hint - Hope From Harper).  In summary, GoodSearch shares search-related advertising revenue with the charity you choose.  The more you use GoodSearch, the more your selected charity benefits.

GoodShop - GoodShop is a shopping portal where online retailers provide rebates (shared with your selected charity) for purchases made through the GoodShop portal.  There are more than 3,000 affiliated online retailers.

All you have to do is create an account (or use your Facebook credentials) and select your charity (second shameless hint - Hope From Harper) and you're on your way.

So, the next time you're looking for that new viral cat video



or your next commemorative Elvis Presley plate



remember to visit GoodSearch and GoodShop to see if you can also benefit Hope From Harper and kids with cancer as well.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Hope, Smiles and Amazon

Hope From Harper has some exciting news for all those supporters who, like many online shoppers, have varying degrees of a relatively new malady - Amazon Addiction. If you haven't heard of this new condition, simply sign up for the free month of Amazon Prime - which provides you free 2-day shipping, free streaming movies and music, etc. - you'll soon understand.  In all seriousness, shopping addiction IS a problem for some people (just look at THIS book, coincidentally offered by Amazon), but this post is not really about addiction to shopping...

Amazon does good business, and if you do any shopping online, it's likely you've ordered from Amazon at one time or another, and you likely will again.  For those who shop with Amazon, there's a new way for you to get your Amazon fix and help kids and families affected by childhood cancer all at the same time. For those unfamiliar, please meet Amazon Smile.



Amazon Smile is a program where Amazon gives your selected charity 0.5% of your eligible purchases when you purchase through smile.amazon.com - and the donation does not increase the overall cost of your purchase.  You can shop to your heart's content, and funds get donated to your selected charity every time you shop.

Recently, Hope From Harper became an eligible Amazon Smile charity.  It's easy to get started.


  1. Navigate your browser to smile.amazon.com
  2. Log in using your amazon.com credentials (Amazon Smile uses your standard Amazon account) - if you're like me, you will already be logged into Amazon, so you may get to skip this step
  3. Search for and select "Hope From Harper Inc" as your selected charity
  4. SHOP - remember to always use smile.amazon.com - if you simply go to amazon.com, your purchase will not benefit your selected charity

See, easy!

Feed your shopping addiction and help kids with cancer - all without leaving your computer screen. 

Choose Joy - and Choose Hope From Harper on Amazon Smile! 



Thursday, June 4, 2015

Harper, Firemen and Crusade

The Georgetown Township Fire District (GTFD) and Harper had a short but incredibly special relationship.  After Harper's relapse diagnosis, the GTFD did a lot to raise Harper's spirits, inviting her to the fire house, letting her ride in the fire trucks, ringing the bell, and even naming her an honorary member of their department, with a uniform, real helmet and true leather shield.



Immediately before Harper was admitted to the hospital for her stem cell transplants, the department decided to alter their normal name selection process for their new ladder truck they had purchased and were expecting.  Instead of a naming contest held at one of the local schools, they allowed Harper to choose the name all on her own - which she decided to name it, "The Little Chief."


The GTFD seemed to be very taken with Harper, as many were, and went so far as to invite Harper and our family to participate with them in parades and in the annual fundraising drive for WHAS Crusade for Children, which funds services and assistance for kids with special needs.  Though Harper is no longer able to participate, we have asked several Hope From Harper supporters to participate instead.

If you live in the Louisville area, you've likely seen roadblocks setup annually where local fire departments are collecting funds for Crusade.  In Georgetown Indiana, they go as far as to drive through the local neighborhoods in the evenings going door to door looking for donations.  Some Hope From Harper supporting families are joining the door-to-door activities this year in the evening and this coming Saturday all day.

In addition, the GTFD will be presenting the funds raised on TV during the WHAS Crusade Telethon on Sunday June 7th.  They will be presenting the funds in memory of Harper with representatives of Hope From Harper there for the presentation as well.

We ask that you consider supporting the Crusade for Children, through donating at the roadblocks or, if you live in the Georgetown area, donating when the department comes through your neighborhood door-to-door.  The GTFD has been a great supporter of Harper, and we are looking to continue that partnership with Hope From Harper.  We ask that you continue to support the GTFD in their efforts to support the Crusade for Children as well.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Eating For A Good Cause

We are often blown away by the generosity and support Harper and our new little charity receive.  Today we talk about yet another incredible demonstration of the goodness and generosity of people.

El Nopal in Georgetown Indiana has been a great supporter of our work, beginning with our direct fundraising efforts for the St. Baldrick's Foundation in February.  Their support has continued and on Tuesday May 19th we will expand on our fundraising efforts with El Nopal, extending the dining event from the location in Georgetown to also include the El Nopal location on State Street in New Albany Indiana.

If you dine at either location on Tuesday May 19th, 2015, 20% of your purchase will be directly donated to Hope From Harper, allowing us to continue to our mission of supporting childhood cancer research and improving the physical and emotional care that childhood cancer patients and their families receive.

Being a restaurant that we frequented often with Harper, the support of the owner of these locations has meant a lot to us, and we are incredibly grateful for his support.  We ask that you do what you can to support these locations as their success means more support for Hope From Harper and the children (and their families) battling cancer every day.

Thank you, and enjoy!




Friday, April 10, 2015

You Are Part of the Solution

Everything has been moving so quickly recently, it has been hard to keep everyone informed on all the plans and progress we've been making. We want to take a moment and share where we are and what we are planning.

As we indicated previously, we decided to take the St. Baldrick's Event Success as an indication that we need to continue to highlight and remember Harper in a meaningful way that helps kids with cancer.  To that end, we decided to pursue establishing a non-profit organization, named Hope From Harper, to fund childhood cancer research and support improvements in the care childhood cancer patients and their families receive.

After some discussion and consideration we asked David Elster to join Melissa and I as the starting 3 Board Members for Hope From Harper.  We also asked Betty Collins, mother of our good friend since high school Nicola Jackson, to join us as the organization's Treasurer.  Betty bring years of accounting experience to the table and we are so happy to welcome her as an officer of the organization.

For clarity and transparency, here is the initial make-up of the organization (as filed in all of our official documents):


  • Brian Wehneman - Board Chair and Executive Director
  • Melissa Wehnemen - Board Member and Secretary
  • David Elster - Board Member and Director of Community Outreach
  • Betty Collins - Treasurer

We wanted to start with a small and lean organization but we anticipate that we will have many others who have stood by us and supported us throughout the last 2 years who will also play major roles in the success of Hope From Harper.

As of April 7th, 2015 Hope From Harper Inc has been officially incorporated in the State of Indiana as a non-profit corporation.  We have also applied for and received an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and have submitted our application to receive tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 

An interesting point about applying for tax-exemption with the IRS is, once approved, it will be retroactively applied to the date of establishment of the organization (April 7, 2015) since we applied within 27 months of the organization being created.  What that means is that we expect that any gifts made to Hope From Harper between April 7th and when we receive our tax-exempt approval letter should be considered tax-exempt and thus tax-deductible.  So, we are now able to start to accept donations with the expectation that those donations will receive tax-exempt treatment.

Of course we do not expect Hope From Harper to exist and flourish on simply direct donations alone (though ANYONE is welcome to give <wink wink>) so we have several ideas for fundraising events that you will be hearing more about in the future.  Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't provide some sort of a teaser:

  • It's Midnight Somewhere
  • White and Gold
  • Bourbon and Baldricks

We anticipate having some Hope From Harper merchandise available as well, including a new Hope From Harper shirt, silicone bracelets, and more.

It is an exciting time, but we know we can't do it alone.  If you are moved to volunteer, in whatever capacity you can, we invite you to get in touch with us.  Please email your interest to volunteer@hopefromharper.com with your contact information and how you are interested in helping.

And of course, if you wish to donate directly (which we would so much appreciate) you can click the link below. If you do not wish to use PayPal or credit card online, you may also mail checks or money orders to:

Hope From Harper
PO Box 565
Georgetown, IN 47122


All donations will receive a receipt via email or snail-mail for tax records.

Again, a HUGE thank you to everyone who has helped support us to get us this far.  We really feel this is the beginning of something big, and want to ensure that Harper's legacy becomes a force to do good and help kids and their families affected by cancer.  We need ever-improving care and ultimately a cure.  

If you're reading this - YOU are part of the solution.

- Brian (Harper's Dad)



Wednesday, April 8, 2015

A Wild 24 Hours

The past 24 hours have seen a flurry of activity around Hope From Harper.

We have:


  • Applied for and received approval of our incorporation in the State of Indiana
  • Applied for and received an EIN (though admittedly this was automatically approved and assigned upon application)
  • Applied for 501(c)(3) status to become a federally tax-exempt organization

It's exciting to see so much progress!  Here's hoping the IRS turns our application around quickly!

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

One Small Step For Man

Tonight we took a small but important step toward our goal of establishing a charitable organization in Harper's memory - we applied for incorporation as a non-profit organization in the State of Indiana.

After a few hours with the initial Board (myself, Melissa and David Elster), my generous brother Neil was able to help us navigate the writing of our by-laws.  I think it's safe to say that without Neil's guidance, we would still be swimming in a sea of uncertainty.  A BIG Harper Hug to Neil for his help so far (and in the future I'm sure).

After that, it was 5 minutes online and $26 charged to my credit card (a Harper Hug to Jen and Dean Heckel for contributing to cover the filing fee), and our application for incorporation has been filed with the State.  There are more things to come, but we feel happy that we are formally on our way.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far.  We are hopeful that many of you will continue to support us in this new and exciting endeavor.

It was one small step for man, but one giant leap for kids and families affected by childhood cancer.


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The Middle of Starting Over

Music has always had the ability to transform space and time. With just a few chords I can quickly be transported back to a time and place seemingly from another dimension. This has become especially true since Harper’s passing. I can’t hear certain songs without immediately becoming overwhelmed.

Oddly, it isn’t the songs you would expect. “Brave”, her personal anthem, only seems to be a problem when others react to it. “Compass”, the song sang at her celebration, brings a feeling of joy and freedom. However, there is one song that no matter how hard I try to distract myself or hold back the tears, I can’t seem to get past.

“The Middle of Starting Over” by Sabrina Carpenter is probably a song many of you have never heard before but one that instantly takes me back to days on end sitting in the hospital watching Disney Channel. This song, more so than any of the others played, has stuck with me.

Alone in a room
Tearing down the walls
Painting over scars and bruises
Now this is home
Fill it up with love
And make the best of something new

Yup, that’s about where we are. Not only is it where we are, but it is also where I envision Harper is. For all our talk of joy, Harper was likely pissed the day she woke up and found herself on the other side. She didn't like change, especially unexpected change, and she had some serious trust issues. The reason we choose joy is because she always moved past her anger and looked for the good.

For us, Hope From Harper is an effort to move forward, make the best of our new normal, and find the joy in life. I personally, have made lifelong friends I never would have crossed paths with had we not taken this journey. One such person is David Elster. Many of you will remember David as our contact for St. Baldrick’s. Occasionally you meet people and, even though you have only known them for a short time, you feel as if you have known them forever. For Brian and I, David is one of those people.


As we begin to sort through the logistics of starting a Not for Profit, one of the first decisions we are required to make is to choose a board of directors of at least three people. Until we solidify our direction, three people is enough. Eventually the board will grow as the foundation grows, but for now, protecting Harper’s memory is the most important thing. Entrusting her memory to someone outside of Brian and myself was a struggle I never envisioned (apparently I also have some trust issues), but as soon as David’s name was brought in the discussion it just felt right.

Beyond trusting him with Harps, David brings many attributes to Hope From Harper. As part of the Hope From Harper vision, we anticipate working with larger established organizations, the primary one being St. Baldrick’s. David’s involvement with St. B brings connections and experience. He has been involved with the organization for 5 years as a participant and for 3 years as a Volunteer Event Organizer in several different cities. As a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch he is able to help guide the foundation fiscally.

Most importantly, David brings his enthusiasm to better the lives and bring hope to families who have a child with cancer, and at its heart, that is what Hope From Harper is about.


As hard as it seems
I hold my breath and just believe

I’m in the middle of starting over



Monday, March 30, 2015

Here We Go!

As Harper battled her cancer diagnosis, those we know and love pulled together to provide "Hope For Harper."  As time went on what we came to realize is that while Harper was drawing hope from us, she gave it back in return, multiplying it many times.  In addition to broken hearts and precious memories, Harper left with us an incredibly special and unexpected gift - a desire to rise above our circumstances (as Harper did) and #choosejoy.

Keeping such inspiration to ourselves would be selfish - something Harper was not. And so, we have begun to look for opportunities to share Harper's gifts with others who didn't have the opportunity or pleasure to know Harper themselves. But how to do it?

The verbiage "Hope From Harper" emerged shortly after Harper gained her wings, and has sustained us and encourages us as we continue to grieve.  We used Hope From Harper to raise more than $65,000 for St. Baldrick's in Harper's memory.  The results of our efforts were amazing, but after much reflection and consideration we recently began taking steps to change Hope From Harper from an initial feeling into a theme, force and movement to do good not only today, but well into the future.

To that end, Melissa and I are pursuing the establishment of a nonprofit charity organization called Hope From Harper that will pursue the following:


  1. Fund clinical research focused on childhood cancer treatments aimed at improving survivability of treatment
  2. Fund investments that enhance and elevate the level of care, either emotional or physical, that childhood cancer patients and their families receive

This is new territory for us, as neither Melissa nor I have significant experience in the not-for-profit world, but we are determined and committed to continuing to share Harper's hope and joy with others, in ways that can help ensure that other kids diagnosed with cancer are able to tell their kids about how they beat this terrible disease.  

As Cadence so appropriately put it - "No one should have to go through what Harper, her friends and family, went through."

This site will be where we will share information as we progress in establishing this new organization.  

We invite everyone to stay tuned and learn how you can help us spread love, hope and joy as Harper would.









Saturday, March 28, 2015

St. Baldrick's 2015

Not long after Harper passed away, we learned about an event planned for Louisville to benefit The St. Baldrick's Foundation.  We were aware of St. Baldrick's and had even included the foundation as part of the "in leu of flowers" for Harper's Celebration of Life.

St. Baldrick's is the #2 funding source in the United States for childhood cancer research, second only to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Only 4% of NIH research funds go to childhood cancer, while St. Baldrick's focuses solely on pediatric cancer research.  St. Baldrick's raised just over $39million in their FY2014 - $28.7million went to research grants and advocacy for childhood cancer research.  You can read their 2014 Annual Report here.

The most visible and successful way St. Baldrick's raises funds is through head-shaving events.  Individuals commit to have their head shaved and solicit donations from friends, family and businesses.  It didn't take long for me to decide to join in.

Several times during Harper's cancer journey I had offered to shave my head for her - but she had always declined.  I am unsure of the reason for her hesitation, but I suppose she likely didn't want to see me changed by the cancer (in a way that was avoidable) in the same way her appearance was impacted.  Of course, I respected her wishes and did not shave at that time.

With her now sporting wings (pink I'm sure), I can only imagine that her view on things has changed. Her joyous spirit was always one to enjoy humor - and without the emotional baggage of cancer treatment weighing her down, I know she would have loved to see my bald head and have a good giggle at me.  Makes me smile even now to think of her grinning, looking at me without hair atop my head.

In late January I established a team, inviting friend and family to join in, shaving their heads and raising money for much needed childhood cancer research.  I started with a $500 individual fundraising goal and a team goal of $1,000.  I never expected what happened next.

The team quickly gained supporters - shavees, volunteers and barbers.  By the time we reached shave day, the team was 64 people strong!  The team even included Harper's older sister, Cadence, who convinced us (mom) to let her shave after several weeks of persuasive argument.

And the fundraising goal?  I lost count on how many times we raised it.  The last update was to raise the goal to $50,000 - and we blew it out of the water!



March 7th was an incredible day.  The event was a smashing success.  In a space meant to host half as many people as showed up, we went on to surpass the event goal of $100,000.  As of today (March 28th) that event total stands at almost $129,000 - and we are still waiting on some checks and cash to process and be posted to the event total! 



The reality of what happened made us realize that Hope From Harper is not just a slogan.  Instead it represents a movement - a community of people whose lives have been forever changed by the strength and love shown by our brave little girl.  

What better way to remember Harper than to use her story and the joy she embodied to bring hope and joy and love to others who are facing a similar battle?

We are not yet sure exactly what this will look like, but we have committed to not let the Hope From Harper movement slip quietly into history with just one event.  Harper would never allow it!  

This blog site is the first step in a journey - a journey leading us somewhere - we don't quite know where yet.  But we are determined to do good in this world - and we invite you to come along for the ride.

My personal perspective on many things has been forever altered by Harper.  I will, wherever possible, and even when it seems impossible, #choosejoy.  Harper would - and if she could, so can I. 

- Brian (Harper's Dad)














To see more pictures, click here.