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!

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)

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!

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.

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

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.

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.