Helping to Overcome Physical Expectations, or HOPE for short, is a growing network of
collegiate Service Chapters dedicated to working with children with disabilities in local
special needs schools. Through weekly one-on-one mentorship, HOPE volunteers, affectionately
called Hopesters, help children with special needs exceed goals and objectives identified on
their children’s Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).
Committed to helping children with disabilities, HOPE’s mission is to build social capital
that allows us to break down the barriers which isolate “us” from “them.” Hopesters
understand that compassion and empathy aid our society in fostering an inclusive environment.
Therefore, in working with children with disabilities—whom others may shy away from—Hopesters
increase their understanding of a unique “them” population. After all, persons with disabilities
are the patients that our future doctors will see, clients that aspiring attorneys will serve,
and potential neighbors who we will live beside. In short, HOPE inspires volunteerism that
enables our members to more effectively understand the unique talents, skills, and complications
of persons with disabilities.
Since our founding—and subsequent success—at Wake Forest University, we are currently expanding
our organization and looking to establish HOPE Service Chapters at other colleges for
the mutual benefit of both children with disabilities and college students. In doing so,
these HOPE Service Chapters will promote our organization’s mission: to provide direct
mentorship of children with disabilities and to foster indirect knowledge and respect for
persons with disabilities from the college student population.
Interested to learn what we do?
Want to read the history about HOPE?
Inspired to help us?
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