I never made this post live back in November 2014 after Hope Fest ended! Here it is…
Hello To all of our Wonderful Supporters,
We hope this message finds you well and that everyone enjoyed a plentiful Thanksgiving with loved ones. We sure did as we have so much to be thankful for this year and after the success and hard work of Hope Fest, we were excited to be with friends and family and share our thankfulness.
As each contribution has come in we have had the opportunity to send a thank you note. Now that Hope Fest has come and gone we want to share the successes, the joys and the experience with you all. Without your contributions Hope Fest never could have come to fruition and we are so grateful!! It was amazing to watch an idea come to life.
As promised, tshirts are on the way for your amazing donations! We hope to have them all in the mail in the next two weeks. If you did not send us your tshirt size, please do so we can get yours to you!
Some of you were able to attend November 22 and we hope that your day was as full of love and joy as ours was. For those that live far away and could not be here let us tell you, it was MAGNIFICENT! We are so very proud of our accomplishments and what was created that day.
In case you are unaware Hope Fest, with the help of your contributions, raised money for two local families.
Kaden Myers was recently diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Kaden is a precious little boy now 9 months old. SMA is the number 1 genetic killer of infants. 90% of babies diagnosed with SMA before the age of two will not see their second birthday. SMA is a progressive motor neuron disease similar to ALS but preys on babies. SMA first attacks the child’s ability to walk, crawl, and stand. Eventually it hinders motion from the very muscles that allow us to swallow, smile, or even breathe on our own. Our goal is to help get a heater for their family pool to help with regular therapies and to get the special wheelchair Kaden needs by his first birthday.
Lincoln Gorfido is a preemie and was born at 24 weeks. Lincoln is a twin, but his precious brother Paxton survived only 30 hours. Lincoln spent 3 1/2 months in NICU and just left the hospital in time for Hope Fest. With outrageous medical bills from too much time in the hospital to the long haul ahead of the family we are helping with major medical expenses. Currently Lincoln has anywhere from 2-7 doctors appointments a week. He will require a lot of therapy over the next few years as well to ensure that he develops properly internally and physically. We are here to help bridge that gap as best as possible so that his mom can be home with him while he grows and thrives.
The day was full of music, 2 stages, an out of this world kids zone (thank you JCC and Jupiter Bounce), food, drinks, vendors, love and fun. Both families were glowing knowing that all of this was for them. They deserve this love so much after all they have been through the last few months and all they continue to go through in the months ahead. It is really special to be able to lift some burden off of them and surround them in a day of love dedicated to them. Both families had loved ones with them, strangers anxious to meet them, and a lot of people wanting to support them.
We had around 1000 people throughout the day; around 700 adults and 300 children. We were able to raise money for both families and create some really special memories for all who attended. We still have not determined who had more fun, the adults or the kids!!! We have heard from many children, “This was the best day EVER!!” and heard from adults that they loved being able to come and listen to great music and have a blast while their child/children were also having a great time! The kids played their hearts out in the kids zone until it closed, had some break dancing adventures with the break dancing group that preformed, then the kids danced on stage all night with the bands. It was AWESOME!!!
Leading up to the day we had 4 different print articles written about Hope From Harrison, our story and Hope Fest. The news did a beautiful piece on us and Hope Fest and Kaden and his family prior to the event. The day of the event had the media there 4 different times!! They ran us all day and night and into the next day! It was so amazing. There was something incredibly special about sharing Harrison’s story, our story, with Palm Beach County. It made us really proud.
We are continuing to raise money for both families over the next 6 months. We are committed to making a difference for both of them. As we said before, they deserve it. We know too well the struggles they are going through and we are so honored to help and grateful for all of your help so we can!
Thank you all again from the bottom of our hearts!
Wishing all a beautiful holiday season!
With love,
Matt and Melissa Hudson
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