Share our life-changing Legacy Retreat® experiences!
Repeat volunteer Nate Most first heard of Inheritance of Hope at a small tractor dealership in his hometown of Brady, Nebraska. A rancher, Nate was simply doing business and was surprised when a stranger who had come in for oil approached him and told about how his own family had been blessed by an IoH Legacy Retreat®. The story resonated with Nate since his wife of 25 years, Amy, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
I grew up in Brainerd, MN, at a small family resort where I learned to clean cabins at a very early age and got to play in the lake all summer. I come from a family of swimmers and was a competitive swimmer form 3rd grade through college at St. Olaf in Northfield, MN. I got a biology degree from St. Olaf and then changed directions and went to Luther Seminary in St. Paul for my master's degree in youth and family ministry. I worked in youth ministry for 5 years before spending the last 12 years as a stay-at-home mom to our 3 kids: Anna (12), Andrew (11), and Julia (9). My husband, Brian, and I recently celebrated our 15th anniversary. We live in Rochester, MN, where I spend much of my day driving my own little swimmers to the pool for practice.
How did you become involved with IoH?
5 Things You May Not Know About Our Assistant Events Director
1. Currently I live in Houghton, NY. My family has been here for three generations, and being back after spending most of high school and college here has been good. My grandfather is happy to have me back in town!
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If they stumble, the first will lift up his friend—but woe to anyone who is alone when he falls and there is no one to help him get up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
One of the goals of Inheritance of Hope (IoH) is to connect families. Families who are grieving a life-changing diagnosis, struggling with fears, and facing new realities draw strength from each other as they share experiences and burdens. Through IoH, new friendships are often formed that offer a depth of understanding many families can’t find elsewhere.
The support that is shared is sometimes intangible and immeasurable, yet always tremendous. Sometimes, the support may be tangible yet also tremendously immeasurable, as was the case when Heather Crawford donated a wheelchair van to fellow IoH family Craig and Dana Loner.
Haylee Bunner turned in her Inheritance of Hope volunteer application as soon as she could--the very day she turned 18. She had been waiting for the chance to serve families like hers for quite some time. Haylee, her brother Cameron, and their parents Matthew and Kim attended an Orlando Legacy Retreat® in May 2012. Kim passed away a little over a year later.
“I knew that volunteering was something my mom would have done had she been healed.“ Haylee describes Kim as someone who loved to help other people. “To know that her death gave me the ability to understand much of what these families are going through would have given her peace.”
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| Strebe Family at their Legacy Retreat® |
The Strebe family—Jon, Donna, Luke, Ryan, and Emma Kate—attended an Orlando Legacy Retreat® in February 2014, shortly after Jon underwent a bone marrow transplant and thoracic surgery. At the time, he was battling stage 3 testicular cancer metastases to the lungs. Donna remembers that the trip to Orlando came at a very emotional time.
“It had been a tough year, and the volunteers served from the bottom of their souls and blessed us. We said from that point forward we would serve as long as we were able.”
Thanks to your continued support, Inheritance of Hope reached a new milestone at the Orlando Legacy Retreat® in January - it marked our 300th family served!
The retreat also marked another record - 12 family members served returned as volunteers!
The NYC 2015 New York City Legacy Retreat® was a spectacular success! 18 families came to New York City and made memories together, laughed together, gleaned useful insights to help their families, and were inspired to leave lasting legacies. These things, in and of themselves, are not miracles. But, there were plenty of miracles dispersed among the streets of Manhattan as these families spent 4 days there.
Inheritance of Hope has been blessed by many incredibly passionate and dedicated volunteers. In fact, Inheritance of Hope’s mission of inspiring hope in young families facing the loss of a parent cannot be realized without them! Our “Volunteer Spotlight” series is a way to celebrate these most selfless members of our Inheritance of Hope family. The Padgett sisters, Gabriella and Meredith, are great examples, serving at 5 Legacy Retreats® each.
How did you become involved with Inheritance of Hope (IoH)?
Deric Milligan is our uncle so we have always known about Inheritance of Hope and have watched it grow. Before the May 2012 Legacy Retreat®
