“It was like a giant hug, just wrapped up in a fancy bow,” described Laura Scampoli of the recent Inheritance of Hope C.A.R.E. Retreat that she attended with her children.  Originally, Laura, her husband Rich, and their four daughters were scheduled to attend an Inheritance of Hope Legacy Retreat® in April 2019. Rich passed away from pancreatic cancer a little over a month before the planned trip to Orlando.

Out of our record-breaking 16 new volunteers, five are former family members served--and you know what that meant--lots of hugs and smiles as we welcomed them back!  Get to know a few of them here!

Our newest Inheritance of Hope volunteers along with our “first-timers” from Kendra Scott and Dillard’s

Being a big ‘ole family, we just love to welcome new folks in and celebrate all the ways people find Inheritance of Hope!  Here are the stories of how a few recent volunteers became involved. 

Nine new volunteers reported for duty in Orlando on our August retreat! (L to R: Jaci Ranieri, Taylor Andersen, Leah Stapleton, Kent Hagen, Jenn Valenti, Cael Thompson, Ana Liz Greene, Ashton Guerra, not pictured: Lynsey Brock)

You’ve heard us say it before: IoH is a family.  And what do families have? Reunions! 

Four IoH families: the Boisses, Earles, Carters, and Suttons reunite in Washington

The IoH family welcomed nine new volunteers into our ranks at the first-ever North Carolina Inheritance of Hope Legacy RetreatⓇ:  Beth Batchelder, Suzie Boatright, Hailey Boonstra, Rae McMannis, Fred Morse, Dawn Keel, Marina Randles, Diane Sohl, and Jill Vaughan.

New volunteers ready to serve

Our family is growing.  Inheritance of Hope now has a roster of 300+ amazing volunteers!  On our Orlando Legacy Retreat in April, we were thrilled to welcome the following into our ranks:

Ethan Baur, Clara Beovich, Caroline Braun, Mara Caples, Ally Dee, Anna Latimer, Emileah Most, Micah Most, Sara Theisen, Ethan Trejo, and Cheryl Yeaton.

Get to know them a little better here!

Long after all other retreat-goers are tucked in for the night, Mikki Skinner and Rachel Streelman tuck into a bag of gummy bears, a little wine, and reruns of Friends. The professional photographers have cumulatively snapped their way through 13 Inheritance of Hope Legacy RetreatsⓇ, and still eagerly open their computers each night to see what they’ve captured.  On a typical day, the team might shoot up to 800 images, then back in their hotel room, with the help of late-night provisions and a little background noise from the TV, cull those into a well-edited 300 or so photos.

Rachel (left), and Mikki always have camera-ready smiles themselves!

Jenna Maier, 14, wants to “ show that no matter your age, you can make a difference.”  The Willow Creek Middle School eighth grader from Rochester, Minnesota, has done just that.  In November, Jenna cooked up a fundraising campaign for Inheritance of Hope. By February, she had raised $500 selling homemade cookies.  

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else for my birthday,” said Katelyn Hodge of turning 18 while serving on the most recent Kendra Scott-sponsored Inheritance of Hope Legacy RetreatⓇ to Orlando.  The feeling was mutual--and we hope to celebrate 19 with her as well!

Events Director, Betsy Ogren, surprises Katelyn on her 18th birthday

Henry Nicsinger was cured of cancer once, then he was cured again, and again, and again, and again. Diagnosed with testicular cancer at 31, declared cancer-free after undergoing surgery, Henry went through surgery once more twenty years later when he was found to have a second primary bilateral occurrence of the disease.