HOLIDAY SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM 2025: A RECORD YEAR OF HOPE
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, Sending Hope Ohio’s Third Annual Holiday Sponsorship Program was our most successful year to date.
What began with a goal to sponsor 50 children grew far beyond anything we imagined. With your support, we were able to serve 140 children from 64 families across six local school districts, tripling our original goal and expanding the reach of hope throughout our community.
Every gift chosen, every hour spent shopping, and every thoughtful detail made a meaningful difference. For many families, these gifts represented more than a holiday celebration; they were a reminder that they are seen, valued, and supported by their community.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to InStep Health, Pearl Aesthetics and Wellness, FedEx, and Bridge Academy for their generosity and partnership in making this project possible. Their support played a vital role in helping us bring joy, dignity, and hope to so many families this holiday season.
Because of you, hearts were filled, hope was multiplied, and our community came together in a powerful way. Thank you for making this impact possible.
THIRD ANNUAL GENTLY-USED HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE: A COMMUNITY TRADITION OF GIVING
Sending Hope Ohio’s Third Annual Gently-Used Holiday Toy Drive once again proved to be one of our most impactful and beloved initiatives of the year. What began as a simple idea has grown into a staple project within our local community, bringing together neighbors, businesses, and partner organizations with a shared goal: ensuring children experience joy during the holiday season.
This project is only possible because of the continued dedication of The Richards Group, whose annual commitment, organization, and support remain the backbone of this initiative. We are incredibly grateful for their unwavering support of our mission and their ongoing hands-on efforts year after year.
We are also deeply thankful for our partnership with the Look-Up Center, a local nonprofit serving families in need. Their team played a critical role by transporting donations and organizing multiple large, free pop-up toy shops, allowing families to shop for free during the holiday season.
This year, our community donated over 7,500 gently-used toys. While this total is lower than last year’s 10,000 items, it represents a meaningful increase in community participation and intentional giving. By focusing on higher-quality donations and no longer collecting stuffed toys, donors were more thoughtful than ever about the items they contributed, resulting in toys that were more usable, meaningful, and impactful for the families we served. Each donation reflected care, generosity, and a growing understanding of what truly supports families during the holidays.
JINGLE BELL BAZAAR WITH THE GRANVILLE SCHOOLS PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATION
Sending Hope Ohio was honored to be sponsored by the Granville Schools PTO at their annual Jingle Bell Bazaar. We are deeply grateful for an outstanding event that brought the community together while supporting so many local children and families.
The Jingle Bell Bazaar is a beloved annual craft show and holiday market featuring talented local artists and vendors. It’s the perfect way to start the morning of the Granville Candlelight Tour, and this year’s event was full of festive energy and generosity. Highlights of the event included a holiday market, festive food and drinks, Book Fair, and a raffle benefiting our organization.
We extend our sincere thanks to the Granville Schools PTO for sponsoring Sending Hope Ohio through the raffle and for their continued commitment to uplifting families in our community. We are also grateful to everyone who attended, volunteered, and participated; your support helps us continue our mission of bringing hope where it’s needed most.
FOOD INSECURITY AND HOMELESSNESS
Our October community service projects focused on supporting neighbors facing food insecurity and homelessness; needs that have become increasingly urgent as living costs rise and temperatures drop. We set out to provide practical, front-line resources such as gloves, socks, hand warmers, and food pantry support.
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our community, we exceeded every expectation, nearly tripling our anticipated donations for local homeless individuals through the Newark Homeless Outreach. Your contributions directly helped our neighbors stay warm, access essential resources, and feel seen and supported during a difficult season.
9/11 DAY OF SERVICE WITH DENISON UNIVERSITY
In September, Sending Hope Ohio teamed up with Denison University for our second annual 9/11 Day of Service, creating a meaningful and hands-on day of learning and giving back for middle schoolers from Newark City Schools. Made possible by the Denison Community Campus Coalition, 9/11 Day of Service, Community Engaged Alliance, and AmeriCorps, the day focused on showing students how they can be “everyday heroes” by using empathy and small actions to make a big difference. Students learned about how communities came together after 9/11 and were encouraged to do the same in their own lives. They took part in service projects like making cards for veterans and children in hospitals, and creating wellness water bottle kits for people in need. These efforts supported groups like Honor Flight Columbus, the Ronald McDonald House, and local homeless individuals. Our partnership with Denison University keeps growing and continues to inspire young people to be kind, get involved, and make a difference in their communities. Now in its second year, this project shows how working together can help the next generation step up and take action through simple acts of service.
COLLECTING SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR LOCAL CHILDREN IN NEED
In August, Sending Hope Ohio launched a successful initiative to collect school supplies for local children in need, partnering with The Richards Group (Granville, Ohio) and Miller Insurance and Financial Group (Lancaster, Ohio). The project received generous support from the community, with donations coming both through physical drop-off locations and purchases made via a digital registry. Thanks to the collaborative effort, over 1,000 boxes of school supplies were collected and delivered to Newark City Schools, Granville Exempted Village Schools, and Southwest Licking Schools, ensuring students started the school year with the tools they need to succeed.
HELPING PEDIATRIC CANCER PATIENTS AT NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
This summer, Sending Hope Ohio was honored to partner with The Ohana Foundation to continue the heartfelt legacy of Jaelynn, a courageous young girl who, upon entering the oncology floor at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2022, expressed her desire to share love and comfort with fellow pediatric patients. With guidance from hospital social workers, our project focused on providing urgent support to families navigating pediatric cancer care. We helped supply much-needed toys and activities for the hospital playroom and collected gift cards to ease the burden on families during their stay.
In addition, we rallied our community to take part in broader initiatives supporting pediatric cancer awareness and research. We promoted the Callahan Murphy Hare Foundation’s local blood drive, encouraging lifesaving donations while raising critical awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research right here in Central Ohio. We also invited families to host summer lemonade stands in support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, empowering families to make a meaningful impact, one cup at a time.
CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY IN OUR COMMUNITY
Sending Hope Ohio was thrilled to be part of our 2nd Annual Fourth of July Parade in our hometown, Granville! From waving flags to sharing smiles, we had so much fun celebrating with our amazing community. Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer, support, and join in the spirit of independence and hope. We’re so proud to be part of this community and can’t wait to do it again next year!
WELCOMING YOUTH HOME
At age 18, youth age out of foster care and create their first apartments. In May, we partnered with Fostering Further to help create Welcome Home Kits, supplying these local young adults with household essentials for their first apartments, including kitchen items, cleaning products, toiletries, and laundry items. Welcome home!
ROLLING INTO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Have you heard?! Sending Hope Ohio is rolling into your neighborhood on PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION! Thank you to Webchick, Krile Communications, Fairfield County Transit, and Fairfield County Board of Commissioners for making this possible!
CELEBRATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS IN FOSTER CARE
Did you know that 25% of youth in foster care will not graduate high school or receive their GED? During March, our generous private donors from the community came together to support our campaign, Celebrating High School Seniors in Foster Care, benefiting Fostering Further. Thanks to their contributions, Sending Hope Ohio had the privilege of celebrating 20 incredible graduates. In addition to offering heartfelt congratulations, we donated over $1,000 worth of high school graduation gifts, ensuring each graduate felt seen and valued. To make the moment even more special, we showered them with personalized cards of encouragement and celebration. This initiative would not have been possible without the support of our community, and we are grateful for the generosity that helped make these seniors' achievements even more memorable.
During February and March we completed our Making A House a Home project for a formerly homeless family with two children. With the generosity of our donors, we were able to fully stock a new home for a deserving family, providing them with everything they needed to start fresh. From furniture to kitchenware, linens to everyday essentials – our wishlist was cleared in record time, thanks to the outpouring of support from individuals who truly care about making a difference.
But the impact didn’t stop there. Sending Hope Ohio and Boldwomen Cleaning Services stepped in to offer invaluable professional mentorship and marketing guidance, helping the family take an important step forward by launching their very own family business. This support not only helped them settle into their new home but also set them up for future success, reinforcing the power of community in fostering long-term independence and growth.
LEGACY OF REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
In January, we had the honor of participating in an event hosted by Denison University to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme, “Building the Beloved Community: Service, Civic Engagement, and the Path Forward,” brought together a range of activities, including a conversation panel with leading experts, a resource fair for creating change in our communities (which we were proud to participate in), an MLK march, brunch, and multiple workshops focused on civic engagement. It was an inspiring and impactful event that highlighted the ongoing need for service and action in our communities. We extend a special thank you to Denison University for the invitation and for organizing such a meaningful gathering.