Raising Hope In The Cranbury Community
By: Nick Rizzo and Grace Taylor
Raising Hope for Others is a charity that focuses on helping people with a major illness pay their medical bills. They do everything they possibly can to help people pay their medical bills. This year they helped a girl named Charli. Charli is the first baby they’ve ever helped.
One of the trustees in Raising Hope for Others is Mrs. Burke. She can be found in Cranbury School at room 43. We spoke to Mrs. Burke to find out more about this charitable organization.
Nick Rizzo & Grace Taylor: “How did you create the charity? When did it start?”
Laura Burke: “The idea of the charity came to me when my cousin Kathleen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I held a fundraiser to help pay her medical bills. It was brought to my attention that she did not want to be forgotten. So, we started Raising Hope for Others, Inc. as a way to keep her caring spirit alive.”
NR & GT: “How did you get people interested in the charity?”
LB: “Posting on the website, sending out group emails, and putting up posters would be wonderful ways to help get people interested. The charity itself has different fundraisers. Last year it was in Cranbury School. There are raffles and silent auctions. We also work with Blue Claws. We sold 250 tickets and a portion of that money goes directly to Raising Hope for Others. This past year we chose a baby named Charli as our recipient and have helped to pay her medical bills. She has a lot of medical problems. This year is the first year we chose a baby, we have never chosen a baby.”
NR & GT:“Why did you feel like you had to create the charity?”
LB:“I guess I was inspired by my cousin’s wish not to be forgotten. I work with two other people, my mother-in-law and my best friend. We are the 3 trustees. Each of us have wanted to help others and this seemed to be the appropriate time.”
NR & GT:“What can Cranbury School do to help?”
LB: “They can support Raising Hope by either donating items for the fundraiser, attending and participating in the fundraiser, or purchasing tickets for the Blueclaws game and join us there. The Blue Claws game is June 9th which is a Sunday and the August fundraiser is always the first Saturday in August. This year it will be Saturday, August 3rd.
NR & GT: “How else can we spread the word about it?”
LB: “Writing this article and posting it on the Cranbury School website is a terrific way of spreading the word about our charity. We also do the Hats for Hope fundraiser each month. And you can tell people around you. We typically raise $10,000 to $13,000 in the big fundraiser to help others one person at a time [and we are always] looking for new and creative ways to fundraise.”
If you think that Raising Hope for Others is a good cause, why don’t you participate? Some ways to participate are you can donate to Hats for Hope, you can go to one of their big events, and you can attend their Blue Claws game. The Blue Claws game is Sunday, June 9th. If you participate in events like these you can be helping people, and having fun at the same time!
Many people struggle to pay medical bills. You can help the individuals in the community by participating in Raising Hope for Others. The families that are affected, like Charli’s, are grateful for your help.