Welcome to Family Hope Foundation

Family Hope Foundation invests in children with special needs through family support, engaging community experts, advocacy through collaboration, and financial assistance to provide access to therapies.

Please see our scholarship page for more details.

Resource Network for Family Support and Information

Based on strong family feedback, we developed a resource page. This consolidates a wide variety of information for parents covering national, state, and local organizations. There are areas dedicated to specific disability categories, West Michigan Service providers, parent and advocacy groups, and laws that apply to disability.

Access resource pages

In addition, the summer camps resource page is now updated with opportunities for 2012.

Summer Camps 2012

Family Hope Foundation Selected as Winner of the 2012 Connecting with Community Awards

WOOD TV 8 Connecting with Community logo

Sonsored by:

Art Van, Huntington, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Grand Valley State University, Metro Health Hospital

On Thursday, May 10, 2012, Family Hope Foundation was selected as the winner for WOOD TV 8 fourth Annual Connecting with Community Awards. WOOD TV 8 featured Family Hope Foundation's Community Partnership Program in a Connecting with Community segment with Eva Aguirre Cooper during 24 Hour News 8:

Family Hope Foundation: woodtv.com

8West segment featured an interview with Chair Lara Kitts and Vice-Chair Jane Eppard after winning the award.

Family Hope Foundation wins top honors: woodtv.com

In addition, we have a

Family Night at the Visser YMCA (in Grandville)

on Aug 18, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Free, dinner provided, enjoy swimming, basketball, rock climbing, games, Kid Zone, and fitness fun!

Family Hope Foundation is proud to announce a long-term partnership with Celebration! Cinema

to offer family fun events for families of children with special needs. We will be sponsoring a monthly movie at

Celebration! Cinema North
2121 Celebration Drive, NE
Grand Rapids

Enjoy a disability-friendly environment where everyone is welcome. With an audience of your peers, special families can enjoy something fun together that you might not typically be able to do. Brighter lights, lower sound and a group of people who understand your child’s disability will make this family outing enjoyable for everyone!

Tickets are offered for this unique showing at a reduced rate of $5 each and can be purchased at the ticket counter.
Seating will be first-come, first-served.
Seating questions can be directed to the box office at 616-365-2051
Show time is 10:00am.
All shows will be in 2D.

Mark your calendars for the last Saturday of the month:

Pirates movie picture

May 26 Pirates! Band of Misfit
June 30 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
July 28 Ice Age: Continental Drift
August 25 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Thank you to all our Community Partners who work with Family Hope Foundation to create a better and stronger community for the special needs population!

Thank you to the Griffin's for selecting Family Hope Foundation for the March 31st Community Night!

Thank you, West Michigan Community, for Supporting Wretches and Jabberers!

Advocacy through collaboration is one piece of Family Hope Foundation's mission. We were proud to have secured Grand Rapids as one of the 100 locations across America for the showing of Wretches & Jabberers, a powerful film that is changing perceptions of individuals with disabilities and teaching something about the growing disorder of autism.

Our sincere thanks to Ron Van Timmeren and Celebration! Cinema for collaborating with Family Hope Foundation and for opening a larger capacity theatre to accommodate the overwhelming interest and response...330 people came to view this film! Just think, if there was a similar response in the other 99 cities around the country that would mean over 36,000 people sharing and learning from this significant film!

In an effort to spread the word to the larger community, we'd like to share some of the viewers' responses. If you were fortunate enough to see this film...keep talking...share your response to friends, family and coworkers...keep the message alive!

"I was filled with emotions throughout the entire movie. My mind raced about how I could get everyone I know to see this movie because it is so powerful and educational. I also had a stomach ache the entire time as I thought about my own nonverbal, 10 year old daughter with autism and what the future holds for her. I was filled with hope at the idea that someday she could communicate as well as Larry and Tracy and also with overwhelming anxiety, knowing how incredibly hard the journey is. At the same time, I was so inspired by the tenacity and determination of every mother represented in the film and knew that if they could do it for their child, I could do it for mine."

"Last week, we had the pleasure of watching Wretches and Jabberers, a movie that followed two adult men with autism as they traveled around the world building an advocacy network with others with autism. The movie is so eye-opening and inspirational that I simply cannot put it in words that would do the movie justice."

"What the movie did for me personally is inspire me to work harder so that my children can have the ability to communicate with the world."

"You see, in this crazy world that we live in, the one where our children need so much attention and work, we are always learning. What's more is that we are always questioning. The great under-appreciated fact about learning and questions is that inspiration and creativity are the results, which means we are always changing – hopefully for the betterment of all."

"More... like... you... than... not!" As the father of a son who lives with autism and CP I have often wondered what the world looks like in his mind and what his experiences are. Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette have helped me understand more about their world and the world of my son's experience."

"I was extremely moved by the film. I have been teaching special needs for 12 years and am a mother to an ASD child of 6 years. Life presents many challenges and so many joys through this journey. This film hit home like no other film could have. Individuals with autism have so much to contribute and want to share, but the communication is an enormous barrier. An example of this is, when Larry talks about being institutionalized, and missing his sister. My heart felt torn for all the pain he experienced and the abandonment. He had a life, he wanted to be active and involved, he needed assistance, not to be isolated. This film makes such a strong impact on the viewer; everyone can benefit and should take part! It is truly moving."

"The movie was thought-provoking, not only because it gave a view of the challenges facing adults with autism but also because it made me realize what my son may be experiencing as a little boy trapped inside his head with no source of communication available to him."

"I loved the film. It was so inspirational to me and gave me hope and strength for my son and other children. This film educated and enlightened me. It was so insightful to hear directly from Tracy and Larry about their lives, their opinions, hopes, goals and their feelings. A truly positive and moving story."