Thanks for taking a
look at the Hopeful Heart website. My name is Lyn Larsen, and I will
share with you a little history of this organization.
 I founded Hopeful Heart
in 1993 along with Mr. Kerry Hughes, and I am officially the President.
The impetus for the
creation of Hopeful Heart came about from a need that I saw. I watched
several very talented, creative and productive people that I knew become
gravely ill for various reasons. One, a writer, had a massive stroke at
age 41 and at the peak of his career. Another, a Broadway singer and
dancer, contracted HIV. These were people who had worked for years, paid
taxes, contributed greatly to the arts, and enriched other peoples'
lives. And like most people in the arts, they were self-employed and did
not receive health insurance or retirement benefits.
I watched as they used
up all of their savings and financial resources. When they applied to
various country and state agencies for assistance, they were turned down
because of the fact that they had worked, and had been worth something
before.
That was when I
realized the need for an organization that would be structured
specifically to help people who make their primary living by working in
the arts in some form or other. And it also became obvious that we
should be able to provide a monthly check, mailed directly to the
person, so that things like rent, food, and medication could be paid for
with a minimum of red tape or hassle.
To date, we have
assisted a wide variety of artists: several singers, a
clothing designer, a composer, a writer, a classical organist, and a
dancer, among others. Our by-laws also allow us to make a single small
gift to another organization, if they also provide direct financial
benefits to their recipients.
We have an elected board of directors that
consists of 6 persons, and we all contribute our time to do the needed
organizational and clerical work. No officer of board member of Hopeful
Heart has ever been paid for any of their work, and we are very proud of
the fact that we operate on a very small margin of about 15% of our
income going to operating expenses. These expenses are mainly things
like postage, mailings, and the direct costs of producing our
fund-raising concerts and recordings.
I personally have never taken any
kind of fee for any of the performances I do for Hopeful Heart, and have
only been reimbursed for transportation costs to get to Chicago and back
for the concerts. Also, most of our guest performers have waived their
usual fees, and have just been paid for their expenses.
It is our goal to
generate enough financial income to keep helping existing and new
recipients with monthly checks, as well as build a reserve amount that
can generate interest income for further help in the future. Individual
gifts, donations and estate bequests have helped us reach our first goal
of having $100,000 in reserve that can produce extra income and
long-term security. Hopeful Heart is a completely open and transparent
organization, and we invite any questions you may have. The only thing
we protect is the individual privacy of our recipients out of respect.
Hopeful Heart is
an Arizona not-for-profit corporation and also has official IRS
501(3)(c) status so donors can receive a tax deduction for their gifts
if advised by their tax preparer. |
