One of the newest additions to the Disko Charity Directory is the Homeless Outreach Program Enhancement (H.O.P.E) and I had an opportunity to speak with the Executive Director of H.O.P.E, Brian Whiting, about their mission, goals, and how creators can help.
The HOPE project is dedicated to protecting the lives of the people who are living on the streets. The charity does this by supplying the unsheltered with items that directly increase the odds of their survival, according to their official website.
“At the end of 2017 I was in a really bad place mentally” Whiting said of his personal journey that led him to starting HOPE. “I had just gone through a divorce, had to move back home and couldn’t keep a job which meant pretty soon myself and my family that lived with me were going to be homeless. Then one day I asked myself what I really wanted to do with my life. What I would choose to do if money was no object. After thinking about it I realized that there were 2 things I wanted in my life, I wanted to travel and help people.
So, I sold my house to my sister, so my family would still have a place to live, and used the money to buy an RV. All of 2018 I lived in my RV traveling the U.S. In Texas I worked with my friends non-profit and they convinced me that starting my own would be the way to go. So ever since 2018 HOPE has been helping homeless people wherever we can.”
Since then, the charity has seen growth and progress from year-to-year, including a 2021 year that saw HOPE reach donation numbers they had not previously reached.
“2018 was all about figuring out where we fit in the homeless outreach world” Whiting said. “We decided to focus on combating the causes of death within homeless communities. In 2019 our focus was on the most effective method of collecting supplies and we found this to be a balance of fundraising and partnering with companies who donate items we need. 2020 was hard on us just like everyone else. All our plans got thrown to the wind but we did our best to get supplies to those who needed it.
In 2021 we have not only recovered from the setback that was 2020 but we have really hit high gear. We Now have 3 outreach teams that we are partnered with in Columbus OH, Louisville KY, and Lansing MI respectively and this year we hit $3000 raised. That is 3 times the amount we have ever raised before.”
Like some charities and organizations, Whiting has been utilizing Twitch to help raise funds, and hopes to continue those efforts through the Disko platform by connecting with more content creators and streamers.
“We have been running fundraising events since October of 2020. We run all our events over on our Twitch channel (Twitch.tv/theprojhope). We normally do 12 hour stream-a-thons where our team of streamers each stream for about 3 hours while raising money for us through Tiltify. This October we introduced what we hope will be our big annual event, “The Ball Pit Challenge”. It consists of someone sitting in a 5 foot tall ball pit while playing a video game and for every dollar we raise we add a ball to the pit. It did great and helped us raise $1000.”
Whiting sees the value of working with content creators, and understands the medium due to his experience as a streamer on Twitch in the past.
“HOPE consists of 3 people” Whiting explained. “We are all volunteer and we have all been streamers at some point. I streamed regularly from 2012 – 2018 when I stopped to concentrate on HOPE. Our Vice-president streams along side me now when we do our Ball Pit Challenge or other fundraisers, and our fundraising manager who heads up all our fundraising efforts has been a content creator since 2015 and a streamer on twitch since 2016.
Content creation is part of the foundation of HOPE. The non-profit that helped us get started is also based on Twitch. We understand the power of live streaming and how passionate content creators are. Raising money for charity is something that most streamers can’t wait to do as soon as they start. This passion is something we have and love to see in others and there is no better place to find passionate creative people.”
Make sure you check out their official website, connect with them directly on Disko, and visit their listing page on Disko’s Charity Directory to find out how you can get involved and support their efforts.