Cedar Rapids-based Hopeful Mama Foundation was founded by Emily Patel with a mission to provide financial resources, emotional support and education on fertility options that can help fulfill the dreams of those wishing to become mothers. Here, Patel discusses the foundation’s goals for 2024 and its inaugural fundraising event coming up this spring.
What prompted the start of the foundation? The Hopeful Mama Foundation was established to leave a personal legacy for our founder’s daughters, by demonstrating the importance of helping women in similar circumstances who may be searching for answers while embodying Hopeful Mama’s core values of advocacy, education and support. Our desire is to empower women by offering assistance with financial resources, emotional support, as well as education on fertility options that can help fulfill their hopeful mama dreams, just as our founder was able to fulfill her dream.
What is the greatest reward in being involved with Hopeful Mama Foundation? The greatest reward in being involved with Hopeful Mama is hearing from those who have attended our support groups or educational workshops that we have made this difficult journey just a little bit easier and a little less lonely. Soon we will have the opportunity to assist someone in becoming a mother through financial grants (beginning in 2024) which will also be an amazing part of the support Hopeful Mama Foundation offers.
What is the biggest challenge the nonprofit faces? Hopeful Mama has found it challenging to get information into local and national fertility clinics about the resources that we offer. The opportunity to have the foundation’s workshops and support group flyers in fertility clinics to reach more patients that are struggling with infertility has been one of the greatest challenges we have experienced since launching in April 2023. Both support groups and workshops are offered virtually, so anyone around the world can attend/watch through Zoom and our YouTube Channel.
What are your goals for the new year? The Hopeful Mama Foundation wants to reach more people across the country. Our goal is to raise awareness not only about the support and resources we offer, but to also raise awareness about infertility and the understanding of infertility as a diagnosis. In 2024, our goal is to offer a handful of smaller fertility financial grants through the money raised during our launch in 2023. Expanding our workshops and support groups are another goal for Hopeful Mama, which would include offering a local couples support group.
How can readers help? Readers can support our mission through sharing our social media posts. The more people that see the resources the foundation provides, the more people we can support. Many times, people going through infertility are unaware of the support and resources they have, so sharing our information is easy and simple and can have a huge impact. If you have a connection to infertility or feel a connection to our mission, donating helps us further our impact by being able to offer fertility grants to allow us to give the chance to someone who hopes to be a mother. With all fertility treatments, they are not a guarantee and many times, people spend thousands and hundreds of thousands to try to become a parent, which should be something no one should have to pay for. Everyone deserves to be a parent if they so choose. So, Hopeful Mama is working to help offset the extreme costs and lessen the burden to parenthood.
Does the nonprofit have any events or fundraisers on the horizon? Hopeful Mama will be hosting a new annual event in April, which will become Hopeful Mama’s primary fundraiser each year. More details to come on location and date, however, it will be a fun-filled evening that includes dinner, drinks, silent auction and bowling! Hopeful Mama has quarterly workshops that are free to attend and offered in-person or can be watched after on the foundation’s YouTube Channel. The next workshops are Feb. 1, May 2, August 1 and Nov. 7. Our Sip & Shop for Hope annual event will be happening again in 2024. Details and dates to come!