A
year after the death of her father, Lisa Story
remembers needing to heal herself. “While I was not
my dad’s sole caregiver, I was very involved in the
activities surrounding his daily life. After his passing,
it took a heavy toll, and I found I needed to heal and reconnect
with myself,” she says.
Working through this process, Story was able to combine her
love of nature and the outdoors with her work as a Licensed
Professional Counselor and Certified Thanatologist to create
Hope Grows, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering
caregivers to seek wellness of mind, body, and spirit.
Thanatology is the study of death and dying and the
psychological mechanisms of dealing with them. “It’s our mission
to be the organization caregivers trust and turn to, to receive
personalized assistance, therapeutic services and resources at any
point in their journey regardless of their financial status,” says
Story.
Started in 2013, Hope Grows is located in Moon Township.
Story and her family designed and created healing and restorative
gardens, now totaling seven, specifically for mindfulness and
holistic therapy.
“Caregivers can walk through the gardens, either alone or with
a counseling professional, tell their story, take short breaks and
participate in counseling and support as necessary,” she explains.
“This helps create a path to maintain a positive and healthy
quality of life.”
The organization offers support services as part of the mission
to care for caregivers. The services can range from regular
phone calls and emails to individual or family counseling,
support groups, education and training for caregivers, grief and
bereavement help, and stress management.
“We’re also hoping to open a facility called Hope Respite
House, where current and past caregivers can engage in an
overnight wellness, respite-style bed and breakfast,” adds Story.
“The building will accommodate the caregiver by providing a
place of refuge and restorative care.”
In addition to the gardens, Hope Grows offers recurring and
annual events to support its many programs.
“May 13 is our 4th Annual Hope Grows Tee Time Golf
Classic,” says Story. “This event has been a hit since it started,
with more and more sponsors embracing our mission through a
fun day of golf. We also have our Victorian Tea on May 19, now
in its sixth year. It’s an afternoon of camaraderie, art, music, raffles
and more.” This year’s theme is “Abundantly Connected” and
both events are held at the Montour Heights Country Club.
On July 17, Hope Grows will hold “Uncorked and Skewered,”
a Hawaiian luau-themed garden open house and fundraiser
including a pig roast. It runs from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at 183 Shafer
Road in Moon Township. It’s open for anyone to attend and there
are sponsorship opportunities for food vendors, Chinese auction
basket donations, events, caregiver programming and turkey
dinners for caregivers during the holiday season. October 9 will
be the “Celebrating You” event, a day of fun and relaxation for
family caregivers.
In 2018, Hope Grows gave help and support to more than 350
caregivers and their families.
Hope Grows volunteers routinely support their mission with random acts
of kindness, like delivering turkey dinners to caregivers who need some
downtime.
“Our staff and volunteers show no limits when it comes to
supporting our mission,” says Story. “It’s a true testament to their
wonderful spirit.” In recognition of this spirit and the spirit of
caregivers, Hope Grows has started a movement to designate the
blue bearded iris as a symbol for the caregiver.
“The Hope Grows Iris Movement is a perfect way to raise
awareness of caregiver issues while championing caregiver
needs,” Story explains. “The blue bearded iris flower symbolizes
care and implies a message and promise of hope, and the three
petals symbolize faith, valor, and wisdom—making it the
perfect embodiment of caregiver qualities. To help further our
movement, Hope Grows makes the iris symbol available in the
shop on products like notecards, pins and decals.”
Hope Grows defines caregiver as anyone providing unpaid
care to dependent children, spouses, parents, siblings, relatives,
friends, or neighbors. Caregiving can include personal care,
physical help, emotional or social support, behavioral support,
assistance with activities of daily living, assistance accessing
services and financial help.
“After my father’s passing, I felt the need to support caregivers
in any way I could,” says Story. “I realized, if caregiving affected
me to the degree it did, even with all of my experience as a
counselor, it had to be affecting others the same way, if not
more. My choice to use therapeutic gardening combined with
counseling was the culmination of my true passions and a dream
I had—an actual dream where I saw my dad’s face smiling
through the sun and when I woke, I said, ‘Hope Grows.’ It could
not have been any clearer and was the exact message I needed to
begin supporting the wonderful caregiver community.” ■
» To learn more about Hope Grows—services, events and how you can help, visit hopegrows.net.
MOON TOWNSHIP
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SUMMER 2019
13