Welcome to the first official post on the Bringing Hope Home blog!

Our new blog is one of the several initiatives we’re implementing in 2013 to keep all of our amazing families and supporters in the know about what we are up to on a regular basis.  Our blog is going to be a place where we can all gather to learn, heal, laugh and celebrate everything going on in the Bringing Hope Home community. We have lots to look forward to this year, but why don’t we start by taking a look back at all of the greatness that we accomplished in 2012? 2012 was a banner year for us.

We helped our 1,000th total family this year!

This is a huge deal and something that we could not have done without the support of our amazing donors, volunteers, and most importantly the families that let us in their lives during an extremely rough time. Thank you to everyone that helped us get to this point. Looking forward to helping thousands more local families battling cancer!

We also changed our name from Great Guys Group to Bringing Hope Home (BHH) this past year.

The name change directly reflects the work we are doing in the community to “bring hope home” to local families battling cancer.  Along with the name change, we also launched a beautiful new website, thanks to the talented Justin and Travis at JTwo Films’ Projects That Matter.

It was amazing to see the local community come together over the last year and to get involved in helping our families on a record-breaking level:

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  •  Our school initiative raised over $25,000.00 thanks to the wonderful faculty and students at Malvern Prep, Haverford School, Methacton High School, Great Valley High School, Penn Crest High School and Springton Lake Middle School.
  • We continued our partnerships with over 25 Greater Philadelphia Area Hospitals and cancer centers and created a consultation room at AI Dupont Hospital in Delaware.
  • We sponsored two Great Vibes Wellness Days, which offered a free day of health and wellness services at our partner hospitals.
  • The Philadelphia Eagles presented us with the Community Quarterback Award which came with a $50,000 check!  Go Eagles!

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This past year was also the most successful yet for our events and fundraising efforts:

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  •  Over 400 runners STOMPED cancer with us at the 3rd Annual West Chester STOMPS Cancer 5K & Fun Run
  • Our Summer-Golf-A-Thon For Hope was a hole in one! Golfers played as many holes as they could in one day to raise over $23,000 for our BHH families.
  •  The 1st Annual Ella Bella Fashion Show at the Valley Forge Resort and Casino raised over $15,000.
  • The Annual Great Guys Dinner raised over $192,000
  •  Our Hope for 100 Challenge goal was to raise $150,000 in 100 days—we not only achieved that, but surpassed it!  Thanks to supporters and donors like you, we were able to raise over $175,000 between September 1st and December 31st 2012
  • The BHH Holiday Gift and Gift Card Drive provided and delivered hope in the form of Christmas gifts to almost 60 families battling cancer.  One of our most outstanding volunteers?  Eagles Defensive Tackle, Cullen Jenkins!

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2012 also marked a major change for us, personally—we were able to bring Founder Paul Isenberg on as a full-time CEO.

Paul is now dedicating all of his time and energy to growing BHH in 2013.  We’re planning to expand our digital reach in 2013, so make sure you Like us on Facebook or start following us on Twitter if you haven’t already. To check out our ‘BHH Best of 2012 Album’ click here.

And of course, 2013 marks the beginning of our new blog!  Be sure to check in regularly to learn more about our wonderful families, staff, and upcoming events.

Want a sneak peek at what’s in store for 2013?

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  • Sunday, February 3, 2013 – Chester County Running Store will be hosting the Super Bowl 5K in West Chester that will be benefiting BHH.  Click here for more information about how to register
  • Thursday, February 7, 2013 will be our first Light of Hope Appreciation Dinner which will honor our families, donors, volunteers and staff
  • Wednesday, May 1, 2013 we will be hosting our Annual Great Guys Dinner – save the date!

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We’ve got a lot more in the works for 2013!  We’re not only focused on increasing the impact of our gifts for all of our families, but also are ready to deliver more greatness and more hope to families battling cancer throughout the Greater Philadelphia area.  Interested in being a part of the team?  Click through to our homepage to learn more about how to donate, volunteer, or adopt-a-family!