
HLC Heroes
Each month, we would like to recognize a member of the HLC family that has gone above and beyond for our community.

Fred Weber
March 2020
Fred Weber has been a faithful volunteer at Hope Loves Company for seven months now and we are so grateful. He began with us as a SCORE volunteer (Service Corps of Retired Executives) soon after retiring. Mr. Weber was the President of his own company, Weber Scientific, and dedicated 39 years his life to its success. As a volunteer, Fred's goal is to help businesses and nonprofits improve performance in advertising and promotion, business planning, competitive strategy and more. We now consider Fred not only one of our mentors, but a friend as well. We thank him for truly being an HLC Hero!

E.H.
February 2020
Congratulations to 11-year-old E.H. and thank you so much for your donation to Hope Loves Company! E.H. has a Grandma living with ALS and made a donation in her honor because she is one of the strongest people she knows. She wants to help kids going through this tough disease with their family and wants them to know they are not alone!
Thank you E.H. You are truly a hero!

Linda Martin
January 2020
Congratulations Linda and thank you so much for all of your time spent volunteering with Hope Loves Company this month! Linda has been a longtime supporter of the Pennington and Mercer County communities and volunteers with EASEL, Hope is in the Bag, and more - and now, HLC!
We are fortunate to have the support of our wonderful community and its members.

The Canessa Family
December 2019
Congratulations to the Canessa family, our HLC Heroes for the month of December 2019!
Stella and her family raised $5,000 to donate to Hope Loves Company to sponsor Camp HLC. Thank you for this incredible contribution!
Stella and her parents, Boris and Claudia, live in Düsseldorf, Germany. Boris is living with ALS and his family made this generous donation to Hope Loves Company in his honor.
Thank you so much to Stella, Boris, Claudia, and the entire Canessa family. You are truly all heroes!

Jesse Neuman
November 2019
Congratulations to Jesse Neuman, Musical Genius, our HLC Hero for the month of November!
Hope Loves Company has been very fortunate to have Jesse, as well as his compassion and musical talent, at Camp HLC New Jersey and Massachusetts for the past three years. In November we were lucky enough to have him at Camp HLC California, our 25th Camp HLC!
Jesse lead our campers in musical expression and activities and emcee'd our Camp HLC Talent Show. Thank you Jesse for coming out to California and for being such an important part of the HLC team!

Emily Dhondt
October 2019
Congratulations to Emily Dhondt, our HLC Hero for the month of October!
Emily is the Digital Marketing Manager at ALS TDI where she spends her days sharing the stories of people living with ALS and the science happening in ALS research. Emily is from Tampa, FL and graduated from the University of Florida. For many years she worked as a camp counselor over the summer, so volunteering at Camp HLC with Hope Loves Company was a perfect way to combine her love for camp with her mission to help families who have been affected by ALS. In her free time she enjoys traveling, eating, improv, running, and spending time with friends and family!
Thank you Emily for being such an important part of the Camp HLC team!

Sydney and Riley
September 2019
Congratulations to Sydney and Riley Kaplan, our HLC Heroes for the month of September!
Sydney and Riley are an important part of the ALS Chocolate Meltdown Party committee - which raised nearly $60,000 for HLC this year! Sydney and Riley have also supported Hope Loves Company through their Flyers Skate Zone fundraisers, as well! Sydney and Riley are setting a great example for other teenagers and young adults who want to make a difference.
Thank you for all that you do, Sydney and Riley! We are so grateful to Sydney, Riley, and the entire Kaplan family.

Keiren Dunfee
August 2019
Congratulations Keiren Dunfee, our HLC Hero for the month of August!
Keiren is a member of the Hope Loves Company Board of Directors and has been working tirelessly as a member of the ALS Chocolate Meltdown Committee. We are so grateful to have leaders like Keiren on our team! Thank you for all that you do for Hope Loves Company, Keiren!
"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together," -Vincent Van Gogh.

Warren Benton Ames
July 2019
This month's hero is Benton Ames, who is also known as Warren or Bucky! Benton has been a consistent friend and facilitator at Camp HLC since its inception and has never missed a camp experience. Benton has brought many smiles to campers with his great sense of humor, his love for the outdoors, and his super hero socks. We are so grateful to Benton "Bucky" Ames for sharing his time and talents with us at HLC!
The Van Tress Family
June 2019
Congratulations to the Van Tress Family, our June HLC Heroes!
"On February 16, 2017, the Van Tress family’s lives were turned upside down when Jeremy was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Although it has not been easy to adjust to Jeremy’s constant disease progression, the Van Tress family has found meaning and purpose in their ALS journey. Jeremy is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Work from Walden University and was recently awarded as a 2019 Pat Tillman Scholar. In October, Jeremy intends to open his non-profit organization, Smile Inside, Inc. to provide free and accessible online telehealth counseling services for pALS and their families. To find out more, please visit Smile Inside’s website at https://smile-inside.org/."
The Van Tress Family have attended Camp HLC Indiana for the past three years and we are so grateful that they are a part of the Hope Loves Company family.

Anthony Gonzalez
May 2019
Congratulations to Anthony, our May Hero! Anthony is a rising Junior at Seton Hall University and a brother of Phi Delta Theta. Through Phi Delta Theta’s affiliation with Live Like Lou, Anthony is proud to continue their mission of “Leaving ALS better than we found it.” Anthony, along with five other members of the New Jersey Gamma chapter of Phi Delta Theta, joined us at Camp HLC at Fairview Lake Camp last month to volunteer.
Thank you, Anthony, for making a difference in the lives of our HLC campers!

Sara Cooper
April 2019
Congratulations to our HLC Hero for the month of April, Sara Cooper!
Sara works passionately to bring awareness about ALS through her work as a marketing and fundraising professional and as a member of HLC's Board of Directors. She has recently been featured in Real Woman Magazine and Hopewell Valley Neighbors, sharing her personal battle with ALS.
Thank you, Sara for your dedication and contribution towards bringing resources, knowledge, and awareness about ALS!

The Sunshine Foundation
March 2019
Congratulations to the Shalik Family and the Sunshine Foundation, our HLC Heroes for the month of March!
The Sunshine Foundation has been supporting Hope Loves Company since 2018 and we're so grateful for all that they do for HLC. We're excited to share that the Sunshine Foundation is a supporter of Camp HLC in New Jersey this year!
Thank you to the Shalik Family and Sunshine Foundation!

Dave Howell
February 2019
Congratulations, Dave Howell, our HLC Hero for the month of February!
Each week, Dave shares his knowledge and wisdom with the HLC staff via leadership training and we are so lucky to have access to his mind, kindness, creativity, and intelligence!
Thank you Dave!

Club Red
January 2019
Thank you Club Red for organizing an incredible fundraiser for Hope Loves Company!
There was a packed house at Broad Cove Auctions in Hingham, MA, where Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge, authors of The Inside Story of Tom Brady's Fight for Redemption, discussed their books, hosted a Q&A session, and signed copies!
Thank you Club Red, Casey, and Dave for your time, care, and compassion!

John Noto
December 2018
John Noto and Noto Allstate Insurance have been longtime supporters of HLC through their fundraising efforts, event attendance, and through their advocacy and dedication to sharing HLC's mission.
This month, we'd like to recognize John for all that he's done to support our local families. Thank you John for all of your help and for being an important member of the HLC family!