In our society, the wisest minds know the importance of hope and love in our world. Albert Einstein himself is quoted in saying, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” Hope knows no age limit, and for a local teen in Delphos, it has transpired a goal of giving back to those in need of hope and other means of support.
Carleigh Ankerman, 12th grade student from St. John’s, was working at her family’s produce stand in Delphos when she met Kevin and Jane Clark. The couple stopped by the stand before departing back home to Columbus and conversed with Ankerman about why they were in town and their house, Hope Hollow.
Ankerman distinctly remembers that conversation, “They were saying goodbye to Aiden, a boy from Delphos who stayed at their house.” Aiden Dotson was diagnosed with Anaplastic Astrocytoma Grade III-high grade glioma, a cancerous brain tumor, at the age of 4, and unfortunately lost the battle on July 5, 2016. “Mr. Huggles”, as the Clarks would come to call Aiden, would significantly impact their own personal lives with his love for life, his unceasing intellectual questions, and vivacious personality. For Ankerman, Aiden’s story and the efforts of the Clarks moved her deeply.
“Their story touched my heart, and I told myself I would make a difference my senior year and help them.”
On Monday, the Clarks visited with the students of St. John’s to talk about Hope Hollow, and Jane expressed how much Aiden and the Delphos community meant to them. Jane affectionately explained, “We had absolutely fallen in love with Aiden and his mother said he did not have much time left. He would end up passing away the day we visited him in Delphos, just a few hours later.”
Hope Hollow is the private home of Kevin and Jane Clark. The Clarks who reside in Columbus, open their home at no charge to patients and families living outside Franklin County for overnight or short-term stays related to their cancer care. Along with lodging in their private home, Hope Hollow provides lodging at local hotels and motels, free food, and transportation for families and patients who would not otherwise be able to afford cancer treatment or provide for the needs of their loved ones due to the burdens that arise financially. The desire of Hope Hollow is to provide a place of welcome, hospitality, and hope that will provide lodging for cancer patients and their families and friends, who are coming to Columbus, Ohio for treatment.
The Clarks are no strangers to struggles due to cancer. Jane’s experience began at the age of 10 when her mother passed away from pancreatic cancer. Her two aunts would become secondary mothers in her youth, and both would eventually pass away from the disease, as well (pancreatic and colon). Jane realized that it could affect her potentially and it did. Jane was first diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer, and after overcoming that battle, would be diagnosed later in life with breast cancer, completely unrelated to her first bout with the disease.
The Clarks wanted to give back, having felt the blessings of overcoming the disease, and as part of the mission of Hope Hollow, “find a way to live the gratitude”. The Clarks’ visit to Delphos and interaction with Ankerman was not a mere coincidence to them, but in their eyes a “miracle meeting”.
Ankerman, who has been instilled with the value of service and giving back from her family and her education, knew that she would not be alone in her efforts to assist the Clarks and Hope Hollow. “Thanks to our school [St. John’s] that is very generous, the faculty and students were very open to helping out and make donations.”
The students of St. John’s have been generous indeed. The members of the Mission Society raised roughly $1,000.00 at its Halloween “Minute-To-Win-It Assembly” to assist Hope Hollow efforts. Currently, the 7th-12th Grade students are in the midst of a change stall from February 14th-February 23rd, each day having a particular class period stalled as long as donations are made for that class period.
Liturgy Team students worked with Ankerman on setting up the “Light of Hope Challenge”. The “Light Of Hope Challenge” is a video challenge in which an individual or group donates $20 to Hope Hollow, lights a candle in recognition of a loved one, and pays it forward by challenging a minimum of three people to record their own video and share to social media. The students made groups in each Religion class for Grades 7-12 with each group pledging money, lighting their candles in recognition of someone of their choosing, and challenging the next group. Through the “Light of Hope Challenge”, the students raised $965.50 to donate to Hope Hollow.
The Hope Hollow house has three private bedrooms: one room with a queen bed, one room with two twin beds, one room with a queen sleeper sofa, and two private bathrooms. Hope Hollow provides bed linens and towels. Guests have access to common areas including a living room, dining room, gathering room, prayer/meditation room, and a guest laundry.
Kevin Clark says that this whole endeavor has been a true blessing from God. “We have not had to turn down one request due to the many miracles and donations that come as Hope Hollow has grown”. In 2015, he explained they had 300 nights of lodging for families and patients that grew to 500 lodgings in 2016. Already in just a few months in 2017, they have had over 100 lodgings through Hope Hollow.
If you would like to donate to Hope Hollow, please visit www.hopehollow.com/donate. To check out the “Light of Hope Challenge”, visit the St. John’s school Facebook page, join the students’ efforts, and challenge your family and friends to be a light of hope to those in need - https://www.facebook.com/delphossj.