HOPE HEALS

What HOPE HEALS does

Hope Heals is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by Katherine and Jay Wolf in Atlanta, Georgia, following Katherine's survival of a catastrophic brainstem stroke at age 26. The organization creates faith-rooted "sacred spaces" — primarily free week-long summer camps and weekend retreats at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama — for families affected by disabilities, alongside accessible local community programming in Atlanta. Its core programmatic products are Hope Heals Camp (five annual week-long sessions delivered through a lottery application process) and Hope Heals Retreat (weekend getaways), both offered at no cost to attendees with only a waivable registration fee; supporting programs include Inter-ability Communities (Hangouts and Moms at Mend), and the social enterprise Mend Coffee & Goods.

The organization monetizes through a diversified nonprofit revenue stack: recurring and one-time charitable donations processed via Bloomerang and Qgiv, e-commerce merchandise sales at hope.shop, honorariums from Katherine Wolf's keynote speaking engagements at corporate, church, and conference events, and royalties from three published books (Hope Heals, Suffer Strong, Treasures in the Dark). Content distribution extends reach via a weekly podcast (The GoodHard Story), a monthly email newsletter (Hope Notes), and active social channels on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Technology infrastructure is minimal and standard for a small nonprofit — a WordPress site, off-the-shelf donation and ecommerce platforms, and podcast hosting — with no proprietary platform, app, or AI/ML components.

Since 2017, Hope Heals has served over 7,000 camp and retreat participants from a staff of 1–10, operating primarily in the U.S. Southeast with a long-tenured venue partnership with Camp McDowell and an "Excellence in Giving Certified Transparent" accreditation. The model is founder-led and brand-driven, with Katherine Wolf's personal narrative serving as the primary awareness and fundraising engine.

Name

HOPE HEALS

Legal name

Hope Heals

Website

https://hopeheals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hope Heals is an Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 that runs free, fully accessible week-long camps, weekend retreats, and local inter-ability communities for families affected by disabilities, funded by donations, e-commerce, speaking honorariums, and book sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Family Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations (BPAGACAM), Rehabilitation & Recovery Retreats (Physio, Post-Op, Pain Management) (THAGAMAG)

Keywords

• Disability family services
• Accessible summer camps
• Family disability retreats
• Inter-ability communities
• Faith-based nonprofit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 46-2623503), Hope Heals relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals, organizations, and monthly donors to fund their free camp and retreat experiences for families affected by disabilities.
2. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales through hope.shop offering apparel, books, and home goods. Products support the mission and sacred spaces.
3. Speaking Engagements: Katherine Wolf speaks at corporate events, conferences, churches, and women's conferences. Events include honorarium payments for speaking engagements, with requests processed through the Speaking Form on the website.
4. Book Sales: Three published books by Katherine Wolf: 'Hope Heals: A Survival Story', 'Suffer Strong: A Playbook For Pain', and 'Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections for Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting'. Available through shop, Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hope Heals is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates and delivers free week-long summer camps and weekend retreats at Camp McDowell in Alabama for entire families affected by disabilities, complemented by faith-rooted inter-ability community programs in Atlanta, a publishing portfolio of three books by co-founder Katherine Wolf, a weekly podcast, and a disability-inclusive coffee shop social enterprise (Mend Coffee & Goods). Programs are provided at no cost to participating families, funded primarily through donations, merchandise sales, and paid speaking engagements.

Product overview

Hope Heals is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of faith-based programs and publications for families affected by disabilities. The core offerings include Hope Heals Camp (week-long summer camp) and Hope Heals Retreat (weekend getaways) at Camp McDowell, Alabama. Supporting programs include Inter-ability Communities (local Atlanta community building with Hangouts and Moms at Mend), Mend Coffee & Goods (social enterprise), and Katherine Wolf Speaking engagements. The publication portfolio consists of three books by Katherine Wolf: Hope Heals (survival story), Suffer Strong (playbook for pain), and Treasures in the Dark (90-day devotional). The GoodHard Story Podcast provides weekly digital content featuring conversations about navigating life's hardships with hope.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hope Heals Camp: Week-long summer camp experience offering rest, resources, and relationships to families affected by disabilities
• Hope Heals Retreat
• Mend Coffee & Goods
• The GoodHard Story Podcast
• Hangouts
• Moms at Mend
• Hope Notes

Products and services

• Hope Heals Camp Week-long summer camp experience held at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama, offering rest, resources, and relationships to entire families affected by disabilities. Campers apply through a lottery system; attendance is free with a $10 per person registration fee (capped at $60 per family) that can be waived for hardship.
• Hope Heals Retreat Weekend getaway offering refreshment and fully accessible adventures to families living with disabilities at accessible venues. Designed as a shorter-format complement to the week-long summer camp.
• Mend Coffee & Goods Social-enterprise coffee shop and goods store combining hospitality with accessibility through dignifying, ability-inclusive staffing and universal design. Operated as part of Hope Heals' Sacred Spaces portfolio.
• Inter-ability Communities (Hangouts and Moms at Mend) Local Atlanta community-building programs creating mutually meaningful friendships between people with and without disabilities, including consistent one-on-one Hangouts meet-ups for adults and a Moms at Mend mentorship program for mothers of children with disabilities.
• Hope Heals (Book) Survival-story book authored by Katherine Wolf sharing universal truths from her personal journey after suffering a catastrophic stroke at age 26. Sold via the Hope Heals Shop, Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.
• Suffer Strong (Book) Faith-rooted playbook for navigating pain authored by Katherine Wolf, offering guidance on thriving within life's hardships. Sold via the Hope Heals Shop, Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.
• Treasures in the Dark (Book) 90-day devotional authored by Katherine Wolf containing reflections for finding bright hope hidden in hurting circumstances. Sold via the Hope Heals Shop, Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.
• The GoodHard Story Podcast Weekly podcast hosted by Katherine Wolf featuring candid conversations with trusted friends about learning to love the lives they've been given, limitations and all. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
• Katherine Wolf Speaking Engagements Paid keynote speaking engagements by Katherine Wolf on resilience, adversity, and thriving within limitations, targeted at corporate events, conferences, churches, and women's conferences. Bookings are processed through the website's Speaking Form with honorarium and travel arrangements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000 families have experienced belonging and belovedness through Hope Heals Camp and Retreat since 2017.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Camp McDowellcoreOthers · 1 January 2017Hope Heals Camp takes place at Camp McDowell, a beautiful and accessible retreat center located in Alabama's Bankhead National Forest. This partnership provides the physical location for the organization's primary programming. Campers stay in air-conditioned private lodging with hotel-style rooms, full kitchens, and laundry facilities. The facility accommodates families' diverse needs including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Young Life Capernaum: Young Life's ministry specifically serving teens and young adults with disabilities through club meetings, camps, and one-on-one mentoring — a directly comparable faith-based program serving the same family demographic with community and camp experiences.
• Tim Tebow Foundation / Night to Shine: Faith-based foundation hosting Night to Shine prom events and running special-needs ministry programs that serve people with disabilities through accessible, dignity-focused experiences — closely aligned in faith-rooted disability programming and founder-led storytelling.
• Joni and Friends: Faith-rooted disability ministry founded by Joni Eareckson Tada that runs family retreats, delivers disability resources, and produces media content — the closest direct analogue to Hope Heals in mission, faith framing, and family-camp delivery model.
• Camp Barnabas: Christian summer camp program serving people with disabilities and chronic illnesses through week-long sessions, sharing Hope Heals' exact camp-for-families-affected-by-disabilities model and faith-rooted mission.
• KOA Care Camps: Network of nonprofit camps serving children with medical needs and disabilities, sharing Hope Heals' free-camp delivery model for special-needs populations and operating on a similar partnership-and-donation funding basis.
• Ability Camp: Residential therapy and recreation programs specifically designed for children, teens, and adults with disabilities — overlapping with Hope Heals on accessible adventure retreats serving the disability community.

Broad incumbents

• Special Olympics: Global organization providing sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities — a broader incumbent in the disability-services space that overlaps with Hope Heals on serving individuals and families affected by disabilities, though with an athletic rather than camp/retreat focus.
• Easter Seals: National nonprofit delivering a broad portfolio of disability services including camp and respite programs, serving the same families-affected-by-disabilities segment but at much larger scale and across wider service categories.
• Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA): Large national nonprofit supporting families affected by neuromuscular disabilities through camps, clinical care, and research funding — overlapping with Hope Heals on disability-family camp delivery but with a broader medical and research mission.
• United Cerebral Palsy (UCP): National disability advocacy and services organization supporting individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities through programs, resources, and community support — comparable mission audience but broader service portfolio than Hope Heals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hopeheals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/hopeheals
• Facebookfacebook.com/hopeheals
• Instagraminstagram.com/hopeheals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hope-heals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HOPE HEALS