We had the time of our lives. Such an amazing experience. Thank you all for all that you do to make our children feel special and happy. – Ramon’s Mom
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National Leader in Children’s Grief Services Network Announces Retirement from Central Florida’s New Hope for Kids
Organization Begins Transition to Interim Leadership, Launches National Search
Maitland, Florida (March 21, 2023) – Dave Joswick, founding board member and executive director of New Hope for Kids and a national leader in children’s grief services, has announced he will retire at the end of January 2024.
Joswick has been engaged in central Florida’s non-profit community for decades and helped found New Hope for Kids more than 20 years ago to provide free grief services to children who have experienced the death of a loved one and to grant wishes to children with life-shortening health conditions. Under Joswick’s leadership, New Hope for Kids has become one of the preeminent grief services providers in the country, delivering free grief services to more than 9,300 of central Florida’s children and granting 1,720 wishes.
We can’t thank you enough for making our daughter, Emily’s, wish come true. This past year has been so difficult for her and our entire family. Holding onto the dream of being able to go to Disney once she was done with her treatments helped keep her going, and finally being healthy enough to actually go there was a dream come true. We will never forget all the wonderful memories we made together there and at Give Kids the World, and we will never be able to thank you enough for helping make that happen. Thank you!
Sincerely,
The Webb Family
Rachel, Daniel, Sean, and Emily
“It was so nice to spend time together. We had so much fun!!! Thank you for everything! We loved Give Kids The World and the kids ate ice cream everyday. They rode the carousel everyday too, everyone was so sweet!” – Mason’s Mom
You can help twice as much as you thought by donating now! A generous offer to match new donations to New Hope for Kids will double your dollars and help us do twice as much with your tax-deductible gift.
We’re shining a much-deserved spotlight on Dave this month as we celebrate his 80th birthday.
Dave’s journey to New Hope for Kids began in 1980 when he joined the board of Hospice of Central Florida. He had been serving for 6 years when his life was changed forever. Dave describes his loss, “On June 21, 1986 my world fell apart when my 16 year old son John died. After grieving John’s death for months it occurred to me that I had to find some good in his death or the pain of grief would continue the rest of my life. So, I started praying to find the good.”
Rachel Lane responded with a heartfelt “yes” when we asked if we could tell about her experience with New Hope for Kids, and she hopes readers will understand the importance of the work that we do. She said, “I honestly don’t know what my family would look like now if it weren’t for this organization.”
In 2009, Rachel and her husband, Rafi, were 24 years old with 3 kids: an 8-year-old, a 3-year-old and an 8-month-old. It was during this year that Rafi died and she had to learn how to manage being a parent without him. Thankfully, someone suggested she reach out to New Hope for Kids.
As a young widow,