Copyright © The HAWK Foundation
The idea for the HAWK Foundation took root over 15 years ago. The goal was to set-up a free event for Families who have members with special needs. "Why don't we have an event focused on families - not just the individuals?" was her question. The event, coined the "VIP Carnival", had 38 family members in its first year. The next year we said, "Let's try it again, and ask the original 38 to each invite another family." Thus we had 130 people attend. That process has continued, and this last year there were over 1,300 attendees - all of who road real carnival rides, played games, and ate - all for free!
The next big step in our evolution was the addition of the VIP Christmas. The idea was to provide another free event for families who have members with special needs centered around Christmas. Santa, elves, carolers, presents, food, and decorations all took the center stage. That event has now reached over 400 people each year. More importantly, the good feeling and special gifts we were able to give became a guiding light for our team.
In 2014 it was clear that a more formal Not-For-Profit organization had to be created. Our goal was to develop an organization focused on four free events per year that served families who have members with special needs. As a general idea, we want to bring the Spirit of Christmas to these families through free events. We became the HAWK Foundation, Ltd., a 501 C3 organizations approved by the United States Government and operating in the state of Indiana. This is a simple organization made up of 100% volunteers who are all trying to be "Helping All With Kindness" (aka "HAWK"). No one is paid money for their kindness. Well, some of us do get a lot of hugs though!
Since that time, we have added small events in partnership with other NFP organizations (Kite Day, etc.), and have now added our third formal event, the VIP Luau. This is our Summer event, and includes games, photo booths, food, and a chance to see Santa in his Bermuda Shorts!
The Mission of the HAWK Foundation is Helping All With Kindness. We will provide free seasonal events specifically for Families who have members with Special Needs. These “giving events” will culminate and insure that the Spirit of Giving found at Christmas lasts all year long.
