Jeanne Gobalet and Garth Norton

When our son was young, we worried there might not be a program that would meet his needs after he aged out of the public school postsecondary program. Our anxieties grew over time, but while Rob was in his postsecondary program, we learned about a new Hope Services community-based program.

He entered the Mountain View Diversified Network about 14 years ago and we think it has been a good fit because of its flexibility and suitability to meet Rob's needs. We cannot imagine how Rob could have spent his adult years productively without Hope's caring, helpful staff members. We have confidence that he can have a good future, with Hope's help.

However, we are concerned that Hope must struggle to raise enough money to fund its programs. In particular, we recognize that it is very difficult for an organization like Hope to pay competitive wages to the staff members who work directly with clients. As a result, we have made annual donations and recently designated Hope as a beneficiary in our estate planning documents. We make lifestyle adjustments so we can contribute because Hope is much more important than almost any other way that we might spend money. We derive joy from making contributions to such an important program, and it is deeply gratifying to do so.

From annual donations to designating Hope Services as a beneficiary in their estate planning documents, Garth and Jeanne have gone above and beyond for the organization that has provided services to their son Rob for more than 15 years. They continue to see the value of Hope’s programs and services, and just recently in the past few years have generously contributed matching gifts during Hope’s annual holiday campaign. Hope Services is beyond grateful for their tremendous support! Contact Courtney Barry at 408-284-2850 or development@hopeservices.org to learn how you can join them.