My Nonprofit Reviews

Josephine's Garden is a beautiful place at HUMC for children with pediatric cancer to get outside and breathe some fresh air. The garden was the idea of a beautiful, vivacious, and strong little girl Josephine and her incredible mom Heidi. Before Josephine lost her precious life, she & her mom worked on the plans together for the Garden. Their plans included a play area, flowers, a warrior pole for all the warriors fighting the fight to carve their names & just a simple peaceful place to sit outside with their families and breathe in fresh air. Before the garden, there was no such place. The children did not have a chance to get outside. Volunteering at the Garden has brought me joy in so many ways. It keeps Josephine's spirit alive and vibrant. Today, money raised for Josephine's garden not only goes to the Garden itself, but also to pediatric cancer research. Josephine's Garden raised over $500,000 and The Josephine Elle Hartung-Rispoli Research Lab was created at Joseph Sanzari's Children's Hospital at HUMC, the only one of it's kind.

Working with and watching Josephine's mother Heidi advocate for Josephine's Garden has been an incredible experience. Heidi is amazing. She is strong, brilliant, and extremely passionate about everything she does! She pours her generous heart and soul into it all!. While helping Heidi plant flowers one day, I was able to witness a young man being brought outside into the garden and the joy on his face is unforgettable. He was just so happy to be outside in the fresh air! What an amazing place Josephine & Heidi created for all of these children. Heidi is an incredible woman and has done amazing things for pediatric cancer research.