Launching a New Project in 2024

The Gift of Mobility: Luke's Story

By 7017444915 • December 23, 2025
For the entire beginning of his life, Luke lived life on the floor. We met him on our fourth distribution day in Kenya. His arrival at the site was quiet, but his story spoke volumes. Luke, 11, lives with cerebral palsy. Before he was brought to a children’s home for the disabled, he had endured years of neglect. He was tied up, unable to move around, and kept inside his home so his disability would remain hidden. When they found him, he was emaciated, in constant pain, and X-rays revealed a broken hip that had gone untreated for years. His caregiver, Don, brought Luke to our distribution site for the first wheelchair he has ever owned. Fitting his chair took more than two hours, but Luke smiled through every moment of it. He seemed to understand that his world was opening up for the first time. During the fitting, one of our team members stayed by Luke’s side, comforting him. She shared, “I spent a lot of time with him, praying and singing and just stroking the side of his face. And I think that’s one of the things that really got me, I don’t think he’s had much human contact. He would just lean into me, wanting me to keep going, and he grabbed at my hands like he didn’t want to let go.” Every wheelchair you help provide becomes a turning point - a chance for a child to sit upright for the first time, attend school, join their peers, or simply experience life beyond the walls where they were once hidden. For Luke, it meant being seen, supported, and cared for in ways he had never known. This Christmas season, you can give the gift of mobility and change a life forever. Your support ensures that the most vulnerable are not forgotten and brings dignity and hope to children who have endured far too much. Luke is not alone — children like him are waiting across the world. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” — Matthew 25:40 You can change a life today. Every gift brings light into the darkness and gives children like Luke a future filled with possibility. Thank you for giving children like Luke, and so many others, a chance at dignity and hope. If you wish to contribute, please CLICK HERE to donate today. We are deeply grateful for your support and prayers as we continue our mission to serve and uplift those in need.
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Hope Haven is launching a new project in 2024 to help individuals manage their stress levels using a smartwatch app, a mobile app, and a dashboard. This particular smartwatch, also called a wearable, measures the individual’s stress levels. Hope Haven will use this technology in a 2-year pilot project, focusing on helping individuals currently served by Hope Haven who have difficulties expressing their stress and strong emotions in healthy and helpful ways.

Hope Haven learned about this opportunity through a company called Awake Labs while attending the 2023 Iowa Association of Community Providers Annual Conference (IACP). Awake Labs provides real-time information about individuals’ stress levels. When the wearable senses a heightened stress level on the individual, it sends an alert to the mobile device linked to the wearable. The responder on the mobile device will then answer some questions about the possible environmental, physical, and psychological factors that might be contributing to the increase in stress. The dashboard will track the information from the mobile device to help the team find trends and commonalities in the individual to help others better understand the needs of the individual using the wearable. This technology will provide Hope Haven the ability to teach individuals appropriate coping, relationship, and communication skills needed as a way to intervene before unhealthy behaviors escalate.

This two-year pilot project is funded by Elevance Health, a managed care organization that provides Medicaid health plans to Iowans. Hope Haven hopes to have individuals using the wearables this month. If the wearables prove to be an effective tool and help deescalate behaviors such as self-harming, physical aggression, or speaking in ways that could damage relationships, Hope Haven hopes to secure future funding to continue using the wearables even after the pilot is complete.

The technology used in the wearables is designed to support adults with mental illness or intellectual or developmental disabilities. “I think we can all relate to losing our cool and doing something that we regret,” explained Kimber Patterson, Director of Mental Health. “For some, they can find themselves in this position frequently, which can diminish their quality of life.” The recommended individuals who will use the wearable have varying levels of support from Hope Haven. “We hope that this technology will help those using it learn new ways to communicate and cope with stress in their lives so they can have an improved quality of life,” stated Patterson.

FEATURED BY: Amanda Friedrichsen, Rock Valley Bee

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