Celebrating 25 Years of Hope
How it all began
It’s January 2026, and just like everyone else, Hearts of Hope is welcoming in a new year.
Typically, that means we’re looking forward: embracing new ideas, new challenges, and new energy for the road ahead. But this January looks a little different. This new year, we’re taking a moment to look back and honor a moment that feels both humbling and extraordinary.
Because this year is the 25th anniversary of Hearts of Hope Foundation.
For twenty-five years, we have walked beside individuals and communities during some of life’s most painful moments, bearing witness to grief while gently helping transform sorrow into hope. As we look back, we do so with deep gratitude for every heart made, every story shared, and every life touched along the way.
Hearts of Hope was born in the wake of tragedy. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, like so many others, our founder Judy felt an overwhelming desire to help, to do something meaningful in the face of immense pain. It was that desire that sparked our very first event.
At the time, Judy was a hospice social worker at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, New York. Inspired by her practice of using clay in griefwork, she approached her supervisor with an idea: host a community event at the hospital where people could come together to acknowledge how 9/11 had affected them and transform their grief into acts of care. Her supervisor’s answer was simple: “If you can fund it, you can do it.” And she did. The outpouring of support was humbling, and the rewards became great.
The plan was to create small fired ceramic hearts. Community members would paint and decorate them, adding personal messages of comfort. These hearts would then be delivered as gifts to survivors and families affected by the Twin Towers tragedy.
But she couldn’t make it happen alone. Like puzzle pieces falling into place, people from all corners of Judy’s professional and personal life agreed to lend their aid. A potter offered the use of their kiln. Volunteers from the hospital committed to setting up tables and paint supplies.
But the hardest part was making the clay hearts from scratch. A support group offered their time and labor, but they had no tools, no clay rolling table, no heart-shaped cutters. So instead, they spent weeks rolling uneven sheets of clay with rolling pins and painstakingly cutting each heart out by hand with plastic knives. The results were rustic and imperfect… and absolutely beautiful.
Finally, on a snowy January afternoon just months after 9/11, Lourdes Hospital opened its auditorium and welcomed community members—and they showed up in droves.
At times, the room was filled with lively conversation; at others, it was silent with reflection. There were many tears, many smiles, and countless moments of connection. By day’s end, more than 700 people had participated, and every single heart had been painted.
Those hearts were later delivered to Lower Manhattan, to a makeshift counseling station at Fire Station #253, the closest and first-responding firehouse to the Twin Towers. Firefighters and counselors received them with hugs, distributing them to hundreds of families seeking comfort and hope.
That was our beginning. Since then, we have been making hearts with communities across the country, more than 250,000 worldwide. Our work has grown to include bereavement resources, referral services, and expansive educational programs. Born from tragedy, Hearts of Hope emerged with a vow to serve those facing grief with the tools and education needed to foster empowerment, resilience, healing, and growth.
What began as a community’s response to national heartbreak has become a living testament to the power of human connection, creativity, and compassion. As we honor 25 years of service, we invite you to be part of our continuing journey.
Stay tuned as we report on all the special things we have planned for this anniversary year – all centered on bringing caring, compassion, and service to those who grieve, all centered on delivering hope.
