PENNS VALLEY — When T.J. Coursen accepted help from his Penns Valley neighbors during the fight of his life, he made a promise.
If he made it through, he wanted to find a way to give back.
Nearly two decades later, that promise continues to change lives.
What began as a community rallying around a young husband and father battling a rare form of cancer has grown into The Hope Fund, a volunteer nonprofit that has quietly helped more than 300 Penns Valley families facing medical emergencies and personal crises. Since 2008, the organization has distributed more than $1.2 million in assistance, paying everything from mortgages and utility bills to groceries and travel expenses for medical treatments.
On Saturday, Aug. 1 from 2 to 6 p.m., the organization will celebrate that legacy during its annual “A Toast for T.J.” fundraiser at Seven Mountains Wine Cellars in Spring Mills sponsored by Enviro Pest Control.
“The idea of a rainy-day fund had been bouncing around our valley,” Hope Fund President Dan Gensimore said. “The first thing T.J. said to me was, ‘I’ll accept it as long as when I come back, we can do something for Penns Valley.’ So that’s how The Hope Fund started.”
Coursen was diagnosed with alveolar soft part sarcoma, a rare cancer, while he and his wife, Kathy, were expecting their second child. A specialized treatment in Germany offered hope, but it came with a steep price.
Friends, neighbors and churches throughout Penns Valley stepped forward, raising enough money to cover the family’s medical and travel expenses. When there were funds remaining, conversations began about helping other families who suddenly found themselves facing impossible financial burdens.
“We never imagined it would grow to what it is today,” Kathy Coursen said. “Not everybody has this support system and how do people handle a disaster like this when they don’t have that network?”
Today, The Hope Fund remains entirely volunteer operated.
Rather than writing checks directly to recipients, the organization pays bills on behalf of families dealing with life-threatening illnesses or emergencies. Gensimore said many recipients are unable to work but also don’t qualify for unemployment benefits, leaving them at risk of losing their homes, vehicles or utilities.
“We do not pay out money to people. We pay bills,” he said. “We’re probably donating about $100,000 a year to people in Penns Valley.”
The organization also provides grocery assistance, gas cards for medical travel, holiday meals, Christmas gifts for children and financial support for programs including the Centre County Backpack Program.
One story has remained with Kathy through the years.
“A young man with cancer was given a very sad and terminal prognosis,” she said. “His parents worked hourly jobs, and if they didn’t work, they didn’t get paid. Providing the opportunity for them to be with their son and take the financial burden of paying bills off their shoulders so they could spend that precious time together… that one really impacts me the most.”
For Kathy, the fundraiser is about much more than remembering her husband.
“It does help,” she said of seeing T.J.’s legacy continue. “I don’t know that you ever fully heal but you walk with it. When people share with me the impact he made, I’ve had so many people say, ‘I’m better because I knew him.’ I see it in my kids every day. Looking out for your neighbors and caring for other humans, it’s what we all should be doing.”
This year’s event will feature live music by JT Thompson, campfires, food, a bucket raffle, silent auction, commemorative wine glasses and hourly toasts celebrating stories of hope and community. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the gate with proceeds supporting The Hope Fund’s mission.
If T.J. could attend this year’s event, Kathy believes he would have one overwhelming feeling.
“I think he would just have gratitude,” she said. “Gratitude for the community. That trip to Germany gave us so many more years with him that we wouldn’t have had.”
After years of helping neighbors through some of life’s darkest moments, Gensimore said one lesson continues to stand above the rest.
“I’m forever surprised about how generous people are,” he said. “Their willingness to help friends, neighbors and people they’ve never met happens pretty much every month. That’s what amazes me the most.”
For more information about The Hope Fund and A Toast to T.J., visit www.pennsvalleyhopefund.com.
