T.J. Coursen’s cancer battle inspired Penns Valley. His legacy now lives on through the HOPE Fund
The HOPE Fund of Penns Valley recently lost its vice president, but T.J. Coursen’s legacy will live on through the organization that has helped hundreds of local families.
Organized in 2008, the HOPE Fund financially helps people in the valley with medical emergencies or personal disasters, board of directors president Dan Gensimore said. It’s a Christian based, non-denominational, nonprofit organization.
“Tragedies happen all the time and so the HOPE Fund raises money and keeps a contingency account so that we can act swiftly in the event of an emergency. What we believe in is that people recover faster when they’re not faced with a financial burden,” he said.
It formed in response to the community rallying around Coursen and his family while he underwent cancer treatments. Coursen lost his yearslong battle with cancer in September.
“T.J.’s goal, and all of our goals were that (the HOPE Fund) would live far beyond our lifetimes and in T.J.’s case, it obviously has,” said Nancy Stoner, the organization’s outreach director.
The HOPE Fund stands for “Helping Other People Everyday,” and it has done just that. The 100% volunteer organization has assisted more than 300 families and individuals in the Penns Valley Area School District. During the past 13 years, the HOPE Fund has donated more than $750,000 to people in need.
“We didn’t start out that way, thinking we would be that successful. But the people in Penns Valley just never cease to amaze me and I’ve lived in the valley for 60 years. They just keep giving and supporting us,” Gensimore said.
A lesson in taking care of neighbors
The HOPE Fund was started by Gensimore and his wife Connie, Stoner and her husband Tom, and Coursen and his wife Kathy.
Coursen was diagnosed with alveolar soft part sarcoma in 2002. ASPS is one of the rarest sarcomas, according to the National Cancer Institute. Soft tissue sarcomas make up 1% of all cancers and ASPS makes up only 0.2% to 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas, its website states.
Stoner said prior to the start of the HOPE Fund, money was raised so Coursen could get a surgery in Germany. After the surgery, some of the funds remained and he contributed it to the start of the HOPE Fund.
Coursen endured dozens and dozens of surgeries and treatments but never complained about his situation. Gensimore and Stoner described him as kind, compassionate and never without a smile.
“It’s just like he exuded kindness out of his pores,” Stoner said.
His funeral service at Penns Valley Area High School was packed with friends, family and community members, Gensimore said. It spoke volumes to who he was: He never knew a stranger and he became friends with everybody.
“One of the things that T.J. really did through the HOPE Fund was people in our valley remembered how to take care of their neighbors,” Gensimore said.
Stoner echoed that sentiment.
“I think people go a lifetime without knowing people like that, but we were very blessed to have him in our midst,” she said.
Making an impact with a ‘hand up’
Coursen and his wife — which Stoner called “the love story of the century” — set the tone for the HOPE Fund, Stoner said.
In a “normal year,” it takes about 150-200 people to run the organization successfully. When people were staying home during the pandemic, Gensimore estimated they donated $20,000 worth of gift cards to be used for food. They also donated to the YMCA Backpack Program at Penns Valley, which distributes backpacks full of food to students.
Families in need of direct assistance from the HOPE Fund can fill out online application. The HOPE Fund outreach committee then does interviews with the applicants. The committee makes a recommendation to the board of directors during their monthly meetings.
Gensimore said they’re usually able to assist about 95% of people who apply for assistance.
“We look at it as, we’re a stopgap organization. We try to help people for two, or three, or four months, get them back up on their feet and get them going again. We don’t consider it a handout as much as we consider it a hand up,” Gensimore said.
When it first started, they thought they would be helping to pay medical bills. But they were meeting people who had been off of work for six months while receiving cancer treatments, people who had exhausted all the money they had saved up.
“We were finding people that were about to lose either their apartment, or their home or their car, the electricity was going to be shut off, the water was going to be shut off because they were behind on their bills. So that’s really what our focus is on,” Gensimore said.
In the early days of the HOPE Fund, the group would spend hours selling raffle tickets and holding spaghetti dinners to raise money. There are still fundraisers and events such as the Gala for HOPE, but they also incorporated an ambassador program. Those in the ambassadors club donate $500 or more at the end of each year. There are now more than 100 ambassadors in the club.
Beyond helping people financially, Christmas of HOPE was started as its own entity. It provides 80-100 kids with Christmas gifts by matching them with someone who wants to buy gifts. A Christmas meal is also provided.
“While we started the HOPE Fund and we managed the assets and the day-to-day responsibilities of it, the HOPE Fund really belongs to the people of Penns Valley because it’s due to the people of Penns Valley that we survived, we thrived and we’re able to help the people,” Gensimore said.
To donate to the HOPE Fund, visit www.pennsvalleyhopefund.com/donate or send a check or money order made payable to “The HOPE Fund of Penns Valley” to: Hope Fund of Penns Valley, P. O. Box 427, Centre Hall, PA 16828. One time or recurring donations can be made for general contributions or memorial contributions. To join the ambassador program, email pennsvalleyhopefund@gmail.com.
To volunteer, visit www.pennsvalleyhopefund.com/contact-us and complete the form.
