Sam’s Story

Sam’s KIDS

The Delaware KIDS Fund, established by Harvey, Hanna & Associates (HHA) in 2009, is proudly reestablishing the fund to Sam’s KIDS (Kids In Distressed Situations, also the term for young goats) in honor and recognition of the journey of Samuel John Hanna (April 6, 2009-Christmas 2022) who, in large part, inspired the creation of the fund and propelled the accomplishments of the Delaware KIDS Fund.

Sam’s KIDS, a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing goods and services to children in distressed situations, will fully integrate the Delaware KIDS Fund mission to provide assistance to young people, including, but not limited to:

  • Financial support for essential needs, such as clothing, shelter, and food, thereby fulfilling the gaps in the “social safety net.”
  • Financial support towards counseling and/or mentoring for abused, neglected, grief- stricken, or disease-afflicted children.
  • Scholarships, fellowships, and educational grants for students in grades PK-12, including support for special needs and learning-challenged students.
  • Animal therapy and education for kids and their families through Sam’s Ranch.

Born in April 2009 with congenital heart disease, Sam exemplified gifts of kindness, love, and compassion to others throughout his life and demonstrated an array of loving and mature attributes well beyond his 13 years. A brave, passionate, and resilient young man, Sam enriched the lives of everyone he touched with his gifts of humility, joy, faith, friendship, wisdom, and determination. Sam’s grace and love of life was gifted to his family and friends, along with the lessons he taught many.

A dedicated, lifelong KIDS Fund Ambassador with escalating responsibility and impact commensurate with his age, Sam was a spiritual warrior who modeled humility, teamwork, integrity, and happiness. Over Christmas 2022, Sam Hanna, younger sibling of Tommy and Bo Hanna, and youngest son of Thomas and Lexie Hanna, experienced complications from cardiac surgery, and as his mother conveyed, “Sam was returned to God.”

In a remarkable eulogy in front of an excess of 1,200 family members and friends, Sam’s 7th grade classmate, Trent from The Independence School, encapsulated Sam’s impact as follows:

I could not ask for a better friend. You were always there for me and had my back. Your leadership, desire, honesty, humbleness, integrity, and most of all, happiness is what made you the best kid that I could ever be friends with. You are the friend of a lifetime, and your life will be honored and remembered to the fullest.

For the entirety of Trent’s dedication of Sam, CLICK HERE.

It is in this spirit that Sam’s KIDS is recreated to recognize and honor Sam’s life and to broaden his impact in his community to other kids in distressed circumstances.

Over the course of its 14-year history, the Delaware KIDS Fund has directly impacted thousands of children in Delaware through a variety of community inspired programs. A summary of its impacts includes the following:

  • School Food Pantry Program: The Delaware KIDS Fund operates and manages two food pantries in partnership with Food Bank of Delaware, one located at Richey Elementary and the other located at Richardson Park Elementary School for students and families experiencing food insecurity. The pantries serve as additional access points for families in need and have provided food and household essentials for over 500 students since 2018.
  • Camping Out for Coats: Since 2017, The Delaware KIDS Fund has purchased and distributed over 12,000 coats at 20 elementary schools through a challenge based, community-wide fundraising initiative in partnership with Operation Warm (non-profit coat manufacturer/distributor). Hosted every November, members of the community camp out in downtown Newport to raise funds for new coats for elementary schools experiencing high poverty rates throughout Delaware.
  • Tuition Support: The Delaware KIDS Fund provides partial financial assistance towards school tuition for pre-kindergarten through 8 th grade students. Since 2012, The Delaware KIDS Fund has awarded tuition assistance to 40 students across 30 different schools.
  • Other Initiatives: The Delaware KIDS Fund provides support outside of planned programming throughout the year for families that have experienced sudden financial hardships.
  • New Initiatives will include animal therapy and education for kids and their families through Sam’s Ranch.

With the recreation of Sam’s KIDS, and heartfelt thanks for the continued support of our many benefactors, we intend to continue this momentum and advance our commitment to honor Samuel John Hanna in the days and years to come. Sam’s KIDS shall remain productive, energetic, and determined to make every dollar count. We thank our many benefactors for their generous support in making our work possible and to God for blessing us with the life of Sam Hanna.

To read more about what #Play4Sam means to Sam’s friends and family, click HERE.

For more information, including feedback, suggestions, and inquiries, please visit www.SamsKIDS.org . We are also pleased to feature Play4Sam merchandise inspired by Sam’s classmates at The Independence School. You may also contact Thomas J. Hanna at (302) 323-9300 Ext. 12 or thanna@harveyhanna.com or info@samkids.org

Sincerely,
Thomas J. Hanna – Founder, Sam’s KIDS

EIN: 26-2480303