Episode 31: Hope for Hall with Founder Caroline Filchak - Inspiring Inclusive Play

In today’s episode we are speaking with the founder of Hope for Hall, Caroline Filchak. Caroline is a Hall County native and has such an inspiring story. She speaks of living a very charmed life with her family as she grew up and she would eventually go on to marry her high school sweetheart.

Caroline and her husband welcomed their first child into the world a healthy baby boy but it wasn’t until their second child that Caroline’s focus began to shift as her world would be turned upside down. They were faced with several health issues as they welcomed their sweet little girl into the world. She was immediately sent to NICU and within a week they discovered she was blind, deaf and had a severe heart condition. You can imagine the fear that set in as they were discovering the challenges their beautiful little girl would face but through much prayer and seeking God’s will Caroline would eventually find her purpose through sweet Hope.

As Caroline was running one day at Wauka Mountain, as she had done for years, she passed by the playground and thought to herself how will Hope ever play on this playground with her typically developing brother? The answer was, she wouldn’t! As Caroline began speaking to parents and teachers within the community about where the disabled kids play during the school day she realized they either sat outside or didn’t come out at all because there was nothing for them to do. This didn’t sit well with Caroline and she decided to take action and did her own investigating into inclusive playgrounds. She would soon start Hope for Hall and begin fundraising for an all inclusive playground at the school Hope would eventually attend. Within just a few months they had raised the money for the playground and they are breaking ground right now with completion by the end of October 2023!

Caroline has inspired us in so many ways to see God’s purpose through challenging times. This was no doubt one of the most challenging times Caroline and her husband have been through but they didn’t just sit back and dwell in self pity they fought for their sweet Hope and all the other kids in their community so they can enjoy the play typically developing kids get to enjoy everyday.

We challenge you today to find purpose in your pain just as Caroline did because God is bigger than it all! If you feel led to support Caroline and Hope for Hall to bring more inclusive playgrounds to your communities you can donate directly on their website https://www.hopeforhall.com/.

Follow along with the playground process at Wauka Mountain on their social media pages…

Instagram/Facebook: @Hopeforhall