Leadership

Jen Hope

Founder Mom of an Addict
themomofanaddict.org

Jen Hope considers herself an addiction sandwich. Her dad struggled with alcohol from around age 16 until he died at age 54, and her son’s journey with substance use disorder also began when he was 16. While she has her own issues, drugs and alcohol are not on the list; however, she was affected by her dad and her son’s substance use. She spent years not understanding what was happening, feeling alone, thinking she had done something wrong and keeping all of it to herself. An event in January 2015 sparked her quest to become educated and to learn more about how one person in the home using affects the entire family.  In the spring of 2019, she founded The Mom of an Addict, Inc. to provide others what she wished she would have had – education about the disease and support from others who shared similar experiences. TMOAA offers free, weekly in-person and online support groups that are open to anyone who has been affected by a loved one’s substance use. Meetings, facilitated by 22 volunteer leaders, utilize their proprietary curriculum which is followed by a time of sharing and support. Guest speakers, sibling panels and free Naloxone training/distribution are other key elements of the meetings. Generous support from The Luminous Fund established resource libraries at all in-person meeting locations, allowing attendees free and immediate access to several books. The group also hosts Recovery Rocks in September, an annual event to spread hope, end the stigma and connect others to resources and to each other. Whether at a support group meeting, a community event or Recovery Rocks, Jen is committed to speaking out to end the stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders, to letting others know they are not alone and there is always hope.

Jeff Brodzeller

Board Member PAACI
paaci.org

Jeff Brodzeller was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2002 at the age of 34. Later that year, he and his wife Tammy attended their first support group meeting with the Parkinson’s Awareness Association of Central Indiana (PAACI – pronounced pāy-see). It didn’t take long before PAACI leaders felt that they had identified a future board member, and for Jeff to feel that his role in dealing with this disease with no cure should be to help support an organization like PAACI to deliver services and support to people with Parkinson’s. Thus began a 20+ years and on-going role for Jeff on PAACI’s board — most of that time, including currently, as Treasurer but also 4 years as President of PAACI. Since 1981, PAACI has been providing hope to the Parkinson’s community through education and support, including hosting several educational meetings per year with local and nationally recognized speakers, publishing weekly and quarterly newsletters, providing free access to educational materials, and the recently re-designed website, paaci.org, which was developed with generous financial assistance from The Luminous Fund.  In addition to keeping the books for PAACI, Jeff’s focus has often been on trying to encourage and promote coordination and collaboration between the various local organizations who provide services and support for the Parkinson’s community, including serving for many years on the Young Parkinsons of Indiana board.

The Settle Family

Founders The Emily Settle Fund
emilysettlefund.com

Emily Settle Fund is a living memorial to our daughter Emily. Emily battled Leukemia for five and a half years before she passed in September 2021. Throughout Emily Leukemia journey, Emily was drawn to other patients in similar circumstances. Her strong desire to meet each patient and family at their point of need was the spark that set the Emily Settle Fund in motion. Emily was instrumental in shaping her donor fund to focus on adolescent young adults (AYA) with financial support to meet their treatment, travel, life needs. The Luminous Fund provided the initial seed money to make the ESF a reality. Two years later, proud to announce Emily’s fund is thriving. Thanks to the generosity of the Luminous Fund and family/friends of Emily, we’ve been able to raise over $175K which has allowed grants to be set up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Riley Children’s hospital in Indianapolis. As a family, establishment of Emily’s fund is precious; allows us to see Emily legacy to live on while making a positive impact in the lives of young adults facing cancer. Thanks to the Luminous Fund, Emily’s dream has become a reality. To learn more about Emily’s fund, visit emilysettlefund.com for more details!