In a small town where word of mouth still carries weight and kindness spreads like wildflowers, a nonprofit called Joe’s Hope Foundation has quietly taken root and is now blossoming with purpose. What began as a small Fulton County Relay for Life team in 2011, formed after 16-year-old Joe Shidler was diagnosed with leukemia, has become a beacon for families navigating the unthinkable. Joe died in 2014 at the age of 19, but his spirit never left the community—and thanks to his older brother, Dustin, it’s still changing lives.
“It was Joe’s hope that there would be a cure,” said Dustin Shidler, who now serves as president and marketing director of the foundation. “Even if it wasn’t in his time, maybe it would come in his nieces’ and nephews’ lifetimes.” The name, he explained, is quite literal. Joe’s Hope isn’t just about remembrance—it’s about continuing a fight Joe never stopped believing in.
When COVID shut down local Relay for Life events in 2020, Dustin and his family found themselves at a crossroads. Attendance was dwindling, and volunteer numbers were too low to sustain momentum. But they weren’t ready to stop.
“We just weren’t done with our story,” Dustin said.
With the help of longtime friend Jacki Johnson at Tidewater Executive Tax Service in Rochester, they took the leap and filed the paperwork to become a nonprofit.
“It was easy to get started—but hard to keep going,” Dustin said. Like many grassroots groups, Joe’s Hope had heart in abundance but had to learn the rest along the way. “We leaned on advice from other nonprofit leaders, but the mission was clear from the beginning: we wanted to help families like ours.”
That mission, today, takes many forms. The foundation provides general fund checks—flexible financial assistance that recipients can use for bills, groceries, gas or anything else they need.
“A lot of the people we help don’t even know where to start,” Dustin said. “A diagnosis turns your world upside down. The last thing you should be worrying about is how you’re going to fill your gas tank to get to treatment.”
Joe’s Hope has also teamed up with other community angels, like Billie Jo Gradowski, whose organization named Bee The Reason Someone Smiles provides care packages for cancer patients filled with comforting items: soft blankets, coloring books, warm socks.
“She’s just amazing,” Dustin said. “She saw a need, just like we did, and decided to meet it.”
Stories of meaningful moments flow easily when Dustin talks about the work. One that stands out involves a woman with terminal cancer who turned down financial assistance, asking the foundation to use their resources for someone else.
“We still wanted to do something,” Dustin said. “So we had a bouquet delivered to her from a local greenhouse. Her daughter later told us it meant the world. We couldn’t change her prognosis, but we could deliver a little joy.”
Joy is something Joe himself radiated, even during his illness. Dustin described his younger brother as a free spirit with an unconditional heart—someone who loved fishing, working in the garage with their dad, and gathering all sorts of odds and ends.
“We used to tease him about being a hoarder,” Dustin said with a laugh. “But he always said, ‘It’s not hoarding—it’s collecting!’”
Joe was also fiercely optimistic. He lived by the motto “NEGU”—Never Ever Give Up. That same motto guides the foundation that bears his name.
The foundation is entirely run by volunteers, with every member of the board personally connected to Joe. Dustin’s sister, Lacey Shidler, is treasurer and head of the resource department. His mother, Angie McNees, is the board’s vice president. Other family members including Dustin’s wife Amanda, his aunt Amy Gamble, dad Chad Shidler, and stepdad Keith McNees offer support and balance.
They all work full-time jobs and raise families—some fostering children—while also keeping the foundation afloat.
“It’s a juggling act,” Dustin said, “but it’s made possible by God and the people around us.”
That includes local businesses like Northern Traders, run by Sandra and Alan Bailey, who dedicate a portion of sales—and even hold special auctions—to benefit Joe’s Hope. Beacon Credit Union recently donated $1,000 and nominated the foundation for their Project Spotlight grant.
“The support from this small community is what makes it all work,” Dustin said. “Without it, we’d be nothing.”
Joe’s Hope doesn’t stop at individual support. What started as a one-time decision to pay off student lunch debt at local schools has turned into an annual project. Thanks to help from former teacher Lisa Fellers, the foundation has paid off lunch debts in Rochester and nearby Caston schools.
“It’s just one more way we saw a need and said—we can do something about this,” Dustin said.
As the nonprofit nears its five-year anniversary, its goals are growing too. Dustin dreams of creating a physical space downtown—a storefront that could serve as a hub for resources, group meetings, and even a resale area to raise funds and support local artisans. He’d also love to see a formal support group formed for caregivers—something his family has long recognized as a crucial but often overlooked need.
Asked what he’s most proud of, Dustin paused.
“It’s not one thing,” he said. “It’s the fact that we’re still here, helping more people every year, and that we’ve never given up—because Joe wouldn’t have.” In their first year, they helped two families. Last year, they helped 13. This year, they’re already on track to surpass that.
Joe’s Hope Foundation may have started from heartbreak, but it now offers something extraordinary—hope with hands and feet.
“When we talk to families, we tell them, ‘We hear you. We know what you’re going through. We’ve been there too.’ And that makes all the difference.”
To learn more or to support the foundation, visit joeshopefoundation.org or email joeshopefoundation@gmail.com. You can also call 574-201-0134 or write to P.O. Box 182, Rochester, IN 46975.
