Many children age out of the foster care system without getting adopted, in part because they’re unseen. Since 2015, Grant Me Hope has worked to change that by airing kids at risk of aging out on TV news stations. In the last eleven years, Grant Me Hope has aired kids on TV in Michigan, Ohio, Mississippi, Indiana, Georgia, and South Carolina. Helen would love to see their clips go nationwide but is currently limited due to funding.
For those curious, the segments are aired on WXYZ Detroit, WZZM13 Grand Rapids, CBS Cadillac/Traverse City, and Sault Saint Marie. The clips allow viewers to briefly get to know some of the children: their interests, hopes, and dreams, as well as a bit of their personality. Videos can also be found on the Facebook page.
In addition to running Grant Me Hope, Helen owns Teddy’s Transport, a trucking company in Holland, Michigan. For the past decade, Helen has used her semi-trucks to help educate Americans by putting informative decals on the backs of her trailers. There are now over 800 decals all across America educating the population about the 600,000 children in the foster care system, and that it is free to adopt a foster child.
According to Helen, these decals have been hugely successful. “I’ve gotten calls literally from every state that has seen these decals, and people ask about foster care or adoption,” she shared. She’d love to get more decals out there and encourages anyone interested in helping make that happen to reach out to her.
“No one should steal your hope.” Helen heard a child who was fearful of aging out of the foster care system share this conviction, and it stuck with her. It was the quote that inspired the name Grant Me Hope. “In any situation, if you have hope, it makes a bad situation better. Some of these kids have given up, and they’re so sick of being rejected. They’ve gone to meet and greets, they’ve talked to people, and they’ve done different things to try to find an adoptive home. And some of them are just very disappointed… and that just makes my heart break because, to me, there’s a home out there for everyone.”
Since putting these kids on TV, Helen said, “People will call, and they’ve just fallen completely in love with this child.” Once a family or an adult has reached out (adoption is no longer limited to married couples; a single adult can also foster or adopt a child), Helen guides them through the next steps. With home inspections, paperwork, and pending approval often taking months, Helen tells interested parties to expect the process to take around six months.
Helen has worked really hard to not only educate people and share kids’ stories, but also to abolish misconceptions that a lot of people have about kids in the foster care system and about adoption. The first misconception she often encounters is that adopting a child from foster care is expensive. This is not true. It is free to adopt a foster child; there is just a court fee that your agency or the state will reimburse. Additionally, foster kids often get a negative reputation; however, they are usually the victims of parents’ poor decisions. They are not bad kids.
As a foster and adoptive mom herself, Helen says raising a child is the “toughest job you’re ever going to love.” She also encourages those who have been thinking about fostering or adopting. She said, “If it’s been on their hearts at all, they should pursue it because there’s some kid out there that’s just waiting for them to get licensed.”
Another way Grant Me Hope has grown is through the addition of private infant adoption. “We have added more affordable private infant adoption as well because we really want to focus on couples struggling with infertility,” Helen explained. While adopting a foster child is free, a private infant adoption can be incredibly expensive. The average cost of an infant adoption in West Michigan is $30,000 to $40,000. By cutting out many of the middle costs and agency fees, Grant Me Hope offers private infant adoption for $17,000 to $20,000.
Over the past eleven years, Grant Me Hope has expanded to offer housing for kids who have aged out of the foster care system and would otherwise be homeless. Three years ago, the agency opened The Rock, a home located in Holland for boys who have aged out. The home can house up to 16 boys and host parents.
In the last year, Grant Me Hope also opened a home in Allegan for aged-out foster girls. Just this past October, Helen shared that she and her team opened a floral shop connected to the girls’ home where the girls can work and learn about flowers if they so choose.
Additionally, Grant Me Hope acquired a home in Fennville and is currently applying for the license to create a home for kids (16 and up) who do not want to be adopted but desire to live more independently. While living in this home, kids would be taught life skills and would be supervised by host parents.
Grant Me Hope also has a thrift store located in Hudsonville that doubles as a free clothing closet for all foster families.
On September 19th, 2026, Grant Me Hope will host its eleventh annual Family Funfest fundraiser located at and outside of Dutch Village from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The Family Funfest is largely a free event for foster kids and foster families to enjoy. However, it also operates as one of Grant Me Hope’s primary fundraising events. Open to the community, Helen hopes that families all across Ottawa County will come spend the afternoon enjoying free admission to Dutch Village, eating lunch, and perusing the impressive display of decked-out semi-trucks, custom cars, and fancy motorcycles. Information about Grant Me Hope will also be available at the event, and donations are accepted and encouraged.
Aside from attending the fall Family FunFest or other fundraising events such as the Designer Bag Bingo (see the website for more details on this ladies' night event in October), Helen hopes Holland and Ottawa County will join her in prayer.
“It’s a miracle we’re still around,” she confessed. Grant Me Hope has expanded its reach, but funding is short. She asks that those interested in donating their time consider mentoring a child, volunteering at the thrift store or at events, or getting approved to provide respite for host couples or foster families. She shared there is also a need for a vehicle for the Fennville house. And of course, monetary donations are accepted and greatly appreciated.
Lastly, Helen asked that Ottawa County continue to spread the word: follow Grant Me Hope on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and share information about the fundraisers as well as share the videos of the kids. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for September 19th so you don’t miss the eleventh annual Family Funfest.
Those interested in speaking with Helen Zeerip about fostering, adoption, or how to get involved are encouraged to reach out to Helen at (616) 836-7949 or by email at info@grantmehope.org.
Jade Havenaar is a Holland native and a life-long lover of the lake, coffee, and a good book. She’s a former middle school teacher and a published author. After marrying the boy she met in a bar and traveling the US together, she and her husband welcomed their first born and Jade happily added “boy mom” to the list of hats she wears. When she’s not writing or changing diapers, she’s probably out adventuring with her Golden Retriever, Henry.
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