COMMON MAPS
Map version new-york activity top-down
Main site Contact
Menu
↑ parent activity group ·
research dossier

HOPEFUL WAYS
Getzville, NY · EIN 463069446 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE X99 · Religion-Related · Micro (<$100K) · hopefulways.org
revenue
$45K
expenses
$39K
net assets
$61K
employees
0
program ratio
90%
mission · from form 990

Provide free medical, humanitarian and educational opportunies to people of Central America. Primary focus on eye care.

profile · synthesized from sources

Hopeful Ways is an all-volunteer nonprofit that provides free medical, humanitarian, and educational services to impoverished communities in Central America, with a primary focus on eye care. The organization conducts medical missions in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, delivering eye exams, eyeglasses, medications, and cataract surgeries. It partners with local clinics and organizations to restore sight and improve quality of life for thousands of underserved individuals.

named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Bicycling to Restore Sight
Annual fundraising bike ride that raises money for cataract surgeries, with each surgery costing less than $250 to restore vision
Educational Opportunities
Supports individuals and institutions to create long-term educational access for impoverished communities
Eye Care Missions
Provides free eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, medications, and cataract surgeries in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala through volunteer medical teams and local partnerships
Hopeful Ways Endowment Fund
Sustains mission projects through long-term financial support by preserving the principal and using interest and growth for program funding
Housing Projects
Funds construction of basic housing for families living in substandard conditions
Humanitarian Aid
Delivers short-term support for basic needs such as food, shelter, and medical care after natural disasters or crises
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • School Infrastructure Development 1 activity
    • Building and supporting community infrastructure in Nicaragua
      Constructs basic housing, drills wells for clean drinking water, and supports schools and orphanages in Nicaragua to improve living conditions for impoverished communities.
  • Disaster Relief and Recovery Services 1 activity
    • Delivering short-term humanitarian aid after natural disasters
      Provides emergency relief including food, shelter, and medical care to individuals affected by natural disasters.
  • Charity Event Organization 1 activity
    • Organizing fundraising events for cataract surgeries
      Runs the "Bicycling to Restore Sight" fundraiser and engages volunteer participants to raise money specifically for financing cataract surgeries for people in need.
  • Comprehensive Eye Care Access 1 activity
    • Providing free eye care services in Central America
      Delivers free eye care services including eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, safety glasses, sunglasses, eye medications, and cataract surgeries to underserved populations in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, with ongoing missions since 2011. Over 20,000 adults and children have received care.
  • General Educational Programming 1 activity
    • Supporting educational opportunities for people in poverty
      Supports individuals and institutions that deliver educational programs aimed at improving the lives of people living in poverty.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$45K
Contributions & grants$43K95%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1K3%
Other revenue$730
expenses
Total expenses$39K
Program expenses90%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$61K
Cash$44K
Investments$16K
Liabilities$0
Net assets$61K
Liquid reserves18.7 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -10.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 4
  • JIM CARLINS — PRESIDENT
  • LORETTA CARLINS — SECRETARY
  • PAUL LORIO — TREASURER
  • ROSEMARY METZLER — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 19

Who they work with

  • Alcon Partner — Donated pharmaceutical supplies for eye care missions.
  • Allergan Partner — Donated pharmaceutical supplies for eye care missions.
  • Camoapa Lions and Leos Clubs Partner — Assisted the Juigalpa Lions and Leos Clubs in supporting the Hopeful Ways Medical Brigade in Nicaragua.
  • DiVAL Partner — Donated safety glasses for eye care missions.
  • FONIPRECE Partner — Donated volunteer surgical staff and equipment for eye care missions.
  • FONIPRECE Partner — Partner organization delivering free eye surgeries to the poor in Central America.
  • FONIPRECE / Ojo Sano Partner — Collaborates as a nonprofit eye surgery clinic to provide free eye surgeries to underserved populations in Nicaragua.
  • Fr. Alfonso Partner — Co-founder of the Nicaraguan Mission and key partner in delivering humanitarian services in Nicaragua.
  • Fr. Leonel Partner — Co-founder of the Nicaraguan Mission and key partner in delivering humanitarian services in Nicaragua.
  • Juigalpa Lions and Leos Clubs Partner — Supported the Hopeful Ways Medical Brigade during the 2016 Eye Care Mission in Nicaragua.
  • Lions Club International Foundation Funder — Provided a substantial monetary grant to support the 2016 Eye Care Mission to Nicaragua.
  • Lions Clubs District 20-N Partner — Obtained and administered the LCIF grant and coordinated financial support from 18 local Lions Clubs for the 2016 Eye Care Mission.
  • Lions Clubs Int’l Funder — Provides support through eyeglass donations and loan of eye examination equipment for mission projects in Nicaragua.
  • Nicaragua Lions Clubs Partner — Partners to deliver free cataract and other eye surgeries to the neediest people in Nicaragua.
  • Nicoya Lions Club Partner — Collaborates to provide free eye care services to underprivileged people in Nicoya, Costa Rica.
  • Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos Partner — Non-profit children's home served during eye care missions near Nandaime, Nicaragua.
  • PayPal Partner — Platform used to process donations for various programs.
  • Reichert Technologies Partner — Loaned eye diagnostic equipment for use in medical missions.
  • Santo Tomás Lions and Leos Clubs Partner — Assisted the Juigalpa Lions and Leos Clubs in supporting the Hopeful Ways Medical Brigade in Nicaragua.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • All-Volunteer Model for Cost Efficiency
    methodology: all-volunteer_model
    By operating entirely with volunteers, the organization minimizes administrative costs and maximizes resources directed to service delivery because eliminating paid staff allows more funding to be allocated directly to medical, educational, and humanitarian programs.
  • Integrated Poverty Alleviation Through Basic Needs
    methodology: multi-dimensional_intervention
    By addressing multiple dimensions of poverty—vision care, housing, education, and disaster response—the organization creates compounding improvements in well-being because meeting basic physical and social needs simultaneously increases long-term stability.
  • Partnership-Based Service Delivery
    methodology: local-partnership_model
    By collaborating with local nonprofits, Lions Clubs, and volunteer networks, the organization expands access to eye care and humanitarian services in underserved regions because leveraging existing community infrastructure increases reach and program sustainability.
  • Vision Care as Foundational Health Intervention
    methodology: vision-care_access
    By providing eyeglasses and restorative eye surgeries, the organization improves quality of life and functional independence because treating vision impairment enables greater educational, economic, and social participation.