All About Hope

When founder Cindy Costa checked in to Sutter Children’s Hospital with her then six-year-old daughter, Brittany, she had no idea her life would be forever changed. Born premature with underdeveloped lungs, Brittany suffered from medical issues early on and later required an emergency appendectomy at age six, ending in a traumatic GI bleed. It was during this extended hospital stay that Cindy noticed the heartache, disappointment, and stress faced by hospitalized children and their families—and she knew she needed to do something to help. She vowed that if her daughter recovered, she would do everything in her power to bring hope to children and families in similar situations. The next day—to her complete surprise—her daughter was discharged and her health restored. Together with a growing group of volunteers, Cindy spent the next decade serving children and families in the NICU and pediatric departments, providing home cooked meals and comfort items. Then in 2016, an arts and crafts event at the Ronald McDonald spurred a new vision, as Cindy saw firsthand how art brought hope, healing, and restoration to children facing serious illness, and to their families. Soon after, All About Hope was born. In 2018, Cindy was named "Volunteer of the Year" by Sutter Children's Hospital for her outstanding volunteer service.