We are so excited to unveil our July Hand Camp HEROES nominee, Hannah Ewing! Our HEROES have been identified and nominated by their fellow campers, or other members of the Hands to Love community for the work they are doing to further the mission and vision of the organization. Hand Camp HEROES all have certain characteristics in common: Heart, Empower, Resilient, Optimistic, Embrace, and Selfless.

Our HEROES review committee reviews each submission to ensure the nominee meets the criteria. Once a month, we will feature a Hand Camp HERO on this page, as well as on our social media and in our newsletter. We are so excited to share the stories of all our HEROES!

Hero’s Name:

Hannah Ewing

Affiliation with Hands to Love:

Longtime camper and Hands to Love Newsletter co-editor

Nominated By:

Ruthie Dell & Carly Thibault

How does Hannah exemplify the qualities of Hand Camp HEROES?

Heart – they’re full of it.

Hannah has a heart for service. Between her junior and senior years of high school Hannah reached out about volunteer opportunities with Hands to Love. She shared up front that she felt that she had benefited from H2L’s mission as a camper and wanted to serve in any way that would be helpful. At that time we were trying to manage a mountain of both hard copy and digital photos from hand camps starting back in 2001. Hannah signed up for this project without batting an eye!

Empower – themselves or others.

Hannah has a sweet and calm spirit that is palpable. She does not let what would be viewed by some as an overwhelming task stop her. I watched Hannah methodically divide and conquer that huge photo archive project in her usual calm way. But I learned that she has a fierceness that complements her calm approach to life!

Resilient – they know how to get back up, time after time.

Being born with only one hand, Hannah has adapted and found unique ways to manage her activities of daily living. She demonstrated this as she helped me move a load of boxes while volunteering last summer. Hannah would boost the boxes with her knee as she lifted them and managed them successfully.

Optimistic – they always see the silver lining.

Optimism and positivity are also traits that Hannah embodies! As a member of the H2L graduating class of 2020 Hannah is now on to college! She is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies, including social science, fine arts and education. No doubt she will be successful in her endeavors!

Embrace – anyone and any situation, no matter how challenging.

In October of 2019 at Teen Camp, Hannah donned her helmet and harnesses and joined in the fun at the ropes course. As is her nature, she calculated her every move and calmly and methodically met the challenge, climbing all the way to the top!

Selfless – always looking for ways to put others first.

Hannah selflessly dove into the H2L photo management project and without complaint! She has sorted, scanned and organized thousands of photos from the first 19 years of hand camp making them accessible for use in many media projects.

An additional note from Ruthie and Carly about Hannah:

From Ruthie: In the summer of 2020 when virtual communication with our Hands to Love constituents has become more important than ever, Hannah  agreed to serve as one of the co-editors of the H2L Newsletter! We are so blessed to have her on our staff!

From Carly: I have had the privilege of working with Hannah over the course of 2020, on our newsletter as well as our photo cataloging project. The enthusiasm and professionalism she has shown throughout the process has been incredible! Hannah gives every project 110% – and I am so excited to continue working with her.

If you know someone who exemplifies the traits of our Hand Camp Heroes, you can nominate them by clicking here!