Friday, February 5, 2010

Summerside Press Partners With HopeKids Founders

Summerside Press™ is pleased to announce its partnership with HopeKids founders, Rob and Susan Cottrell, and their new book, HopeMinute. More than just another book in the Summerside Press™ Spring 2010 line, HopeMinute came out of a special relationship between Summerside Press™ creative director, Jason Rovenstine, and the HopeKids organization. When Rovenstine’s young son was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, it was Rob and Susan Cottrell and HopeKids who helped make a difficult path somewhat more easily traversed because it was attended by a series of kind acts done for the family over an extended period of time. With things as small as tickets to movies, concerts, or sporting events for the whole family, HopeKids helps families have fun and make memories in the midst of trying times.

“HopeKids helped us be a normal family through some abnormal circumstances. In fact, without them, we would have spent a lot more time focusing on cancer this past year than on sharing special times as a family and getting through this together,” Rovenstine said. “The HopeMinute book is a natural expression of what they already do. We knew from the start that we wanted to share the message of HopeKids with people—facing all kinds of situations—who need a life-giving dose of hope.”

Reaching these families comes out of the heart and life of HopeKids founder Rob Cottrell. As part of his work, Cottrell sends simple email messages to the families of those battling cancer or other life-threatening medical conditions. Those emails touched many lives, and they have been expanded in HopeMinute. In the book, Rob offers his perspectives on faith, fear, dreams, and hope as a powerful medicine, and Susan adds inspiring and heart-warming prayers at the end of each selection. Working with Summerside Press™ to produce HopeMinute, Rob said, “What a thrill it is to partner with Summerside Press™ and see the HopeMinute book come to life! It has been such a blessing to get to know the people at Summerside and see the love and care they put into this book.”

Cottrell continues, “The HopeKids organization comes alongside nearly 1,500 families, each with a child battling a life-threatening illness. We are a unique charity with a powerful program and message. We are a family, a community, and we go through these battles together. We play together, we pray together, we laugh together, we cry together, and we stand together believing in the power of hope and believing that the future is indeed full of wonder and life! Summerside Press™ and the HopeMinute book will enable us to reach so many more people with the same message.”

HopeMinute releases in January 2010 and is available everywhere books are sold. For more information on HopeKids, visit www.hopekids.org or www.summersidepress.com.