Meet Sarah Koeppen | Founder Director & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Koeppen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
It takes a community to change a community. It really takes all of us helping one another and making sure we have the laws and resources in place so that no one has to face anything alone. The Hope Box will get called into a situation and then provide full wrap-around care. Really what that means is we remove the crises so a mother can take a breath and then make an educated decision. I love to see a mother have hope and make a decision that she can live with. I cannot even imagine the feeling of being so afraid that you feel like you have no other choice but to abandon your baby. Being able to walk with a mother through this really is quite an amazing thing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Hope Box is a 501c3 non-profit that rescues abandoned babies. The Hope Box deals with anything concerning infant abandonment. There are three areas we find infants are being abandoned. Safe haven laws (each state has its own law) Boarder babies (infants left in hospitals) Sex trafficking of infants  (infants sold) I am the most excited about and proud of my book (Called to Hope) by Sarah Koeppen this was something I worked really hard on and was released this fall. The biggest reason I am where I am today is by getting up every day and showing up. I always say half the battle is showing up and giving it your all. Each day you will grow a little more and make a bigger difference if you love what you do. The world will always get a little brighter when you show up. A few things I have learned is nothing is impossible when others tell you to dought your self. You can choose to rise up and just do the next right thing. THE HOPE BOX SOLUTION THE HOPE BOX is working with legislators, public safety professionals, medical personnel, crisis pregnancy centers, and adoption professionals to address the issue of infant abandonment. We are working daily to: 1. Update Legislation by working with Legislators to amend the Safe Haven law. To learn more about how we helped to change the Safe Haven law in Georgia to save even more at-risk infants, 2. Provide education on infant abandonment to Safe Haven providers, as well as the general public. At Safe Haven facilities, our education focuses on best practices for receiving and processing Safe Haven newborns and general care instructions for both mothers in crisis and their infants. ​ We educate the general public on the issue of infant abandonment including the reasons for abandonment, the types of infant abandonment, the laws surrounding infant abandonment, and the ways the public can help create better outcomes for abandoned infants. ​ If you would like to book a representative from THE HOPE BOX to educate your group on the issues and solutions surrounding infant abandonment, please call us at 770-765-6301 or email us info@thehopebox.org 3. Develop procedures to rescue and receive abandoned infants. These best practice procedures will be provided to Safe Haven facilities including police stations, fire stations, hospitals and health departments. 4. Bridge the gap between child welfare organizations and forever families. THE HOPE BOX will be notified of Safe Haven infants in the state of Georgia and will track these infants until they are connected with a forever family. We also work to protect infants who are at risk to be sex trafficked by bringing information about trafficking plans before Georgia courts to secure protective orders. ​ 5. The Hope Box does safe haven rescues for a mother in need of our services. Our hotline is 770-765-6301

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Fish Thyme for dinner in Acworth. Next I would love to take them to coffee in the morning and maybe go check out love street together. Then head over to Kennnisaw Mountian for a hike and then for evening entertainment head to the Marietta Square. I would love them to see the art in Atlanta and take a boat out on Altoona Lake.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are have been so many amazing mentors friends and family that I would like to thank. But I one person truly that has been my biggest support in my life is Dr. Joel Koeppen, my husband we have been married 20 years and he continues to love and support me in so many ways. He is my best friend and partner in whatever I am facing. So Thank you Dr. Joel Koeppen for helping me to grow in every way as a businness woman mother and author. I would also like to thank The Hope Box team who gives it up every single day for this organation. Life is so much better when you have great powerful people to work with not only do we work together but we rejoice together cry together do life together. So I want to thank each and everyone one of them.

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