Casey DeSantis announces volunteer branch of her Hope Florida Program

Casey and Ron DeSantis deliver remarks on Sept. 4, 2024, during the Florida Department of Children and Families annual summit in Orlando. (Screenshot from Florida Channel)

The program Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis spearheaded to connect Floridians in need with charities will soon link people looking for volunteer opportunities in their communities.

Casey DeSantis announced the development on Wednesday during a panel at the Florida Department of Children and Families annual summit in Orlando, where she and Gov. Ron DeSantis focused most of their remarks on the Hope Florida program.

“We haven’t officially launched it yet, but whatever, it’s fine,” the first lady said of the fresh initiative.

“But with Hope Florida, we’ve always been focused on, you know, if you need help, call 833-GET-HOPE, right?” she continued.

“But there’s a lot of people who want to help, who would like to be able to mentor, to be able to read to a child, to be able to volunteer at an animal shelter, who would like to be able to help in disaster recovery. But again, it’s like there’s all these different things. It’s so hard to go to Google and DuckDuckGo and figure it out, and like I go here and here, and it’s a mess.”

The governor and his wife have touted the program launched in 2021 as a way for Floridians to not rely on government services but seek help from community stakeholders, such as faith groups, nonprofits, and businesses. Casey DeSantis said that soon people will be able to call the Hope Florida line for volunteer opportunities, but she didn’t give an exact date.

“We’re facilitating all of those opportunities for people who need help and who want to help, and I think that’s going to be a big game changer,” she said.

On Aug. 21, Ron and Casey DeSantis announced the integration of Hope Florida the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s responses to natural disasters.