MISSION

We are Angel's Hands

Mission / Founders

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals living with rare and undiagnosed medical conditions.  The foundation's spark, Matt Kristensen, ignited his parents, Mark and Roxann, upon returning from the national MPS conference in 2001.  Together with their friend, Steve Stauffer, they sought to create a foundation focused on helping Utah families deal with everyday struggles of living with rare diseases.  Today, Matt's sisters, Cassie and Carey help their parents along with an army of volunteers to continue Matt's legacy. 


100% Volunteer Organization

We have helped over 600 families thanks to the ongoing support of our volunteer army and our generous donors.  AHF has not paid one cent in wages since we began in 2001. Financial support has come from big and small business, various groups, and individuals where 95% of each donation goes directly to our families.


Financial Support

The primary purpose of Angel's Hands Foundation is to assist with medically related expenses, either not covered or partially covered, by insurance. AHF also assists with non-medically necessary equipment that has shown to improve the quality of life for individuals. Even with insurance benefits, many families often struggle to give their children some of the simple joys in life. Hearing aids, wheel chairs, specialty strollers, special beds, braces, therapy spas, specialty bicycles, air conditioning and air filtration systems, special bath tubs, and many other items have been provided to our children.

Educational Support

Angel's Hands Foundation provides educational support by bringing our families together locally, to network and discuss individual issues related to health care, future personal needs, and education. AHF also assists families with expenses related to attending national conferences to learn about the latest treatments and research on their child’s disease.  Additionally each year, the Sullivan Sister Scholarship, assists AHF family members pursuing careers that will improve the quality of life for individuals living with rare medical conditions.

Sophie Lovell MA ’23 (USC)

Moral Support

Emotional, moral, and social support is often not available for families with rare conditions that are available for more common diagnosis. Angel's Hands Foundation has developed a support system for our families. This has provided emotional support during difficult moments. Hospitalization is difficult each time our children get sick, and death is unbearable when our children die. This happens too often for many of our families.



Social Outings

AHF provides monthly social outings for our families. Many of our children do not go out in public due to their conditions, either physical limitations or appearance. AHF has taken families to professional hockey, basketball, soccer and baseball games. We have hosted private swimming parties, pizza parties, Christmas parties, fishing parties, kite flying picnics. AHF has taken kids snow skiing, to the zoo, to movies, the circus, monster truck shows, and many others. Many of these events are luxuries that our families cannot afford, due to the financial hardships brought on by the diseases. The making of memories is the greatest reward to the Kristensen’s and Stauffer’s. Matt and Debbie’s legacies live on through the smiles and opportunities these families share with each other.

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