Zoe & Nick Hoeppner

A Community of Love Founders

My husband Nick, normally not observant of untidiness, spoiled my surprise when he somehow noticed the tiniest sliver of pregnancy test wrapper on the bathroom floor. We weren’t trying to have a 3rd child. We had tried for the girls, and had recently had a miscarriage so we weren’t expecting this, especially right after I had been let go from my job. But God works in mysterious ways and that March he had a trajectory for us- to bring a new career, financial stability, and a wonderful son who would bring joy and lots of disgusting jokes to our life!

August was born on October 21st in a room crowded with family. As my only medicated birth it was surreal, so easy and painless! He came home 20 hours later and brought joy to his sisters and cats.

August was intelligent and articulate from birth, a ray of sunshine always beaming with a smile. Full of energy, August was always bouncing around and chasing after his sisters. He learned both French and English from birth and would regale us as he sang Champs-Élysées. He loved to dance and sing, he had a beautiful voice! In true boy fashion he would head butt
you as you walked by, jump from table to table, and eat his boogers (he even ate his sister's booger off her finger one time in the single most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my life). He exhibited great faith for such a little guy and every night as we shared our “Joy, Junk, and Jesus” for the day he would always say “ummmm, no junk!”.

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Losing August certainly was and is "junk". It is junk everyday and it was junk when it happened. It is our sincerest hope that through our work at Community of Love, and the August's Boxes program that we can make something helpful out of this tragedy, help families have a little less "junky" of an experience, share a bit of August's joy through various events. 

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Thank you for visiting our site and letting us share August with you. 

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– Zoe Hoeppner