Hope Has A Face Foundation was founded in September 2006 by Keith Canfield with the support of many friends, colleagues and family. The Foundation name comes from a life changing experience during his ninth trip to the Gulf post-Katrina in August, 2006.

While making a return visit to photograph additional signatures and messages on a makeshift volunteer wall near the intersection of US-90 and 49 in Gulfport, a bright reflection caught his camera lens. On closer inspection, Keith found it was a piece of mirror that someone had placed at the base of the wall. As he stood over the mirror, he was able to see that there was a message an unknown volunteer had penned on it for others. That message, read while seeing his own reflection in the mirror, was “Hope Has A Face”.

The Hope Has A Face Foundation was formed and funded within 30 days of that experience, with the goal of identifying and funding projects that can make a discernable community impact quickly. Canfield left his position as Global Marketing Director for a British biotechnology firm in October 2006 to devote his full energies to furthering Gulf Coast recovery as the Foundation’s first Executive Director.