Keeping Families Close When Care Takes Them Far From Home
Heartful voyage provides compassionate housing, practical assistance, wellness support, and connections to trusted community resources for families receiving cardiac treatment in Gainesville Florida.
Families Supported
Providing compassionate housing, wellness support, and stability to families navigating a loved one’s hospitalization since 2024.
Let Change Be Relentless
Housing
Family-Friendly Tiny Homes Near Critical Medical Care
Future Programs
Expanding Housing Options with Family-Friendly RVs
Whole-Family Support
Connecting parents, caregivers, and siblings with emotional wellness services, practical resources, and restorative experiences.
Relentless Love, Real Impact
- About
A Medical Crisis Changes Everything
Hospital stays can happen without warning. Parents may suddenly find themselves far from home, separated from loved ones, missing work, and facing expenses they never anticipated.
Heartful Voyage is a Gainesville, Florida-based nonprofit created to help families remain together during these difficult moments.
- Facts
Our Impact
30+ Families Supported
Since 2024, more than 30 families have received housing, resources, or other forms of support through Heartful Voyage.
Family-Friendly Housing
We provide families with a safe, private, and comfortable place to rest while remaining close to their loved one’s medical care.
Whole-Family Support
Through trusted local partnerships, we help connect parents, caregivers, and siblings with emotional wellness services, practical resources, and restorative experiences.
Expanding Housing Options
Our future family-friendly RV program will allow us to provide flexible accommodations for more families and communities.
- SPONSOR A FAMILY STAY
$1,200 Provides 1 Full Month of Housing
When a child faces long-term cardiac care, parents shouldn’t have to worry about where to sleep. Your $1,200 monthly gift completely covers a safe, comfortable home away from home for a family receiving critical treatment in Gainesville, FL.
- 30 Days of Safe & Secure Accommodations
- Direct Relief for Unexpected Medical Expenses
- Peace of Mind So Parents Can Focus on Healing
- Our Services
What We Do
Temporary Family Housing
We provide welcoming temporary accommodations for families whose children are receiving treatment in Gainesville. Our housing offers a comfortable place to sleep, prepare meals, spend time together, and find moments of rest outside the hospital environment.
Whole-Family Wellness
A loved one’s hospitalization affects the entire family. Through partnerships with mental health professionals, wellness providers, and local organizations, we help families access support that nurtures emotional, physical, and practical well-being.
Family Resource Navigation
Hospital families often receive large amounts of information during an already overwhelming time. We help parents and caregivers identify local services, hospital resources, community organizations, and other forms of practical support.
- NEW BOOK FOR PICU DADS
Navigating the PICU: A Dad’s Survival Guide
When your child is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the world stops. Written specifically for fathers walking through one of the hardest journeys of their lives, this book offers practical guidance, emotional support, and honest insight to help you stay strong for your family.
- Written by parents who have walked in your shoes and navigated hospital life firsthand.
- Practical advice on communicating effectively with medical teams and managing PICU stress.
Holistic Support
Local Organic Produce
Gym/Spa
Mental Health Therapists
Local Business
Become a Partner
Join our network of compassionate community partners and help us ease the burden for families in need.
- Our Philosophy
One Family’s Journey Became a Mission
Heartful Voyage was inspired by the journey of Olivia and Albert Gellis and their daughters, Faith and Irie.
Shortly after Irie was born, she was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a serious congenital heart defect. Her family relocated to Gainesville so she could receive specialized treatment at UF Health Shands.
For 333 days, their lives revolved around a hospital room. Olivia and Albert took turns remaining beside Irie while caring for Faith, managing their business, and trying to maintain a sense of family life far from home.
Once they were discharged and able to settle into their new lives in Gainesville, Florida, they decided to create the organization they wish existed while they were in the hospital.
Need Housing or Support?
Families facing a loved one’s hospitalization should not have to figure everything out alone.
Heartful Voyage supports families who need temporary housing, lodging assistance, wellness resources, or connections to other forms of help.
Whether we are able to provide housing directly or connect a family with another organization, every request will be treated with compassion, honesty, and respect.
- Our Programs
Practical Help. Compassionate Care
Heartful Homes
Heartful Homes is our temporary housing program for families whose children are receiving treatment in Gainesville.
Heartful RVs
Heartful Voyage is developing a family-friendly recreational vehicle program to expand our housing capacity.
Whole-Family Wellness
Through trusted community partners, families may be connected with mental health support, restorative wellness experiences, and other opportunities for rest and renewal.
Your Gift Helps a Family Stay Close
Every donation helps provide housing, wellness services, and practical assistance for families navigating long and difficult hospital stays.
A gift may help give a parent a safe place to sleep, allow siblings to remain near one another, support temporary lodging expenses, or connect a family with emotional wellness resources.
Winter 2026 Fundraiser
Heartful Voyage is organizing a special Winter 2026 fundraising event in Gainesville, Florida.
The event will bring together families, donors, businesses, and community partners to celebrate the progress of our mission and raise funds to expand our housing and family-support programs.
- Help Us Now
Help Us Keep Families Together
Together, we can provide families with housing, hope, practical relief, and the compassionate support they need to remain close during a child’s medical crisis.