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Happiness Matters Foundation

About Us

Born from Struggle.
​Built on Hope.
​Creating Opportunities.

I know what it feels like to wonder if life will ever get easier.


To carry pain that no one else can see. To wake up exhausted before the day has even begun. To wonder how much longer you can keep putting one foot in front of the other simply because giving up doesn't feel like an option.


Through every diagnosis, every setback, every season that seemed determined to prove otherwise, one thing quietly refused to disappear.


Hope.


Not the loud, movie-ending kind of hope.


Sometimes it was nothing more than the tiniest spark buried beneath fear, grief, uncertainty, or exhaustion. Some days I could barely feel it. But somehow... it was always there.


Over the years, I realized something that changed everything.


I couldn't always change what was happening in my life. But I could change the perspective from which I met it.


And when my perspective changed, something else changed with it:

What I believed was possible.


Experience became perspective.
Perspective created possibility.
Possibility became action.
And action kept that tiny spark of hope moving.


I also began to understand that people don't lose hope because they're weak.


More often, life simply becomes so heavy that the weight is all they can see.

And sometimes, one new perspective, one opportunity, one experience, one person who cares, or one reminder that another possibility exists is enough to help them see beyond it.


That became the question I couldn't stop asking:

What if we could create more of those opportunities?


That's why the Happiness Matters Foundation was born.


Not from success.

From struggle.


Not from having all the answers.

From asking better questions.


And not because I believed I could change the world by myself.


Because I believe what becomes possible when people choose to care about one another.


🌻 Where Hope Becomes Action

Hope is where every journey begins.


Sometimes it's barely more than a whisper.

Sometimes it's hidden beneath fear, grief, illness, disappointment, or years of believing you're not enough.


But it's there.


I've seen it in people who thought they had nothing left to give.

I've seen it in people who believed they would never smile again.

I've seen it in people who simply needed one person to look them in the eyes and remind them they weren't alone.


That's what this Foundation is really about.


Creating those moments.

The conversation that changes a perspective.

The experience that reminds someone they're still alive.

The kindness that arrives at exactly the right time.

The community that says, "Come exactly as you are."

The gentle reminder that even when life feels impossibly heavy, the spark inside you never truly disappears.


Everything we do begins there.

Because when people reconnect with hope, they begin to reconnect with themselves.

And from there...

Beautiful things happen.


🌈 It Starts With One.

People often ask me how one person can possibly make a difference in a world that feels so overwhelming.


The truth is, I've never seen hope arrive in giant waves. I've never watched thousands of lives change all at once. What I've witnessed, over and over again, is something much quieter — and infinitely more powerful.


It almost always begins with one person.


One person who chooses to listen instead of rushing to fix. One person who believes in someone before they believe in themselves. One person who opens a door, offers a conversation, shares a skill, gives an afternoon, buys a cup of coffee, sponsors an experience, or simply reminds another human being, "You're not alone."


Those moments rarely make the news.


Most people will never know they happened.


But the person whose life was touched never forgets them.


I've seen someone receive kindness they never expected, only to become the person offering that same kindness to someone else months later. I've watched hope quietly change direction, moving from one heart to another without anyone realizing they were part of something much bigger.


That's why I don't believe hope was ever meant to stop with the person who receives it.


I believe it was always meant to keep moving.


Every time someone reaches back to help another person take their next step, hope grows a little stronger. Every act of compassion reminds us that we're more connected than we often realize, and every person who chooses to care becomes part of a story much bigger than their own.


That's the world we're trying to create.


Not one where everyone has all the answers, but one where fewer people have to carry life's hardest moments alone.


Because none of us will ever change every life.


But each of us has the ability to change one.

And you never know where that one life might lead.


Thank you for stopping by.

I hope you leave with a little more hope than you arrived with.


Shift happens...


— Sabine Mann, PhD
Founder, Happiness Matters Foundation


Be the Spark

Every journey begins differently.

There isn't one right way to begin. Only the first step that feels right to you.

Spark Hope

Expand Possibilities

Reclaim Your Power

Create Hope Together

🌟 What We Believe

We believe that as long as you draw a breath, there is a spark of hope within you. Sometimes life buries it beneath fear, grief, illness, trauma, or hardship. We simply help that spark grow into a flame that illuminates your own path — and perhaps one day, the path for someone else.

🌟 Why We Exist

The Happiness Matters Foundation creates opportunities where the spark of hope grows into action, possibilities expand, and people reclaim the power to shape their own lives.

🌟 The World We're Working Toward

We imagine a world where every person remembers the spark of hope they have carried within them all along.A world where compassion becomes action, one person becomes a ripple, and hope keeps moving from one life to the next.

🌟 What Guides Us

We believe in...

🔹 Hope in Motion
Hope isn't something we wait for. It's something we help set in motion. We create spaces where people can take one more step, see one more possibility, and remember they are capable of far more than they imagined.

🔹 Compassion Over Judgment
Every person has a story. We choose curiosity before assumptions, compassion before judgment, and dignity before labels. People don't need to earn kindness here.


🔹 Freedom from Within
Real freedom isn't about escaping life. It's about no longer being ruled by fear, old beliefs, or circumstances. When perspective shifts, possibilities open.


🔹 Empowerment Through Education
Understanding changes everything. When people learn how their thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and perspectives work together, they discover they have far more influence over their lives than they ever imagined.


🔹 Transparency & Trust
Trust is earned through consistency. We steward every donation, every partnership, and every decision with honesty, accountability, and respect because people deserve to know their generosity is making a difference.


🔹 Equity & Inclusion
Everyone deserves to belong. We work to remove barriers so that finances, disability, age, background, or circumstance never determine whether someone has access to hope, support, or possibility.


🔹 Joy is a Birthright
Healing doesn't have to be heavy all the time. We laugh often, celebrate small victories, and believe joy isn't the reward at the end of the journey — it's part of the journey itself.


🔹 A Win for One Must Be a Win for All

We don't believe someone has to lose for someone else to win. The most meaningful change happens when generosity creates dignity, service creates connection, and everyone involved walks away better than when they arrived. That's the kind of ripple we're interested in creating.

🕊️ Looking Ahead: Hope in Motion

We don't know exactly where this journey will lead.

What we do know is this:

As long as people draw a breath, they carry a spark of hope.

We'll keep creating opportunities for that spark to grow.


The rest...

We'll build together.


— Sabine Mann, PhD
Founder, Happiness Matters Foundation


Shift happens...

💛

FAQs

At its heart, the Happiness Matters Foundation believes one simple truth:

As long as you draw a breath, there is still a spark of hope within you.

Sometimes life buries that spark beneath fear, grief, illness, financial hardship, trauma, or circumstances that feel impossible to overcome. We exist to help people reconnect with what has been there all along.

As a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we simply create opportunities for people to reconnect with the spark they have carried within them all along. What those opportunities look like may evolve over time, but the heart behind them never will.

Everything we do is guided by one mission:

To create opportunities where the spark of hope grows into action, possibilities expand, and people reclaim the power to shape their own lives.

Yes. The Happiness Matters Foundation is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

You'll receive a receipt for your records, and more importantly, you'll know your generosity is helping someone take their next step forward.

Yes.

The people we serve never pay for support through the Foundation.

Everything we provide is made possible through the generosity of donors, community partners, volunteers, and practitioners who believe that financial circumstances should never determine whether someone has the chance to heal, grow, or rediscover hope.

We help people reconnect with the spark of hope they already carry within them.

Sometimes that happens through education. Sometimes through meaningful experiences. Sometimes through community partnerships or practical support.

The path may look different for every person, but the purpose is always the same: helping people move from surviving to believing in themselves again.

We don't believe people need to be rescued.

We believe they need to be reminded.

As long as someone draws a breath, they still carry a spark of hope within them. Sometimes life simply buries it beneath pain, fear, illness, grief, or circumstances.

Our role isn't to tell people who they should become. It's to help create the conditions where they can rediscover who they have been all along.

The Happiness Matters Foundation was founded by Dr. Sabine Mann and is guided by a dedicated Board of Directors committed to serving with integrity, transparency, and heart.

But titles only tell part of the story.

This Foundation is built by people who have struggled, grown, questioned, learned, and decided to use their own experiences to help someone else find their way forward.

Because movements aren't built by organizations.

They're built by people who choose to care.

Trust isn't something we ask for. It's something we earn.

Every donation is stewarded with care, guided by Board oversight, sound financial practices, and a deep respect for the generosity of every person who chooses to support this mission.

We believe every dollar should create meaningful impact, and we're committed to being transparent about how those resources are used. If you ever have questions, we'll happily answer them.

Because your trust matters just as much as your gift.

We planted our roots in Colorado, and that's where our journey began.

Today, many of our resources and future initiatives may be available online or through community partnerships beyond Colorado, depending on the program and what's needed.

As the Foundation grows, so will the people we serve, the relationships we build, and the ways we bring hope into motion.

We may have started in one place, but hope was never meant to stay there.

There isn't just one way to share your spark.

You might volunteer, share your skills, partner with us, sponsor an experience, host a fundraiser, make a donation, introduce us to someone who shares our mission, or simply tell another person that hope still exists.

Every act of generosity, kindness, and connection creates another ripple.

Sometimes the smallest spark is the one that changes everything.

Absolutely! We'd be honored.

Whether you're celebrating a birthday, hosting a community event, organizing a workplace fundraiser, or simply looking for a meaningful way to make a difference, we'd love to help you bring it to life.

To ensure every gift is received safely and supports our mission, all donations should be made through the Foundation's official fundraising channels.

Just reach out to us at info@happinessmattersfoundation.org, and we'll provide everything you need — ideas, graphics, approved language, and support every step of the way.

Because when people come together with a shared purpose, hope has a way of reaching farther than any of us could alone.

Meet Our Board
Serving with Heart and Purpose

Sabine Mann

Founder & President

Sónia Matinho

Vice President

Rachel Zimmerman

Secretary

Heather Langton

Treasurer

Who could breathe easier today because of you?

Be the Spark