Hope Floats is a national remembrance event honoring the 25,000+ active missing persons in the U.S.

Each name is represented by a folded paper boat, released in waves across six regions of the country in Fall 2026.

You can:

🕊️ Make a Tribute — Choose a missing person and submit a tribute:

• Virtual Tribute ($2): Name + message added to the Virtual Wall

• Full Tribute Package ($5–$7): Includes tribute flyer (digital or mailed) + optional Virtual Wall post

📦 Fold Boats From Home — Receive a kit to fold 100+ tribute boats with your family or friends (no single-flyer mailouts)

🏫 Start a Folding Hub — Schools, churches, and organizations can commit to folding 500+ boats to help build the national fleet

🙋 Volunteer at a Regional Event — Join us in person for a powerful day of remembrance

👉 Visit the Join the Fleet page to get started.

All names are sourced from NamUs—the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the official U.S. database for active missing persons cases.

The Dear Casi Foundation may be able to help you navigate the submission process.

Visit the For Families page to learn more or request support.

Each tribute kit includes:

• A printed flyer with the missing person’s name, image (if provided), and key details

• Simple folding instructions

• A return envelope (if you’re participating in the official water release)

Absolutely.

You can:

• Fold boats from home

• Share a tribute online using #HopeFloatsFleet

• Join the Virtual Tribute Wall

• Make a pledge or sponsor a tribute

Visit the Join the Fleet page to get started.

Yes. All water-release boats are folded from biodegradable, eco-safe paper.

We’re committed to honoring lives without harming waterways.

Every name will be honored.

Unclaimed flyers will be:

• Folded by volunteer hubs

• Offered as walk-up tributes during the final wave at each regional location

Events are scheduled between September 6 – October 11, 2026, across six U.S. cities.

Visit the Schedule page to view all locations and dates.

Hope Floats: The Forgotten Fleet is an official initiative of the Dear Casi Foundation,

in partnership with Operation Missing, The Missing Struggle, and a network of community volunteers across the U.S.