When Rhonda Harvey bought three acres of land and a bar along Success Lake, she did so with one thing in mind — finding a home for her charity.

Harvey reopened the former Antlers Roadhouse at 30990 Highway 190 on the way to Sequoia National Park in June 2024, rebranding it as Antlers of Hope. The name is inspired by the charity she operates, Helping One Person Everywhere.

Money from the restaurant will go toward building a dining hall where the charity can host the dinners that help pay for people’s medical expenses.

“We decided this was something we really needed to do,” Harvey said. “The community has been really, really appreciative and welcoming for us. It’s been a great fit so far.”

Finding Antlers ‘Providential’ for Nonprofit: Harvey

Harvey called finding the former dive bar “providential.” She bought the property in March 2024 and had the first event a couple of months later.

“We were looking for a place to host the dinners for the nonprofit,” Harvey said. “I realized it comes with three acres — so there’s room to build an event venue here. That was our goal — a home for that.”

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Antlers serves typical bar food, Harvey said, hamburgers, hot dogs, and salads. On the first Friday of each month, they do a steak or salmon dinner. They host paint nights, karaoke nights, and local musicians.

Being on the road to Sequoia National Park, they get visitors from around the globe.

“Currently, we’re the only bar on that road, so people stop in,” Harvey said. “And so everybody’s excited because before we bought it, it was closed for at least six months.”

HOPE’s Most Recent Recipient a Family Who Lost Daughter to Cancer

What was important for Harvey was finding a home for HOPE, which started in 2022. Community members nominate people with serious or terminal medical conditions or people who suffered the loss of a family member.

They hold a quarterly nonprofit dinner and money goes directly to that person or family. At each dinner, people are nominated and the recipient of that event’s funds draws the name for the next dinner.

“The proceeds from the dinner, the live auction and raffles, all of that stuff goes toward the recipient that night,” Harvey said. Her goal is to find people in dire need. Unfortunately, the last recipient died two weeks before the special night.

The group had selected a 17-year-old girl with cancer, and the family told the group to cancel the event. Harvey and HOPE wouldn’t have that.

The family had taken the girl to Disneyland and Legoland before her death. Harvey wanted to make sure the family had money to help pay for that.

“I’m not canceling anything,” Harvey said. “The community still wants to support your family. Now you have a loss. Your needs are even greater. Who plans on burying their child who is only 17 years old? You don’t have the plans in place for that.”

They ended up raising $7,000 for the family. The next dinner, which Harvey expects to be even bigger, is dedicated to a mother caring for her son with ALSP. It’s a rare, progressive, fatal brain disease in adults.

The upcoming dinner is at the Veterans Memorial Building because it can seat more people than the restaurant, she said. They’ve sold nearly 200 tickets thus far.

Harvey’s Charity Work Goes Back Decades

Harvey started her charity work with the cancer group Relay for Life. She spent 20 years there before helping found HOPE.

Why does she care so much about others?

Harvey was 8 years old when her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Somehow her mom went on to live another five years. With Relay for Life, Harvey saw the positive effect that fundraising could have on families affected by serious diseases.

“During that time, I learned that everything I did raising money for Relay for Life … actually helped all communities. It’s a worldwide movement,” Harvey said.

“That’s the catalyst. I always knew I wanted to do something, especially when it was about cancer.”