Who We Are

Our Mission & Vision

Mission Statement – To create an atmosphere where individuals and their families are encouraged and built up in faith, hope and love and they themselves become what their environment is. Our goal is they are restored to wholeness through the resources, provided both on and off campus leading them to return to a healthy, productive lifestyle where they become a life giver to their community.


Vision Statement – At Restoring Hope it is our vision to assist individuals and their families who have faced difficult hardships that have led to homelessness. It is at this House of Restoration we will assist them to achieve their goals as they journey to prepare for a better, brighter future. We hope to establish this through better health, education and placement for jobs as needed so they reconnect to the community with a better and brighter future through the grace of God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ.


The Founder's Story

Serving the displaced or those in need has always been at the core of who I am and has been my way of life from my teenage years to the present. From the streets and communities of New Jersey, Puerto Rico, North Carolina, and Tennessee, I could not ignore the needs of the displaced and needy. It was December 31, 2022, when I was seeking the Lord to be used by Him to get a displaced young man off the streets that when he spoke to me so clearly in an answer I wasn't ready for, yet I was so excited about it. The House's name, Restoring Hope A House of Restoration, was so clear. I was initially overwhelmed and asked the Lord how I could open this House now with how old I am and the times. He said, "With catapulting and acceleration." Well, with my yes came a few challenges. I have never walked this road before, and God had an excellent plan. 


The delay in getting things started was due to a fall and the breaking of my shoulder, and a lengthy recovery, which gave me time to learn a few things about myself. Delay doesn't mean God isn't going to work all things out for our good, especially if His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. I asked God what Restoring Hope: A House of Restoration looks like, and that is when I believe God began to show me. It's BIG. I heard North Carolina and Florida are good as well. I shared with a friend what God was about to do. It was put on her heart to pay for the storage unit where we would begin storing some items for the House that I knew God would build or give us. Without my awareness, she began to share with others, and they became interested, and their talents and abilities began to be shared with me. God, when He is in it, will bring to pass what He has intended to become a reality. 


Our Mission Expanded

Restoring Hope:  A House of Restoration or Restoring Hope (AHOR pronounced ah-or as we know that our name is a mouthful), is a faith-based non-profit organization serving Bradley County and surrounding areas. Here, we put our faith in Jesus Christ into action to serve people from all walks of life in whatever circumstances they come from. We aim to make this house a place where we will engage with the displaced in our community, whether single or families, searching for a way to be restored to the community. Our house will take in those who are willing to move forward into getting help from their addictions if they have any and walking out the process into getting them into a place of health and education both physically and spiritually, job placement, transportation, and into a place to call home.


No one individual should be on the streets where the elements of extreme weather conditions, as we know, whether hot or cold, rain or snow, can be taxing on an individual's body and life. Neither should one suffer at the hands of another to keep what little they have. We also believe that turning to drugs and other substances to cope with such displacement due to rejection, lack of love, or hope is not the answer to a prosperous and healthy life. 


In search of hope for a better tomorrow, we here at Restoring Hope (AHOR) and our volunteers and staff will do our very best to establish Hope through Jesus Christ and restored community. 

Meet Raymond

Raymond is the inspiration that caused my heart to be revived in my vision of creating a space for the displaced, those without a home, and those needing help to be placed into local programs that will help get people off drugs and get medical assistance, get their much-needed identification and the list goes on. 


It was an overcast day, and my husband and I were driving to Walmart gas station here in town to get our gas when I heard with an audible voice these words; "You are going to make this turn, and on the next corner, there will be a man and he is not like any other man, this is the man that you will give the bag in your trunk to (a pack of toilet paper rolls for fire starters for those using garbage cans to keep warm at night). As we waited at the light, I immediately shared with my husband precisely what I was told so he could be a witness to the Spirit of God. Indeed, as it was said, I turned the corner and a man was standing with a bicycle under the tree; he didn't look like any other. I passed by and told my husband that if this were the man when I finished pumping my gas, he would still be there, and when I returned, I would speak to him; that was precisely what happened. 

 

The day prior, I had helped a friend go food shopping, and her husband insisted that I receive gas money, which I fought not to accept. He got very firm with me, making me take what was offered. I placed it in my car's compartment and told him I wouldn't use it. As I was about to leave Raymond again, the Holy Spirit said, "Give him the money to have a meal at Olive Garden that you received yesterday," so I did. That was the beginning of a relationship built to be like family. From spending time with family for Thanksgiving and Christmas' to family birthday celebrations, Raymond has been family now. Though Raymond has yet to get housing, we hope to provide him with a permanent residency with Restoring Hope. 


Raymond continues to seek out the displaced, and he continues to assist and provide for those right there in his situation. He has come close to losing Hope as it has been three years in the waiting, but Restoring Hope A House of Restoration will give him just what he needs. 


Raymond and I have many memories to share and hope to share more soon, so keep an eye open for more about Raymond.

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