A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club
Birmingham, Alabama

“We are about breaking cycles,” says Frank Adams, Jr., CEO of the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club. “We serve children who may have wonderful parents, but who face a number of barriers. They deal with food insecurity, safety issues in their neighborhoods, a lack of technology that most people take for granted, and other challenges that come with poverty.

“HOPE ‘got’ our vision and understood that we wanted to be a source of catalytic change in this community. They saw this project not just as a business opportunity, but as a way to focus on the needs of our community. This clubhouse is transformative for our community and for individual children and it is the direct result of the support of HOPE,” says Frank Adams, CEO of the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club.

“Within the four walls of this building, we try to mitigate those challenges,” Adams continues. “We provide bright paths and opportunities for our children, no matter where they come from. We are a place of hope.”

That place of hope became even more hopeful on February 19, 2020, when the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club opened the doors to a new, $15.5 million clubhouse.

The sparkling new facility offers space to provide tutoring, mentoring services, and after-school activities for 450 children at one time – nearly twice the capacity of the old clubhouse. Added amenities include a dedicated Teen Center, a commercial kitchen for preparing hot meals, a performing arts venue, and spacious, well-equipped areas for academic, STEM, and indoor and outdoor recreational activities. The new facility will also serve as a community gathering space, a “village center” for neighborhood meetings and programming.

HOPE provided $9 million in New Markets Tax Credit as part of the financing for the construction of the new facility.

“HOPE has been an example of servant leadership in our community. They’ve not only provided financial support, they’ve also provided enthusiasm and emotional support for our work,” Adams says.

Lamar Life Lofts
Jackson, Mississippi

The revitalization of Jackson, Mississippi’s capital city, is vital to the economic future of the entire state. Unfortunately, over the last couple of decades, businesses have migrated to the suburbs and vacancies for commercial office space have steadily risen. In 2019, more than 1 out of 5 commercial office spaces in downtown Jackson were vacant.

The economic hardship facing the central business district of Jackson was precisely the type of challenge HOPE takes on when it considers leveraging the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program. The program was created nearly 20 years ago to increase and direct capital into economically distressed communities. Historically, HOPE has used NMTC to fund projects that otherwise would not receive funding from any other entity.

HOPE partnered with developer Andrew Mattiace to secure $10 million in NMTCs to completely renovate and repurpose Jackson’s historic Lamar Life building. The city’s first “skyscraper” and a landmark downtown property, the graceful building and its stately clock tower had stood watch over Capitol Street since 1924. The property was still in use as an office building, but Mattiace and HOPE saw the potential for a modern development that also expanded affordable housing.

Work began on the penthouse-to-basement renovation in 2017. The building’s entire infrastructure, including all electrical and plumbing, was replaced with modern, state-of-the-art equipment; every floor of the grand, 11-story building received a cosmetic facelift; and the building was converted from 100 percent office space to a modern mix of luxury apartments, office, and retail space. Importantly, 15% of the housing units created were also set aside for affordable housing.

Work was completed in January of 2019; by March 1, the entire building, now known as the Lamar Life Lofts, was leased. The renovation of this signature property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has served as a catalyst for additional development and investment in downtown Jackson.

“I needed an office in a convenient, central location,” says Taylor Sledge, who runs a financial services business from his office in the Lamar Life Lofts. “This building has that location and also offers a conversation and a community feeling. It’s a great atmosphere. I think the success of this project will encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in Mississippi. In how many other cities could you take this kind of dream and make this happen?”

Carol Bebelle
New Orleans, Louisiana

Ashé is West African for “amen” or “so let it be done.”

It’s a fitting name for the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, the organization that turned a once-blighted neighborhood into a cultural tourism destination. Located in Central City, a low-income area in New Orleans, Ashé was the brainchild of HOPE member Carol Bebelle. 

“New Orleans is famous for its African-influenced culture,” Bebelle says. “But everyone was making money off of the culture except the artists. There was a need for a cultural center where the black folks had the keys.”

“HOPE looked at this area and saw more than poverty and blight,” Bebelle says. “HOPE saw our potential.”

Under Bebelle’s leadership as executive director, Ashé rented a building in the heart of Central City in 1998. More than just a physical space, Bebelle envisioned Ashé as the anchor for a cultural corridor that would promote commerce and foster a sense of community. 

HOPE was a part of that vision from the beginning. The Central City Merchants and Business Association chose HOPE to conduct a feasibility study to assess the community’s potential for economic development. Realizing that potential was strong, HOPE wrote Ashé a bridge loan that kept the center running until its first substantial source of funding, a grant from the Ford Foundation, came in. Grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and others followed. 

HOPE was also the first financial institution to establish a location in Central City. 

Today, the Ashé Cultural Center is a hub for art exhibitions, cultural presentations, and community gatherings, and the corridor Ashé anchors is a lively swath of businesses, museums, and restaurants. Ashé purchased the space it once rented, ensuring it will continue to be a community anchor for years to come. 

Ashé continues to partner with HOPE to plan for Central City’s future.

“As the property value goes up, we’re looking at financial products that will help local people purchase homes and open businesses here, so that Central City doesn’t become out of reach financially for the people and culture the neighborhood is built on,” says Bebelle, who retired as Ashé’s director in 2019. “We’re moving from place making to place keeping.”  

Yet another reason to say, “Ashé.”

Carlos Rene Otero Cruz
Birmingham, Alabama

With help from HOPE, Carlos Rene Otero Cruz is living the American dream. 

“I hope to grow my business to the point that I can hire others in an immigration situation similar to mine and help them become autonomous,” Otero Cruz says. “HOPE is a collaborative financial institution that helps people progress in life.”

Otero Cruz immigrated to America from Colombia and landed a job on the assembly line at Bimbo International, a company that produces bread and other baked goods for Walmart, Target, and large supermarkets. 

When he saw the opportunity to purchase a Bimbo distribution route, Otero Cruz was eager to make the leap from employee to business owner. But when he turned to his bank for a loan to purchase a bread delivery truck, Otero Cruz was turned down due a lack of credit history. 

Then the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama recommended he apply for a loan through HOPE. HOPE used credit enhancement funds through the Wells Fargo Diverse Community Capital program to provide a cash security that closed the gap between Otero Cruz’ available collateral and what was needed to cover the loan. 

Otero Cruz walked into HOPE as an assembly line worker and left HOPE as a small business owner. His next goal is to work with HOPE on a mortgage loan as he continues to build a successful life in America.  

“I never thought this would be possible. HOPE has helped me realize my dream of owning my own business in this beautiful country and given me the financial independence to provide for my loved ones,” Otero Cruz says.

Maria Aguilar Rodriguez
Little Rock, Arkansas

It’s been 16 years since Maria Aguilar Rodriguez left Mexico for a better life and a career in the United States, but she still remembers the challenges of adjusting to a new country, a new language, and a new culture. 

Today, Rodriguez uses her own experiences to help others in her job as a program coordinator with the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock, Arkansas. Rodriguez assists immigrants from Mexico to the United States, matching them with financial, educational, and healthcare services. Between the main office and a “consulate on wheels” program, the Mexican Consulate serves as many as 200 people per day. 

Rodriguez works hand-in-hand with Crece con HOPE (Grow with HOPE), a program that provides financial services designed specifically for Spanish-speaking immigrants. Rodriguez can recommend HOPE to her clients with confidence; a loan from HOPE allowed her to launch a small side business selling packaged meals made from her own recipes. 

“HOPE is a very important partner for the Consulate,” Rodriguez says. “We have the same mission – to make sure people have a good quality of life here. These immigrants are hard workers. We want to see them buy homes, build their credit scores, and start successful businesses in America. By helping immigrants navigate financial matters, HOPE is helping them navigate life in this country.”

Memphis Merit Academy
Memphis, Tennessee

Mornings at Memphis Merit Academy begin with 112 kindergarteners and first graders in crisp maroon uniforms chanting the school mantra:

“Who are we?

Merit Academy!

Where are we going?

To college!” 

A charter school opened in 2019, Merit is located in Parkway Village, one of Memphis’ most disadvantaged neighborhoods. In this community, 65 percent of children under the age of 5 live in poverty. Liquor stores outnumber grocery stores and the crime rate is among the highest in Memphis. 

“We know what we refer to as ‘the brutal facts,’ but we don’t let them get in the way,” says Lakeena Booker, Merit’s founder and head of school. “Every student deserves a school where the leaders and teachers work daily to close the achievement gap between affluent and non-affluent students. Merit is that school.”

Merit’s location was chosen with care. In a low-income community, ease of transportation can be a critical factor in whether a child makes it to school regularly or not; it was important that the school be located within the Parkway Village community. Merit plans to add a grade every year up to grade 8, so it was vital that the space chosen offer room for growth. 

“Merit isn’t just closing the gap. We go beyond the gap,” says Alexia Hudson, Merit kindergarten teacher. “We aren’t just giving our students a seat at the table. We are building the table.”

HOPE not only provided funding for renovations to the space, but played a critical role in choosing it. 

“HOPE was a partner in our two-year planning process,” Booker says. “HOPE looked at our vision and at our budget and provided realistic numbers for us to use to determine how much space and what kind of renovations we could afford.”

Merit chose a 34,000-square foot space in the heart of Parkway Village. HOPE helped develop a plan to renovate an initial 14,000 square feet, saving upfront renovation costs, but allowing Merit the space it will need to grow. Inside that space, barriers are being broken.

Chelsey Walker
New Orleans, Louisiana

Chelsey Walker was just 3 years old when she first proclaimed, “I want to be a doctor.” 

Now 26 and a student at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine, the soon-to-be “Dr.” Chelsey Walker hopes to someday open her own practice treating low-income families in her hometown of New Orleans. 

An outstanding student and hard worker who assisted in conducting neuroscientific research at LSU while still in high school and whose work was published in medical journals while she was still a college undergraduate, Walker had never set a goal she couldn’t reach – until she tried to get an auto loan. 

“It’s a relief to know that my credit score isn’t getting killed while I’m finishing my medical education and that my lack of credit won’t be a barrier to achieving the goals I’ve set for myself  or my plans to give back to my community.”

“I had plenty of long-term student loan debt thanks to medical school, but I had no credit history,” Walker says. “I realized what a barrier that was when I wanted to buy a car in my own name and I couldn’t get a loan. The people at the dealership didn’t even turn on their computers. They simply said, ‘no.’” 

When Walker reluctantly asked her father for help, he signed for her car loan,  and also offered her some sound advice: turn to Hope Credit Union for help establishing her own credit history. 

HOPE helped Walker with a cash-secured loan, which essentially allowed her to build a credit history by borrowing and repaying her own money. Within a year, she had paid the loan back, opened a savings account with HOPE, and secured a credit card in her name. Walker can now focus on her medical studies and her career plans without worrying that a lack of credit will hold her back.

Farrell Duncombe
Montgomery, Alabama

The Reverend Farrell Duncombe was inspired by one of the greatest of all barrier breakers, Rosa Parks. Ms. Parks was his childhood Sunday school teacher. Duncombe vividly remembers her as the “den mother” who walked him and his friends to church for Junior NAACP meetings.   

Years later, a grown-up Duncombe, then principal of Montgomery’s Sidney Lanier High School, asked Ms. Parks to visit the school and address his students. In true barrier breaker fashion, the topic of her speech was refusing to let obstacles keep you down.    

“It was like the children had seen Jesus,” Duncombe says. “I had tears in my eyes. It was a high moment in my life.”

“I see a correlation between the Civil Rights Movement and the challenges HOPE addresses today. When we talk about justice and equality, no matter what the goal, economics will be involved,” Duncombe says. “HOPE not only understands that, they are an organization that cares. They are sensitive to the needs of the people they serve. People facing economic barriers need hope and that is what HOPE gives them.

Like his role model, Duncombe was never afraid to stand up for equality. He broke his first barrier in 1970, when he was named the first African American band director at newly desegregated Lanier High School. It was a violent, tumultuous time in the Deep South; for his entire first year on the job, Duncombe was accompanied by a bodyguard. He was subjected to everything from name calling to death threats, but nothing could deter Duncombe from his goal, which was not only to lead the band, but also to unify the diverse school community. 

“There was a question as to what kind of music this newly integrated band would play. The students were very receptive. None of them quit because of my color – I think they were too curious to see what I would do to leave. Once we began working together and exchanged ideas, we were a very solidified group.”

Duncombe served as Lanier’s band director for 14 years before moving into leadership and administrative positions at other Alabama schools, eventually returning to Lanier as principal. 

Today, Duncombe is the pastor of First Congregational Christian Church and the former pastor of St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Montgomery. When his credit union, Tri-Rivers Federal Credit Union, merged with Hope Credit Union in 2017, Duncombe became a HOPE member and eventually joined the Hope Credit Union board of directors. His work with HOPE may not require bodyguards, but Duncombe sees it as a continuation of the barrier breaking of an earlier era.

Johnson Family
Greenville, Mississippi  

Quintus Johnson and his wife, Cassandra, have built their careers on serving others. Quintus is an officer with the Leland, Mississippi, Police Department and Cassandra is a school teacher. But when the Johnsons were ready to buy a home for themselves and their four little girls, their lack of a substantial down payment made traditional lenders hesitant to serve them. 

“Time after time, we were disappointed,” Quintus says. “If we could afford it, the neighborhood wasn’t right. If the neighborhood was right, we could never get the financing. We had looked for such a long time, my wife had given up hope. We had decided we’d just have to keep renting or settle for something that wasn’t what we really wanted.”

“It’s an awesome feeling to know that your hard-earned money is going to pay for something that is yours,” Quintus Johnson says. “This house is perfect for us, a blessing. It was a long-awaited journey with some obstacles along the way, but thanks to HOPE and NeighborhoodLIFT, we made it home.”

Then a partnership between HOPE and the Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT program made the Johnsons’ dream of homeownership a reality. The program offers down payment grants to first-time homebuyers, and in a show of gratitude for their service, offers even more generous assistance to first responders like Quintus Johnson. Homebuyers agree to stay in the home for five years; the balance to be repaid drops each year and after five years, is forgiven completely. 

“The attitude from NeighborhoodLIFT and HOPE was all hands on deck, ready to help us in every way,” Quintus says. “And once they were on board, it all fell into place.” 

In May of 2019, the Johnsons moved into a three-bedroom, two-bath home in a family-friendly neighborhood in Greenville, Mississippi. The house offers wide hallways for their four little girls to run down, a big yard for the family to play in, and the joy that comes from knowing they have finally come home. 

 “When we saw this house, we knew it was home,” Quintus says. “It’s an awesome feeling to know that your hard-earned money is going to pay for something that is yours. This house is perfect for us, a blessing. It was a long-awaited journey with some obstacles along the way, but thanks to HOPE and NeighborhoodLIFT, we made it home.”

Myrlie Evers-Williams and William Winter
Jackson, Mississippi

HOPE is proud to stand on the shoulders of legendary barrier breakers Civil Rights Activist and Hope Credit Union member-owner Myrlie Evers- Williams, and founding Hope Enterprise Corporation director, former Governor William Winter.  

The former chairwoman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, Evers-Williams is credited with spearheading the operations that restored the NAACP to its original status as the premier Civil Rights organization in America. She became the NAACP’s first chairperson emeritus in 1998, when she retired to establish the Medgar Evers Institute, now the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute.

“HOPE provides people with access to self-determination, and economic empowerment, and dignity. That is exactly what Medgar wanted.”
-Myrlie Evers-Williams, Civil Rights Activist

Evers-Williams has been a force for civil rights since the 1960s. She and her late husband, Medgar, opened and managed the first NAACP Mississippi State Office. Their stand for justice would cost Medgar Evers his life; in 1963, Evers-Williams and the couple’s three children saw their husband and father assassinated in the driveway of the Evers’ home in Jackson. Evers-Williams and the children later relocated to California, where she continued to be a champion for justice and equality. 

In addition to her service work, Evers-Williams enjoyed a successful professional career, holding leadership positions in business and education and earning acclaim as an author and public speaker. Active in politics, Evers-Williams was the first African American woman to head the Southern California Democratic Women’s Division and was convener of the National Women’s Political Caucus.

Evers-Williams holds 16 honorary degrees from leading colleges and universities and is a recipient of numerous civil rights, human rights, and community awards. Selected by President Barack Obama, she was the first layperson and first woman to deliver the inaugural invocation at a presidential inauguration. 

Evers-Williams shares HOPE’s mission of moving people on the fringe of the American economy to the mainstream, and giving everyone an equal chance to prosper. 

Throughout his public service and private sector careers, William Winter has been a champion of equal rights. 

As the 58th governor of Mississippi (1980-84), Winter championed educational equality; public kindergarten was the cornerstone of his Education Reform Act of 1982.  

Winter was one of President Bill Clinton’s seven appointees to the President’s Advisory Board on Race. His involvement brought the first-ever Deep South dialogue event about racial reconciliation to the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Hailed as the single most successful event of the entire initiative by President Clinton, the event prompted the University of Mississippi to form the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation. The Institute, now a nonprofit headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, promotes community building, youth involvement, and policy and civic engagement.

Winter celebrated HOPE’s mission in an address to the organization’s employees. 

“There are certain things that everybody agrees on. Everybody wants their children to get the best education. Everybody wants to have a fair shot at a decent job where they can make a living. Everybody wants to live in a decent house on a safe street. And above all else, everybody wants to be treated with dignity and respect. Those are universal aspirations. 

“What all of you [at HOPE] are doing is to create a society where people can see the realization of these basic aspirations and hopes. What HOPE is doing is the most important thing going on in America.”

DeAndre and Vinessa Brown
Memphis, Tennessee

At the time of his arrest, DeAndre Brown was wanted by the city of Memphis, Shelby County, and the State of Tennessee.

Today, DeAndre has business contracts with the city of Memphis, Shelby County, and the State of Tennessee.

DeAndre and his wife, Vinessa, are the founders of Lifeline to Success, an organization that helps men and women rejoin community life after incarceration. It’s a challenge DeAndre knows first-hand. He was a promising pre-med student at Rhodes College when a desire for easy money lured him into a life of crime that eventually led to a decade spent in and out of prison. Upon his release, DeAndre and Vinessa decided to make ministering to other returning citizens their life’s work.

“HOPE’s commitment to serving returning citizens when so many institutions aren’t interested is a ray of hope that allows me to believe change in the way returning citizens are viewed and treated is possible,” DeAndre Brown says.

Lifeline to Success’s clients attend work and life skills classes every morning. Afternoons are spent working in low-income areas of Memphis, performing landscaping and janitorial services as members of paid work crews or as volunteers.

In addition to transforming themselves, Lifeline clients are fighting blight, violence, unemployment, and other aspects of what DeAndre refers to as the “criminal culture.” More than 1,000 clients with felony records have joined the program over the past eight years; fewer than five have gone on to commit another felony.

An important part of that transformative process is learning to manage finances. The Browns, their organization, and their clients all have accounts with HOPE.

“Many of our clients have never earned a paycheck or had a bank account, and the process of establishing one can be intimidating. They’ve served time in prison, but the thought of going into the bank scares them,” DeAndre says. “Writing a check, applying for a loan, even something as simple as showing off an ATM card gives them a sense of pride.

“I thank God for HOPE. They’re doing more than opening accounts and issuing ATM cards. They’re helping these men and women take a step forward in life.”

Refill Café
Jackson, Mississippi 

It’s noon at the Refill Café in West Jackson, and the cheerful eatery is hopping.  The bright café hums with lively chatter as workers serve sandwiches and lunch plates to a diverse crowd. For Refill workers like Brantley Hughes, every lunch served is a step toward a new life. 

“Four months ago, I could not have imagined being in this spot,” 20-year-old Hughes says. “I’d tell anyone struggling, come to Refill and get into this program.”

Refill Café is a project of the Refill Jackson Initiative, a life skills and workforce training program for young adults struggling to break the barriers of addiction, poverty, crime, and challenging socioeconomic backgrounds. 

“Most of our program members have had little or no positive influences in their lives,” says Emily Stanfield, president and CEO of the Refill Jackson Initiative. “As a result, they have a bad picture of themselves.”

Refill changes that picture. The 10-week program is a combination of classroom training, life skills coaching, and hands-on work in the Refill Café. Members learn job skills and also develop important soft skills like teamwork, accountability, anger management, and problem solving. 

“I’m proud of myself,” Hughes says. “The Refill staff is proud that I’ve come this far and they let me know every day they’re proud of me. If you put 100 percent into Refill, you get more than 100 percent back.”

HOPE provided financing for the freestanding building that houses the Refill Café and classrooms. For program members like Hughes, the bright yellow building embodies the chance to rebuild their lives. 

Hughes’s drug addiction had cost him his job, his home, and his relationships. He reached a turning point when he witnessed another homeless addict shot over a shoe. 

“It wasn’t even a pair of shoes,” Brantley says, his voice shaking. “It was a shoe. By that point, I was a typical crackhead. I weighed less than 100 pounds. I was homeless, I was dirty, I was constantly scared, and I was staying strung out and awake for days at a time. I knew I had to get help or I’d be dead.”

A rehab program helped Hughes get clean, but he needed a new direction that would keep him on the right path. He found that direction within the walls of Refill. Since completing the program in 2019, Hughes has repaired his broken relationships with his family and is on track to re-enter the workforce.

In the spring of 2020, people nationwide were facing an uncertain future due to the spread of the coronavirus. As a result of shelter-in-place orders, the American economy ground to a halt and unemployment reached record highs.

But the darkest times are when HOPE shines brightest.

At the time of this writing, HOPE was rising to meet the challenges brought by the pandemic, providing immediate help for the communities and people hit hardest and working on products and polices to assist in the long-term economic recovery.

Transformational Deposits

An important way that HOPE funds response efforts is through transformational deposits. These low-interest, federally-insured deposits enable socially- responsible investors to import capital into wealth-starved communities.

In times like the COVID-19 crisis, these deposits truly live up to their name, fueling development projects and financial services that transform uncertainty into opportunity.

Whether it’s the daily struggle to make ends meet, or an unforeseen catastrophe, the journey to a brighter future begins with HOPE.

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