Rising from the Ashes

Shari Morrow was just beginning to recover from the financial setbacks caused by a divorce when her house burned to the ground. In one terrible afternoon, Morrow lost everything she owned.

“Everything was gone,” Morrow says. “Just…gone.”

The weeks following the fire were a nightmare of insurance paperwork and a soul-crushing journey from financial institution to financial institution, where Morrow was repeatedly denied the help she desperately needed to try to rebuild her life.

“I was stressed out to the max, 1,000 percent. Note that I did not say 100 percent, I said 1,000 percent,” Morrow says, her eyes filling with tears at the memory. “I had always worked and been self-sufficient and never thought I’d be in this situation. I felt worthless, unloved, and hopeless. The only reason I didn’t pull my hair out of my head was because I didn’t have any money to get it redone.”

Then, Morrow drove past a sign advertising Hope Credit Union. The next day, she walked into a HOPE branch in Memphis, TN, steeling herself for yet another rejection.

“When I walked into HOPE, I heard the first kind words anyone had said to me in a long time,” Morrow says. “It still brings tears to my eyes remembering it. When I told the people working at HOPE my story, they hugged me. I will forever be grateful for that hug. Even if they had not approved me for a loan, the love HOPE showed me meant more to me than any dollar ever could.”

HOPE gave Morrow the home equity loan she needed to purchase furniture, linens, and basic supplies for a modest new home. But HOPE’s greatest gift to Morrow was a renewed sense of worth and dignity.

“When your world gets turned upside down, finding someone who wants to help you get it turned right side up means everything,” Morrow says. “The difference between HOPE and other financial institutions is that HOPE cares.

“I’m grateful for the financial help HOPE gave me, but I am more grateful for the kindness they showed me,” Morrow says. “I thank HOPE for helping me sleep again at night and for making me able to breathe again. I thank HOPE for putting hope back into my life.”