About Us

This is why I decided to start a non-profit. 

In 2013 a young man named TJ Rickey was starting college.  He was exceptionally smart and was raised by a single mother with no support from his father.  His car died, and he needed another one to get him to and from work.  Otherwise, he rode his bike to classes.  He was attending South Alabama on a partial scholarship playing the trombone, double majoring in biology and chemistry.  The week before his car died, I bought a larger used vehicle for myself.  I decided to give TJ my Mazda3.  I approached several churches and asked them if they would help me with a tax write-off by running it through their non-profit tax ID.  Not one church would help me.  I still gave him the vehicle, worth over 5k.  This situation lit a fire in me, and at that moment I decided to start my own non-profit organization. 

Before I was able to establish Hope Arrives, TJs sister, Hannah, began college while working full-time.  She also needed a vehicle.  I found an old used Tahoe and bought it.  Another young lady named Tricia, whom I have known for 25 years found herself a single mom of two children and a van that chose to blow up.  I have 8 payments left on her Ford Focus! 

I quickly found it was costly to start a non-profit, but eight years later, on July 23, 2021, Hope Arrives, Incorporated was born.  Since our establishment, we have covered a variety of needs, including ballet shoes, groceries, Christmas for three families, a transmission for a vehicle, power bills, water bills, tires for vehicles, and more!  Until this website was built, one hundred percent of donations have gone towards the needs of those around you and me. 

P.S.  TJ graduated with honors from South Alabama, continued his education with a Master’s Degree, and is employed with the Army Corps of Engineers as an environmental biologist.  He has a wife and a son.  Hannah has worked full-time as a vet tech for almost ten years and is completing nursing school.  She is engaged to be married and recently bought her own home.  Tricia owns a house cleaning business, her two children are A and B honor roll students, and her daughter is an exceptional dancer.