JOURNEY HOME Before Sam was born, his family had to leave everything behind in their hometown of Battambang, Cambodia during the turmoil of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979). Sam was born in a family of 12 children. of which only 10 survived. The Ban’s were forced to travel light – only taking what they could carry […]
A FATHER’S REDEMPTION Nickyray Padilla became a dad at the age of 20. When his daughter was born, worry and anxiety gripped his heart. He had no idea what it meant to be a father. His own dad was never around when he was growing up. Only one memory exists… meeting his father in Wasco […]
Marquise’s grandmother died. She was the rock, the glue, the force that held their family together. While she lived, she took him to church, but when she died it was as if everything died with her. Her death hurt him deeply. Marquise told me, “When my grandmother died, no men in the family stepped up. […]
“I had no moral standards. I cared for no one except myself. All I wanted to do was terrorize the streets, and I did.” This is a typical quote we hear from young men who have grown up with no moral compass. Terrell never knew his father. Born to a 15-year-old mother, “It was more […]
The success of any organization is measured not by what they say they will do, but by what they actually do. Results are the test of an organization’s ability to give shareholders or stakeholders a return on their investment. Hope Now’s return comes in the form of lives changed. For 24 years we have helped […]
“I was a bad kid who loved to fight.” At the age of 11, Tony began getting in trouble at school. His fighting and disobedience led to suspension and eventual expulsion from Fresno Unified Schools. When he was 12 years old, he didn’t care what happened to him. Without a dad to guide him, Tony […]
Supporting Hope Now financially is a huge help. We need monthly donations to keep us moving ahead as we help young men trapped in gangs. But there are other ways you can help too. Another way is to get the word out about Hope Now. Recently, one of our supporters wrote a beautiful, informative letter […]
Foolish and impossible! Some may think working with gang members is just that. Maybe from a jaded perspective, they are right. But for those who have witnessed the rescue of these troubled young men, it’s not foolish or impossible. To them, it’s a miracle. There is a popular song today that addresses this philosophy. The […]
Anthony was certain we were taking him to the wrong employer. How could he be getting a job at a dental surgery center? After all, his life had been on the fast track to nowhere. He believed the best he could do was a warehouse job, stacking boxes. For five years now, Anthony has been […]