TO OUR RESIDENTS

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From David Nichols, Founder & President

My name is David Nichols, and I have had the privilege of serving as the Founder and President of Hand Up Ministries since 1996.

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As I think about the words of appreciation and respect that have been shared with me, I want each of you to know something very important:

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The gratitude goes both ways

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Please take a few moments to

look beyond words such as homeless, formerly incarcerated, or ex-felon. Those words may describe where many of our residents have been, but they do not define who you are today—or who you can become tomorrow.

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Nearly thirty years ago, Hand Up Ministries began with one simple belief:

Every person deserves the opportunity to rebuild his life.

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Hope does not erase the past. It gives a man the courage to face his past, learn from it, and begin building a better future.

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Many of you came through our doors carrying tremendous guilt, shame, fear, and hopelessness. Some arrived directly from prison. Some had experienced homelessness. Some had lost relationships with family and friends. And some simply wondered whether anyone would ever believe in them again.

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Hand Up Ministries offered you a Hand Up—not a handout.

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But you had to make the decision to take that hand. And you did.

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Over the years, we have certainly grown together. We have shared good days and difficult days. There have been victories, disappointments, prayers, laughter, tears, mistakes, forgiveness, and second chances.

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Today, Hand Up Ministries has become something I could only have prayed for when we began in 1996.

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For many of you who never truly had a home, Hand Up Ministries became home.

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And when I see your growth and your faith in God, I know that every difficult day we have shared together has been worthwhile.

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WHAT MAKES ME MOST PROUD

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One of my greatest joys is watching a resident who once arrived frightened and uncertain become the man who reaches out his hand to welcome the next resident.

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You remember what that first day felt like. You remember wondering: Will I be accepted? Will anyone trust me? Can I really change? What will my future look like?

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And because you remember, you understand the new man standing at our door.

     So you welcome him!

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You show him where he will sleep. You help him find clothing and food. You encourage him as he looks for work. You explain the rules and responsibilities of Hand Up Ministries. You pray with him. You listen to him. And sometimes you simply sit beside him and remind him that he does not have to face tomorrow alone.

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That is what a Hand Up truly means.

I am also deeply grateful for our staff members and chaplains, many of whom understand this journey personally. Their work is much more than a job. Every day they help residents with housing, employment, transportation, medical needs, counseling, accountability, spiritual guidance, and the countless everyday challenges of rebuilding a life.

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To our Chaplains and staff: thank you for serving these men with patience, compassion, strength, and faith.

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And to every resident who has offered encouragement, friendship, prayer, or a helping hand to another resident: thank you.

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You are helping carry the mission forward!

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YOU ARE THE LEGACY OF HAND UP MINISTRIES

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If you want to thank me for what Hand Up Ministries has done, there is one way that means more to me than any plaque, award, or recognition ever could:

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Keep giving the next man a Hand Up.

Take what God and this ministry have given you and pass it forward.

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When a frightened man arrives from prison, welcome him. When a resident is struggling, encourage him. When someone feels hopeless, remind him that his story is not finished. When a man falls, help him stand again.

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And when God gives you the opportunity to change another person's life, reach out your hand.

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Because that is how what began with 18 men, one house, and one mission in 1996 becomes something much greater than any one person.

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It becomes a family. It becomes a legacy. And it becomes living proof that a man's past does not have to determine his future.

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To the residents and staff of Hand Up Ministries: thank you for your respect, your gratitude, your faith, and your love. But most of all, thank you for allowing me the privilege of walking this journey beside you.

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I am proud of the men you have become.

And I am even more proud when I see you reaching back to help the man who is just beginning.

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We gave you a Hand Up. Now you are giving a Hand Up to others.

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That is Hand Up Ministries. That is why we are here.

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And with God's guidance, Together We Can.

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With gratitude, love, and faith,
David Nichols
Founder & President