This season you might not be able to watch your children play sports, or sit outside with your friends while your favorite football team scores the final touchdown. You might not be gathering together for that awesome pre-game party or the delicious food at the tailgate. Even that post-Thanksgiving game of flag football in your backyard might not happen this year.

COVID-19 has probably taken away your ability to coach, cheer, and even be your family’s best Sunday-afternoon quarterback. But that doesn’t mean it’s taken away your ability to be a part of a team: Team H.O.P.E.

How I Won The Game With Team H.O.P.E.

My name is Latiffa, and I’m a current H.O.P.E. participant. I have a lot to be thankful for this year, because of people like you. Because of your donation, I was able to get the counseling and mentorship I needed to improve my life and advance my career. Because of your support for H.O.P.E. and its mission, I know I’m not alone.

In 2019, H.O.P.E. came to me in the form of a lifeline. It had been four years since I moved from New York to Atlanta to create a better life for myself and my daughter. Not only am I the epicenter of my family, but I am my daughter’s world— her only parent.
I began working three jobs and going to school. The hard work and stress seemed like the right thing…until it wasn’t. Bills piled up and I had to make the incredibly hard decision to quit school
in lieu of better pay so that I could help my mother and brother, both of whom had been diagnosed with cancer years prior.

To make matters worse, my grandmother became sick and my uncle was struggling as well. I am my family’s caretaker: the reliable one, the dependable one, the one “most likely to succeed”. I thought that I could never share my struggles, but my world was caving in. I had a job, but couldn’t pay my bills. I was applying for schools that I would never be able to attend. I was afraid of becoming homeless. I was scared of becoming worthless to my family and my daughter. The last good fight I had in me was to find out how to get help with rent, get myself back into school, and find services to heal a newly formed tension between me and my daughter. I didn’t know what I was looking for at the time, but I found the answers in H.O.P.E.

H.O.P.E. quickly helped me find temporary rental assistance, access to school grants and scholarships, and resources to sell my car and get a better one. They also helped me manage my other expenses, ease my stress, and strengthen my relationships with my family. The best part? They never once made me feel like I was getting a handout – it was an opportunity, a lifeline.

Through counseling, a career mentor, and access to resources, H.O.P.E. helped me to get back on track. I was able to find the champion within myself and get back to school and excel in a budding career in Human Resources. When my mother’s health deteriorated, a former H.O.P.E. graduate purchased buddy pass tickets so that I could fly first-class to see her.
As I see it, if you’re going to invest in a worthy cause, this is it…H.O.P.E. To serve just one single parent (the way they helped me) costs $4,582.50 per year. Their goal this year is to serve 20 parents.

So will you join our team?

What I’m asking you to do today is to help me take this ball down the field to score another touchdown for a single parent who’s afraid, discouraged, and hanging on by a thread. Help us all by supporting H.O.P.E. with a year-end gift.

Pick your team title:

Cheerleader: $100
Player: $250
Coach: $500 or more
Team Owner: $1,000 or more

Every team has players, coaches, cheerleaders and fans. Donate today and join our team…take another single parent, like me, to the Superbowl!

Sincerely,
Latiffa A.
Proud member of Team H.O.P.E.

P.S. If you haven’t already done so, please like and follow H.O.P.E.’s Facebook page— where I’ll be hosting a live event in November.