To all of our Hope First family and friends,

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas! It's hard to believe 2025 is just around the corner. To end this year, I wanted to send a more personal newsletter as the "face" behind the computer.

I am currently on the Board of Directors at Hope First Family Resource Center. My role has primarily been helping with our newsletters, social media, and other behind the scenes work. Having previously worked with Gigi at another pregnancy center, I was honored to follow her as the journey to start Hope First became a reality. This journey has been such a great one to be a part of. Like anything in life, it's been one of ups and downs, good days and hard days, and lots of coffee. ;) But most importantly, I can see God's hand in and through it all. I will continue to be in awe of what He has helped us accomplish. I am also in awe of the amazing people on our board I have the privilege of working alongside. People who have put in countless hours and tirelessly worked to get Hope First to where it is today. I will forever be thankful for the love, sacrifice, and example set by them, as well as by all of you who have supported us.

I have had the honor of meeting many of you at our open houses. If you were there, you may have also seen my 11 year old daughter who jumped in to help organize, chat with people, and fill plates with cookies. Just the other day, my kids and I stopped by the center to drop some things off. They ran right in and immediately started talking about any new changes they noticed, looking at all the baby gear in the store, and of course checking the break room for snacks. What a priceless gift to raise my kids as I work with this amazing organization! See below for photos of them. 

As the year winds down, I recognize that there is so much to be thankful for. This time between Christmas and New Years is a chance to slow down and reflect on the past year. In 2024, we finished our building renovations, furnished and decorated the space, installed technology and training programs, trained volunteers, partnered with many churches and organizations to spread the word of Hope First, held our first official fundraiser (pickleball!), continued to finalize paperwork and requirements, and so much more. I have been amazed at what our team has accomplished. 

We are excited to share that in the past couple of months, we have started seeing clients on a limited basis. We have planned and prayed for these days for a long time. How incredible it is to be helping and serving our community! We are open limited hours, for now, as we continue to seek a Client Services Director (see below this section for more details), train volunteers, and continue to increase our monthly funding. There is more work to be done, but we are incredibly thankful to be at this point and for how far God has brought Hope First! Throughout 2024, He has helped us accomplish great things, sustained us through obstacles we faced, and filled our hearts with joy as more people joined our team. We have a lot to praise Him for as we head into a new year. 

I know that this time of year doesn't always bring joy for people. It can bring feelings of sadness and grief. The holidays can be a reminder of those we have lost or difficult situations we have faced. This reality makes me pause and think of the very people we are here to help. The people we want to walk alongside as they face difficult things in life. People who, right now as the year comes to a close, may be facing something that feels so big and scary. They may be ending their year with fear and uncertainty, instead of happiness and celebrations. Will you stop for a moment and pray for them with me? Pray that they will have a renewed strength and joy to begin a new year. Pray that if we can help them at Hope First, they will be courageous enough to come. Pray for each individual who will walk through our doors in 2025. This is why we exist. To help those in need. To be the hands and feet of Jesus. These verses come to mind as I think about this:

Galatians 6:2- "Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ."

John 15:12- "This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you."

1 Thessalonians 5:11- "So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already."

2 Corinthians 1:4-5- "He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God"

Thank you for being on this journey with us. Thank you for all of your support, prayer, donations, and encouragement this year. We are so very grateful for every one of you. 

Sincerely,

Tara Gallagher 

Hope First Board of Directors

As we close out 2024, we are humbled and thank everyone who has considered Hope First for their end of year giving. If you would like to donate before the end of the year, you can follow the links on our website or click here. Thank you for always keeping us in mind and donating to our cause. We couldn't do it without you!

My daughter helping hang wall decals in the counseling rooms, and the boys hanging out in the men's meeting room!

Hope First Current Needs:

• Client Services Director- The Client Services Director oversees the support and care of our clients, assuring that they receive the best care possible within our scope of services. This includes material services, counseling, post-abortive counseling, working with at-risk clients, both men and women, and more. Does someone come to mind as you read this? Do you feel a tug on your own heart to explore this more? Please don't hesitate to contact us at info@hopefirstfrc.com. There are some specific requirements for this position. We would be happy to discuss them with you!
• Board of Directors/Governing Board- We continue to seek volunteers and individuals who want to be a part of our board of directors or our governing board. If you feel this being placed on your heart, please contact us! You can email us at info@hopefirstfrc.com or call our Board Chairman: Gigi Owen: 720-654-6075. Thank you for your consideration.
• Volunteers- Have you wanted to be a volunteer at Hope First? Contact us today! Volunteers are such a critical piece to what we do. Along with our Board members, volunteers are needed each and every day! We need more volunteers for the following:
  • Admin support
  • Help in the material services store- organizing, washing clothes, stocking shelves 
  • Mentor/Client Advocates- volunteers who will meet with clients who come in, support and counsel them.
  • Outreach team- do you enjoy fundraising, spreading awareness, helping at church events, speaking, etc? We would love to have volunteers who want to join us in spreading the word of Hope First. 
• Funding- We continue to increase our monthly donor base, which will help us meet our monthly operating expenses. Reoccurring, monthly donations help us to predict and sustain what we need to pay salaries, bills, buy supplies for the center, and more. Would you consider being a part of the monthly donor team? You can follow the links at the end of this newsletter to set a donation up! No donation is too small, every little bit helps. Thank you for your consideration.

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