Hello and welcome!
My name is Kathleen Kelly, and I am the founder and CEO of Faith Hope Love Charity, Inc., a small non-profit organization based just north of Nashville, in Springfield, TN.
I am very excited to share details about our newest program, Sticks And Stones, but first let me give you a little background about me and how our organization started.
Several years ago, I made a wish to be ‘more useful’. Well, I’m here to tell you.. be careful what you wish for because the Universe is listening!
No less than a month later, I found myself fixing up a cot in my downstairs room so I could welcome an elderly lady into my home; she was just coming out of prison and didn’t have anywhere else to stay.
….and that was the beginning of my official missions work.
Over the years since then, my daughter and I have helped numerous people in need. Sometimes it was an easy fix like helping them get their car repaired or making sure they had a ride to work. Other times it was more involved like housing them or helping them navigate custody issues.
For many years our efforts had only been informal, personal labors of love, but in January 2023 things changed for us.
The development of our Sticks And Stones program has taken us to a new and exciting level, and we decided that in order to reach as many people as possible, we would need to pursue a more formalized organizational structure.
We have now incorporated, registered as an official Charity in the state of Tennessee, and have received tax-exempt status with the IRS.
This new path will take my previous personal and career experiences and blend them seamlessly with my educational background.
You see, back in 1992, I was less than one semester away from a BBA in Finance / minor in Accounting at Lambuth University in Jackson, TN, when I started a new job. I had become the Summer Youth Employment Training Program Coordinator for Lauderdale County, TN.
It was my responsibility to establish summer work sites, match at-risk youth to the employment opportunities I had available, and then monitor their progress over the course of the summer.
This was one of the most challenging positions of my young career, but also hands down the most rewarding work I had ever done.
In fact, it had such a positive impact on me that I completely changed my college major.. I now have a BA in Psychology from Lambuth University and a MA in Community Agency Counseling from the Counseling / Psychology Department at the University of Memphis.
During my graduate work, I volunteered at a court-mandated Anger Management Program in Memphis and then went on to help bring a similar program to my community in Lauderdale County.
My graduate practicum at Halls Junior High School in Halls, TN gave me a second opportunity to work with at-risk kids. This time it was a hands-on experience in both group and individual settings.. and I loved it.
I went on to work as a Case Manager with the TN Department of Children’s Services; I also developed and ran the Children & Youth Day Treatment Program for the Walker Counseling Center in Ripley, TN.
Those experiences, my educational training, and watching results play out right before my eyes.. all rolled up together.. gave me evidence to support what so many have said over the years; one single person, taking even the smallest interest in a child’s life, can foster resilience and change the trajectory of that child’s future.
That lesson has guided and inspired me through the years; it is also what compels me today.
In an effort to move our mission into the future, I have completed several continuing education courses and hold 2024 certifications in: Child Psychology, Counseling Children and Adolescents, Stress Management Coaching, Trauma Informed Coaching, Anxiety, Panic, and Phobias, and Emotional Intelligence Practitioner.
My main focus now is launching our new Sticks And Stones (only break my bones; it’s your words that REALLY hurt me) program. In fact, this program is so important to us that we gave it its own website!
You can learn more about Sticks And Stones by clicking on the page links on the navigation bar above.
Thank you so much for your interest, continued enthusiasm and support. I do genuinely appreciate you!