Reflecting on 55 Years of Hope
God is using friends like you to perpetuate His work of bringing healing and hope to vulnerable boys and girls!
In 1968, God laid a burden on the hearts of a young couple named Lindy and Jackie McGowan. Their love for their Savior began to overflow into a deep compassion for vulnerable children.
In simple trust, Lindy and Jackie stepped out in obedience to God’s call to set up a children’s home. It was the beginning of a lifelong journey they could have never even dreamed…
The work had the humblest beginnings, with Lindy and Jackie sharing their small 3-bedroom home with as many children as they could squeeze in alongside their own two daughters.
Then in the 1970s, these were combined into the one campus we now know as Hope Children’s Home in Tampa, Florida.
Dad McGowan knelt and prayed at a large tree in the middle of the Tampa property thanking God for this provision.
At the top of this page, you will see our current Tampa staff and children. They are standing in front of the same tree where Dad McGowan prayed about fifty years ago!
Since the very first children were welcomed by “Mom” and “Dad” McGowan back in 1968, nearly 5,000 boys and girls have been rescued by Hope Children’s Home. All of them have different stories of pain and trauma—but they have all come with the same deep need.
As Dad McGowan put it,
“Love. That will be the most important thing we have to give.”
Michelle is one of the people who can testify to the life-changing power of this legacy of love.
“I came to Hope in 1984 when I was ten. Upon arriving, I was very scared, but I could sense that now I would be protected from abuse and neglect. I felt loved and protected.
“Being placed at Hope saved my life! And I now realize that it saved my children’s lives as well. I knew that I didn’t want to repeat how I had been treated. This is how Hope saved my children—they taught me how to break the cycle!
“I am truly thankful for Mom and Dad McGowan and their vision for the home. They stayed true to their beliefs and vision and are great examples of God’s love and sacrifice. They helped to shape me and now my children into who we are today.”
As Michelle’s story shows, Hope Children’s Home’s legacy of love has the power to rescue hurting children—and also to change the trajectory of generations to come.
Today this is made possible by your prayers and partnership as you follow in the McGowans’ footsteps and pour out love into the lives of vulnerable boys and girls.
As we celebrate together Hope’s 55th anniversary, join us in thanking God for all He has done and all He will do through friends like you in the years ahead!
