ABOUT
Hope Activated is a youth mentoring organization with a target demographic of 14 – 24-year-old young people. Hope Activated was formed to combat the negative acts and criminal behaviors of the misguided/unguided youth.
Hope Activated was started because, we believe that through the power of mentoring, we can facilitate a new and better belief system than the one this is held by the young people who are committing crimes in our city.
We believe that if these young people have hope, to the point that it empowered them to believe that there is a better life and they could create that life for themselves, they will make better choices and choose to live a more productive and positive life. We know that life is difficult and young people face challenging life transitions.
Hope Activated was formed to provide the mentoring that is needed to help our young people navigate through these challenging times. We believe in the African proverb that says, “It Takes A Village To Raise A Child.” Hope Activated is a part of that village, and in partnership with the juvenile justice system, school system and parents, we hope to develop our young people into high quality, high achieving, positive influential people. We believe in the power of mentoring.
FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURE:
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KJV Prov. 13:20 “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
OUR MOTTO:
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The value of our future is determined by the investment we make in today’s youth.
OUR VISION:
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Our vision is our youth thriving and succeeding, building and creating a future and a lifestyle that will leave a legacy and a sure foundation for their posterity to continue to build upon.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT:
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Our mission is to create an environment that aides our youth in the development of a belief system that propels them to success in every area of their lives.
OUR CORE VALUES:
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Our core values have their roots in biblical principles and guide us in our conduct and interaction with our mentees, our donors, our partners and people in society.
HONESTY
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Free from fraud nor deception, forthcoming, truthful
LOVE
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An intense feeling of deep affection
INTEGRITY
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Possessing good character, having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Doing what is right, even when no one is watching.
COMMITMENT
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Being dedicated to a cause
COMPASSION
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Concern for the suffering and misfortune of others
DISCIPLINE
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Self -control; doing what you have made a commitment to do even when you do not feel like doing it. This value is essential for good success.
Meet The Hope Activated Team
Meet The Founder
RANDY TAYLOR
It is with great passion, energy, and a deep desire to see the improvement, growth, intellectual and social development of today’s youth that drove Randy Taylor in the direction of establishing the mentoring organization, Hope Activated.
Randy is deeply family oriented and has been united with his wife, Mary Taylor for 15 years. This union has parented 5 children. His oldest daughter (20) serves in the United States Air Force (USAF) and his youngest son (18) serves in the United States Navy. His youngest daughter (14) is in the 9th grade, with aspirations of joining the USAF. Randy has studied Psychology at The University of Memphis. He is a staunch proponent for education, believing in the quote that “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
Randy has served in ministry for 15 years and for the past 14 years has faithfully been a member of The Citadel od Deliverance COGIC (Bishop Linwood E. Dillard). He currently serves on the Board of Directors and Pastoral Team at The Citadel of Deliverance as one of the Associate Pastors and Chief of Security.
Randy has spent 15+ years building his career in law enforcement. His career started in corrections at Whiteville Correctional Facility and then the Brownsville Police Department where he promoted to the rank of sergeant and worked as an investigator / gang liaison. Randy is currently a Memphis TN Police Officer. While working in corrections, Randy identified his passion and purpose. While working in corrections Randy advanced to the rank of sergeant and worked in the position of Gang Investigator. This position gave him direct, one-on-one access to the gang members housed in the facility. While working in this capacity, Randy was regularly engaged in conversation and interviews with the inmates. Most of these gang members / inmates were 18-year-old, young black men, who often-times were transitioning from a juvenile detention center to prison. These young men had made execrable decisions that would have a negative impact on their lives for an exceptionally long time. Many of these young men were serving a life sentence in prison. It was discovered that these young men made these decisions because they had no hope in their future. They had no hope for a better and improved way of life.
The life stories that fell upon the ears and heart of Randy affected his life. These stories were very impactful because he had 2 teenage sons at home. Randy was moved with compassion and was overtaken with an inescapable feeling of responsibility to this young generation. Randy experienced the feeling and the burden that something must be done, and he must do something. Randy began to seek God for answers and after long meditation and prayer, he was convinced that if these young men had hope, that they could achieve more out of life, discover their purpose, connect with their power person, reach their fullest potential, and create for themselves a better life. Randy believed that if an organization were formed by compassionate and caring individuals who would dedicate an intense level of commitment to mentoring our young people, such an organization would change their lives. Hope Activated was founded for this purpose, to activate hope.
In 2014 Randy’s oldest son was sentenced to 20 years in prison for two counts of attempted first degree murder at the age of 18, due to his gang involvement. In January of 2019 Randy lost his middle son, age 19 to gang violence. These vicissitudes that life has brought to Randy has not destroyed his drive, desire, or passion to continually give back to this younger generation in the form of mentoring. He has hope because it has been said that “The value of our future is determined by the investment that we make in today’s youth.
Meet John Colbert
Director of Young Sons Division
Johns Colbert is an example that a person can overcome life adversities and challenges. He refused to allow those challenges he encountered during his youth to define his future. Now as a 52 year old community and youth advocate. John renounced his gang affiliation and decided to educate himself, thereby freeing his mind while his physical body was still bound. John attended two colleges and vocational technical schools while incarcerated. John earned his freedom from the system due to his new mindset and his positive actions. He is now a certified Journey Wireman Electrician and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). John has been married to his beautiful wife for 36 years. He has six children and 10 grandchildren.
The transition from troubled youth to productive citizen in society was a challenge for John, due to all of the obstacles and rejections he faced, because of his conviction. John attributes his success to his resilient and indomitable spirit and to his faith in God, as a practicing Muslim. It is through his persistence and diligent work that he has created and maintained a promising life. John loves his city and is tired of the plagues that have crippled the growth and success of the youth in his community. It is this reason that John has joined Hope Activated, to ensure that the youth of his city know and understand that the "House of Failure" is not their final destination. One can always create a better life for themselves if there is HOPE!
Meet Mary Taylor
Director of Young
Daughters Division
Married to the founder of Hope Activated since 2006. We have a blended family of 5 children, whom I love dearly.
I earned my B.S. Degree in Health Science from the University of Memphis in 2022.
Growing up seeing my siblings and family members making choices that would ultimately lead them to incarceration affected me deeply. I believe that my life experiences can help young people in some capacity. Mentoring is not a hobby for me. It is a way for me to give back and to help positively mold and impact this young generation. I know that motivation shapes the heart, positive communication shapes the mind, and an encouraging relationship with a mentor can give the mentee the shaping they need to turn our alright! We have a right to be impactful human beings, The choice is yours.
"A mentor is someone who allows you to see HOPE inside yourself." -Oprah Winfrey
