Student aspires to manage nonprofit agency helping familiesSeptember 27, 2018

Hope Henry has a heart for Midland and its citizens.

“Midland has a different feel that a lot of places don’t offer,” explained Henry.  “I’ve lived here all my life; however, I’ve also traveled quite a bit.  So I can honestly say that Midland is a good place to live.”

Henry has strong ties to Midland and the Permian Basin.  Both of her parents—David Henry and Garilyn Saunders Grubbs—were born and raised in Midland.  One of her grandfathers, Gary Saunders, is a long-time employee of the City of Midland.  The other grandfather is Midland oilman and philanthropist Jim Henry. 

Hope graduated from Midland Christian School in 2017 and could have gone to just about any college in the country.  She chose to stay in Midland and attend Midland College (MC), where she has maintained a 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).  Thanks to 15 hours of dual credit courses that she took in high school, she will graduate with an associate degree this coming December.  Again, having a perfect GPA, Hope Henry could transfer anywhere to complete a baccalaureate degree; however, she is choosing to stay right here in the Permian Basin and attend the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB).

“I see no need to attend school elsewhere,” said Henry.  “I plan to major in business with a focus on nonprofit management.  My ultimate goal is to work in the nonprofit sector in the Permian Basin.  I want to help people right here where I have lived all my life.”

Henry is currently getting a head start on her career goal by gathering as much knowledge as she can about nonprofit agencies.  She is studying how successful ones are managed and how funding is raised.  She is also taking the series of monthly Nonprofit Executive Leadership Certification workshops offered through the Permian Basin Nonprofit Management Center. 

“I want to learn as much about the nonprofit world as I can so that I can make a difference in our community,” stated Henry.  “I’d like to either start a new nonprofit agency or assist with an existing agency that assists broken families.  I’ve seen a lot of broken families and know first-hand how divorce and other factors can affect families, especially children.”

Henry’s parents divorced when she was just a year old.  Thanks to both parents being involved in her life, supportive grandparents and a strong Christian faith, Hope Henry has grown to be a competent, self-assured young woman.  However, she said that many children of broken families don’t have the nurturing network that she enjoyed.

In addition to helping children of broken families, Hope Henry is also working with Daybreak Ministries, a non-denominational bible study and worship experience for college students. 

“My faith is important to me,” explained Henry.  “Daybreak Ministries offers an opportunity for college students to worship together, explore our faith and be with friends in a safe environment.”

Henry currently attends Mid-Cities Community Church where she is a youth leader.  She has been attending Mid-Cities since she was 16, and it was there that Henry met one of her roommates Kailee Paxton who made Henry aware of The Hen House clothing boutique. 

Henry began working at The Hen House where the profits went to help support Restoration Farm, a faith-based mission that provided transitional housing, financial counseling and mentoring to single mothers   The Farm was founded and operated by Jami and Camron Stotts, until this past spring when Camron was killed by a drunk motorist while riding his bicycle. 

The Hen House boutique will re-open later in the fall under a new name—The Blue Lotus Boutique—and will be located in Oak Ridge Square on the corner of Wadley and Garfield.  Henry is looking forward to working at the Blue Lotus when it opens.

In the meantime, Henry is concentrating on her last semester at Midland College and learning as much as she can about nonprofit management.  She lives in an apartment with two roommates, and the young women have a cat named August.

“We had originally named the cat June,” laughed Henry.  “We thought it was a female, but then when we took it to the vet, we discovered that it was a boy, so we decided we had to change its name to something more masculine.  We just chose another month of the year with a more masculine name.”

In her spare time, Hope Henry enjoys reading, playing tennis and writing.  She writes poetry and travel journals.  She is currently journaling a recent trip to New York.  She is looking forward to attending a nonprofit conference in San Francisco in a few weeks.

“I enjoy visiting other places in the U.S. and other countries,” said Henry.  “However, I always like coming back to Midland.  There’s no other place quite like it, and I’m proud to call it home.”