Alumni

A letter from Jermaine Hatch, Boys Hope of Baton Rouge's first collegian:

There is not one real explanation for what Boys Hope is because it is so many things. However, I will attempt to give my take on it. First and most importantly, Boys Hope is a family. It is a family that expands all over the world. It is a real family that loves and nurtures a child the way that every child deserves. Boys Hope is a home; a real home. It is a home built on love and dedication and welcomes a child every day with a smile. It pushes children to be the best that they can be by allowing each and every child to receive the attention and help that they need.

Boys Hope is also a parent. It is a parent that shows you how to do chores. It is a parent that tutors you until you know what you are doing. It feeds you until you are full, assuring you that you will have a meal every day. Boys Hope is a parent that gives so much of itself to make sure that a child is well taken care of and that they have every opportunity to succeed. Boys Hope pushes you to a stage where you begin pushing yourself. It helps mature you into a beautiful human being by giving you a chance to experience all different types of people from all different races and nationalities.

Unable to be imitated, Boys Hope is essentially what it says it is: it is hope. It is hope for a world where we will all eventually have an opportunity to succeed and prosper. It is a world where we can live together and overlook our skin colors and foolish backgrounds and realize that we are really all the same.

I wish I could put into better words what Boys Hope has given me. Basically, it has given me a chance: a chance in which I am proud to have taken full advantage. I am proud to say that I am the fi rst college graduate of my family. However, the impact that this has had on my family gives me confi dence that I will not be the last. Boys Hope has touched my family for generations to come. All of this is because some individuals believed in me. I owe many of my successes and accomplishments to Boys Hope and dedicate my life to its mission. Thank you Boys Hope.

God bless you.
Jermaine Hatch