2021 Community Report with Justin

Since joining Blanket Fort Hope in February, my sole mission has been to develop the infrastructure and relationships that will see our mission succeed. I am excited to say we have built new and meaningful relationships, created internal processes to prepare us for the future, and kept our mission front and center in the community.

The first step in this process was figuring out a way to communicate our vision and the in-depth details surrounding the foster care initiative, our training, the home, and what we had been doing for seven years. 

We reassessed our strategic mission statement and communications plan during the first half of this year. We did not change our mission; we simply looked at what we were already doing and simplified it to the basics. We see that Blanket Fort Hope is committed to three key ideas that people can wrap their heads around: providing essential services, training people to respond with compassion, and being a loving Christian witness to survivors and communities alike. Once we had this plan in place, we could take off into our cities and plant fertile seeds for development.

After that, we launched the brand new BlanketFortHope.org and implemented a new donor management system to help us maintain relationships.

Our website is our doorstep. It is how people engage with our mission when they find us online. After an assessment period, we determined to redesign and revamp the website to focus more on Champion acquisition and community education. As a result, we have given our community easier access to the tools they need to get educated, get engaged, and ultimately pour back into our mission in the ways that are meaningful for them. All while having the backend infrastructure necessary to ensure we stay in touch with the people who sacrifice their time and resources for us.

To complement these efforts, we hosted and attended various community events, shaking hands, making friends, bringing more Champions on board than any other year in our mission. As an organization, we hosted luncheons, held survivor testimony experiences online, invited more than 40 volunteers to participate in our Hold the Fort Races, and launched a new committee to plan our 1st annual Restoring Hope gala in February of 2022.

In addition, we have joined up with the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce to build meaningful relationships within the business community. In the five months since we have joined, we have joined with multiple municipalities and secured partners for our groundbreaking ceremony in 2022 – this is saying nothing about the tremendous amount of potential in-kind partnerships waiting for us down the road! 

People are starting to take notice. Progress is happening, and this home will be here before you know it!

2022 holds a tremendous amount of promise! Our churches, businesses, and individual champions are the fuel that keeps Blanket Fort Hope moving forward. Only when we join on mission together with such great partners will we see child survivors restored.

Justin Adderholt
Justin Adderholt

Blanket Fort Hope
Marketing & Development

A Restoration Home is Coming To Shelby County!

Since our founding in 2015, we have always dreamed of opening a restoration home for child survivors of sex trafficking. We have scrimped and saved and have finally hit the next major milestone!

Blanket Fort Hope OFFICIALLY owns 73 acres in Shelby County, AL!  

Praise God for all of his goodness, and his blessings, and the people He has brought to us! 

The Next Phase: Building A Home

With the purchase of 73 acres we are now positioned to move forward with plans to build a one-of-a-kind minor Restoration Home.

Given that there are fewer than 700 beds nationwide, and fewer than 25 beds proposed for Alabama in the next 2 years, we are stepping up to serve 9 child survivors in our Home, with the ability to expand that number with the construction of additional Therapeutic Foster Care Cottages.

Once this home is built, every child that steps through our door will receive the same care, regardless of background:

  • Psychological Trauma Assessment
  • Family Restoration Assistance
  • Mental Health Planning
  • Substance Abuse Treatment
  • Access to K-12, GED, and Collegiate Resources
  • Equestrian & K-9 Therapeutic Programs
  • Tattoo & Branding Removal

As a child begins to be restored, they will be moved into ongoing Therapeutic Foster Care, with access to Transitional Living Services, while always being able to take advantage of Blanket Fort Hope’s resources. 

Construction is set to begin 2023 and is projected to cost around $1.2 million to fund the facility and first year staffing. Restoration costs for each child is estimated to be around $4,000 per month. Blanket Fort Hope is prayerfully entering into a season of fundraising, trusting that God and our community will compassionately respond to this urgent need.


“Children are the most common victims of human trafficking. Crisis centers are needed to provide hands-on, face to face help to those who are the most vulnerable in our state. This underserved group of victims desperately needs this help in Alabama.”

— Cam Ward (R), Alabama State Senator.

A Mission Moving Forward

Now is the time for our Champions to be extra diligent. While we are incredibly grateful for God and his providence for bringing us here, we realize that there is so much more we have to do. 

We have spent the last 5 years building key relationships in the non-profit, private, and public sectors. With support of partners like The Church at Brook Hills, Grace Klein Communities, Shelby County DHR, Big Oak Ranch, Southeastern Construction, Mills Pharmacy, and Shelby Pediatric Dentistry, and so many more, we have guaranteed that our mission is sustained through sound wisdom, keen insight, and heartfelt compassion for children. 

But we also need supporters like you. Individuals who God is calling to help move us forward.

We will see this home built and every child restored!

The Groundwork is Being Laid!

We have some wonderful news we’d like to share everyone! This week we set the groundwork for future construction on our potential property by roughing out an access road, installing a front gate, and moving into the final stages of the survey

We recognize these as small steps in the first of many over the next few months. We trust God with this mission and we invite you to continue praying for us!

To-date we have raised over 45% of the necessary capital to pay up front for the land. Our dream is to close on this property debt free this summer, after that, God-willing: land clearing and official ground breaking! 

Be on the look out for future events where you’ll be able to visit and see what our plans look like in person!

Need ways to stay in touch?

Follow us online


Become a prayer advocate.


Sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Praying for a Restoration Center

Praying Over the Mission

Starting this month, we will be holding a regular on-site dedication event. This is an opportunity to come out, see our property, pray with us, and help lay a foundation for our mission that is built on Christ, symbolized by a personalized prayer rock. Please feel free to invite champions in your circle that may be interested in our cause. This is a great opportunity to engage others and grow our outreach!

Date: April 30th, 2021

Time: 3:30pm – 4:30pm

Where: 24809 AL-25, Columbiana, AL 35051

Details: Drinks and light snacks will be provided. If you would like to bring your own rock, be sure it is large and flat enough to write on, but small enough to easily carry.

The land is next to Cornerstone Christian School, right next to the two youth baseball fields. Parking is free, but we will be sharing the space with the school so be courteous!


FAQ

What is a prayer rock?

We believe that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of all the church, and we want to make sure our king stays at the front of our mission. To help us remember this, we will provide every attendee with a rock and a sharpie so they may write a verse from scripture.

What will be done with the rocks?

Once we begin construction on the restoration center, we will integrate these rocks into the center itself. In this way, we will be able to remember where we came from and that we serve a great and mighty God.

Can I do anything to help with the event?

Yes, of course! These will be monthly gatherings. We encourage you to invite people who may have never heard of our mission to come out, experience who we are, and see what our future on this beautiful property looks like.

We need our champions to share our cause. One of the greatest things you can do is share our cause and our vision. Invite them to this event! Invite them to give generously! Invite them to champion with us for the 5,700 child sex trafficking survivors in Alabama every year!