Creating Cycles of Love, Support and Success
The Tomlinson’s Lasting Legacy with Place of Hope
Harold and Nancy Tomlinson are creating a lasting legacy with a transformative gift, their largest ever single-time donation to Place of Hope - an apartment in the soon-to-be-built Schmitt Family Transitional Housing Complex at Place of Hope’s Leighan and David Rinker Campus. Their gift is more than a financial donation. It is a firm commitment to a cause fueling transformative change that has impacted and will continue to impact lives for generations. Nancy shared, "This is a magnitude that we thought of but never done before and just feel really good about it, about really stepping up this time."
Their journey with Place of Hope was kindled through an invitation from a friend and long-standing supporter. "Mary Donnell invited me to a coffee at Place of Hope. That's when I told Harold about the organization, and he got involved with the apartment furnishings. Then we went from there," recalled Nancy Tomlinson.
The 'furnishings' she mentions played a crucial role in shaping the Gary Peters Family Transitional Housing Complex in the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Village. Riding on Harold's successful career as a real estate developer and their collective commitment to the cause, they swung into action. "I mentioned it to him, and he hit the ground and made some calls and got some connections going and ended up furnishing eight apartments for living room areas, couches, tables, that stuff. And then we donated the TV’s," shared Nancy.
While Place of Hope is dedicated to breaking the vicious cycles of abuse, neglect, homelessness, and trafficking, the Tomlinson’s have been fortunate to enjoy a cycle of love, support, nurturing, and success within their own family. They aspire to extend this cycle of positivity to the young adults at Place of Hope. Speaking about his daughter, Harold said, "She's very smart. But we've been blessed. She graduated from SMU in Dallas with her undergraduate. And then she went to law school. We are also excited about our granddaughter. She’s got a 3.9 grade average, headed off to William & Mary in the fall. She’s on the tennis team serving up an 110 miles an hour ball."
The Tomlinson’s choice to give and support Place of Hope was made even easier thanks to the inspiration provided by their neighbors. "Three or four of our neighbors in the subdivision also gave to this new building, so we just got on the bandwagon when everybody said, ‘hey, we are going to give them money for an apartment.’"
The sight of those benefiting from their support further affirmed their commitment. Harold recalled, "You see all the people that live in here now, like a mother with three young kids. It's heartbreaking. It really does bring tears to your eyes, knowing that when they age out of foster care, they are out on the street unless they have somebody else to support them and a lot of these kids have no family, or they have no hope,” said Nancy. “Place of Hope helps them turn it around for the good.”
The Tomlinson’s also offered their own advice to the young adults at Place of Hope. Harold says, "Get a good education, be honest in all your endeavors and work hard." Nancy's words of wisdom to the young ladies are equally encouraging, "Listen to your heart, do what you love to do, and follow your instincts."
The Tomlinson’s are now also inspiring their friends and family to consider Place of Hope, illustrating the infectious nature of the spirit of giving. Furthermore, three years later, the initial contribution by the Tomlinson’s is expanding. Harold’s business connection, which furnished the apartments at the Gary Peters Foundation Transitional Housing Complex, is also making a similar contribution to the Palm Beach Gardens campus, Donna's Place at The Villages.
We are grateful for the Tomlinson’s generosity, leadership, and “Guardian” gift toward our campaign. Along with their circle of friends, they are creating ripples of change, touching countless lives and igniting inspiration within our community. If you desire to join the Tomlinson’s and other generous community leaders and help us build more critical housing during this affordability crisis, please contact us today about our “God’s Children. Our Future.” Campaign.
