Sanctified Hope: Boudreaus shares inspiring story of redemption

The 50s-themed Sanctified Hope fundraiser gala March 25 included food, fun, and Elvis. However, the star of the evening was one of the organization’s graduates.

Sanctified Hope is a faith-based transitional service for formerly incarcerated women to develop job skills and self-sufficiency. Participants are partnered with a personal mentor, participate in small groups, and are guided through programs to encourage self awareness, community consciousness, acceptance, and forgiveness.

SLIDE SHOW

Event emcee September James hugs Sanctified Hope graduate Tiffany Boudreaus after Boudreaus shared her journey of transformation and redemption with the audience.

Emcee September James

Elvis (Harvey McFadden) helps to get guests all shook up..

Mary Kathryn Nader enters a bid on a silent auction item.

Jo Warren of Grace House Ministries and Sanctified Hope founder Janet Duvall show off their 50s-style poodle skirts before the banquet.

Volunteers Janie Hanna and Marie Ortez pour water and sweet peach tea for the banquet.

Parker County Cruisers member Red Waller, center with cowboy hat, presents a check for $1,000 to Sanctified Hope workers and volunteers. Parker County Cruisers president James Logan stands behind Waller for the presentation.

Car enthusiast John Gordon looks at the modified V8 engine of a 1956 Ford F100 displayed by Parker County Cruisers at the Sanctified Hope fundraising banquet on March 25 at Willow Park Baptist Church. Gordon said his own first vehicle was a 1958 Olds 98.

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Tiffany Boudreaus’ father could not deal with his own issues and left the family when Boudreaus was young. After several imprisonments, she lost custody of her own children which were being raised by her mother. After several failures, Boudreaus realized she was not going to change on her own and sought out Sanctified Hope.

The audience listened motionless as she described her journey from being helpless with no direction in life after five incarcerations to being a confident, responsible and caring individual.

“It took work, but it changed my life,” Boudreaus said. “The women were so welcoming and the staff was so helpful. It all just came to the point where I finally accepted me as me.”

Boudreaus lived and worked in a group of four formerly incarcerated clients and had a session with a mentor once a week. One by one, the other clients of her group dropped out.

“I might have been alone, but I knew the Lord was with me,” she told the audience. “The greatest thing I learned was to make peace with my past, to forgive myself. My dad left when I was very young and now he is my best friend. He had addictions and problems he had to deal with and I learned to forgive him.”

Fun and fundraising

The event at Willow Park Baptist Church started with a parking lot classic car show by the Parker County Cruisers. The auto group does multiple car shows in the county and donates the proceeds to the charity of various member’s choice. The group has donated $17,000 to Parker County charities this year and presented members of Sanctified Hope with a check for $1,000, which was member Red Waller’s charity of choice.

“We do this all over Parker County,” Waller said. “Members come up with charity suggestions and we all vote on where we will go next.”

James Logan, who has been president of Parker County Cruisers for six years, said the group has operated this way for more than 30 years.

A silent auction and banquet drew guests to the fundraiser and Elvis entertainer Harvey McFadden from Anson, Texas, entertained the mostly 50s dressed crowd.

To make donations or obtain information about Sanctified Hope, call 817-901-5446, email info@sanctifiedhope.org, or visit www.sanctifiedhope.org.