Investing in People is a Multiplying Gift
God is in the business of making all things new - He always has been and always will be. Just when we think we’ve learned a thing or two, He likes to change what we think we know in order for us to grow. There’s loss and gain in every season, and yet the hope and beauty of newness refreshes our souls.
“It’s always impressed me to see how flexible BHITC continues to be,” says Terry Repak, supporter, along with his late wife, Michaele. “My hope, along with Michaele’s, is for the Building Hope team to continue doing good things and innovating. It is when we stay responsive to change that we grow into the new things God has for us,” he says.
After decades as an architect, Terry explains how thinking outside the box and developing asymmetrical solutions aligns with his professional background. He was drawn to the work of BHITC through its ability to respond to the world around them by stepping in to solve problems in new ways.
Terry and Michaele were married July 4, 2010, and quickly began a full and beautiful life together. The couple had a shared love for traveling to places near and far, enjoyed Cleveland’s music scene and museums along with many, many Cleveland Indians games. They spent as much time together as they possibly could, including their shopping, salon appointments and entertaining family and friends in their home.
Before Michaele was called to glory in 2021, she made it clear she wanted to leave a significant gift to BHITC, one of several organizations the couple faithfully supported together for many years. Terry recalls the fun they especially had together shopping for BHITC’s annual Christmas Store, which blesses city families with brand-new gifts for their children at a fraction of retail prices.
“As part of Michaele’s legacy, I decided to match her wish with another gift to BHITC in her honor,” says Terry. In doing so, the couple made a leadership gift to the organization’s Flourish campaign, a five-year strategic effort, which launched this past July, to go deeper in two communities where the Lord is already blessing the organization – the Clark-Fulton & Stockyards neighborhoods and Cleveland’s refugee and immigrant community.
In fact, their legacy is now reflected on the updated signage outside of The Hope Center, as you can see in this photo. What a beautiful representation of how God is doing new things in people’s lives as they begin again in a new country, learn a new language, find new homes, jobs and everything in between.
“Very often, planned and estate gifts such as this are the largest ones a person will ever make and the most transformational for organizations like BHITC,” says Brian Upton, Executive Director. “And, it can be among the easiest, as it all happens after someone has received their eternal reward.”
Terry shares how people are at the center of their giving. “I want BHITC to do what it does best with our gift, and that is people. Giving people employment and life skills, job opportunities, business support and tools to learn and progress. That is exciting to me,” says Terry. Michaele spent decades as a teacher, so it’s safe to say Terry echoes both of their hearts with these words.