In January 2024 the Maumee Bay Club hosted the Grassroots Nonprofit Bootcamp, a six month community education program that trained 10 nonprofit organizations the basics of operating their nonprofit as a business. There were nine individuals who joined the group from a local church, New Life COGIC. Upon graduation, the organization with the best attendance and completion rate were awarded a consultation with a local nonprofit development firm. They won the consultation and Hope Connections was born.

By December of 2024, Hope Connections was an official 501c3 organization, sponsored and financially supported by New Life COGIC for the first year of operations. During their inaugural year, Hope Connections contracted with Crystal Taylor, of Crystal Clear Communications to serve as an Executive Director and built a board of directors who were internally focused, to ensure their organizational capacity could handle the task before them – making a positive change in the Englewood Community in Toledo, Ohio. They built committees, completed strategic planning, implemented policies and procedures, took additional training with the State of Ohio – all so that they could be well informed and operate in compliance with the state rules and regulations.

In June 2025, Board VP, Terrilynn Cook introduced the team to colleague Cindy Eggleston, Founder of Brilliant Cities. There were site visits and focus groups to learn more about building Kid Success Neighborhoods. By October 2025 Hope Connections had become the first affiliate of Brilliant Cities and made plans to open its first Brilliant Toledo house in the first quarter of 2026. Our programming mix began with engaging dialog and a community survey to hear from residents what they desired in their community. The board also spent time meeting with existing organizations, the Lincoln School Coalition and Englewood Smith Park Proud to craft a strategy that built leadership and capacity in those organizations as they worked collaboratively with Hope Connections, who could serve as a fiscal agent for funding applications. In a full circle moment, Hope Connections has become what those nine members learned as a part of the Grassroots Nonprofit Bootcamp.

Today, Hope Connections serves as a community connection organization, hosting programs, building relationships and serving the residents of the Englewood Community.  We are actively looking for a property in Englewood to purchase and rehab this winter. In January 2026 Hope Connections will launch the first Brilliant Toledo program to include Family Workshops, a Summer Literacy Program and a Community Garden. If you or your organization is interested in partnering with us, contact Crystal at 419.215.0735.