The magazine of faith, family & hope in action
BOND–FIRE
Our first family
What hope restored.
Jay Bond’s journey through addiction, loss and separation—and back to recovery, purpose and fatherhood.
A letter from our founder
Hope is not a theory to our family.
Issue No. 01 · The beginning
Dear House of Hope family,
There are stories we tell because they are polished—and there are stories we tell because they are true. BOND-FIRE was created for the true ones: the stories that have known fire, but still carry light.
It feels right that our first edition begins with my brother Jay. His story is not separate from the story of Auntie Boo’s House of Hope—it is part of why House of Hope exists today. When addiction and incarceration separated him from his sons, and their mother could no longer care for them, my home became their home. I was already raising four young children after divorce. Then, almost overnight, I became a mother of seven.
Those years taught me that love can say yes while still needing help. They taught me what it costs to keep siblings together, to steady children through uncertainty and to carry a family when the paperwork, groceries, appointments and emotions do not stop. They also showed me what can happen when a community refuses to let one family carry everything alone.
Jay is now seven years into recovery. He is present. He is serving. He is a father again—and now a grandfather. That is what hope looks like when it is given room to live.
Welcome to BOND-FIRE. Come close. These stories belong around the fire.
With faith and gratitude,
Rebecca “Bex” Bond
Founder & Executive Director
Our first family · Jay Bond
The long road home.
Recovery did not erase the past. It gave Jay the chance to become present for the future.
Chapter one
Fifteen years in the fight.
For fifteen years, Jay battled heroin addiction. His wife was fighting addiction too, and ultimately lost her life to it. The disease took time, stability and precious years from their family. Incarceration created another separation: a father away from his sons, and children left needing safety, consistency and care.
“My story carries grief. But it also carries proof that God can rebuild a life.”
The turning point
Recovery became a daily decision.
Jay’s comeback was not one dramatic moment. It was a series of decisions: choosing sobriety, choosing accountability, choosing to stay when life was difficult and choosing to keep rebuilding trust.
in recovery
Purpose after pain
He turned survival into service.
In 2023, Jay completed the training and examination to become a Certified Peer Recovery Coach in Michigan. His lived experience became a bridge to people who needed someone able to say, truthfully, “I understand—and there is still a way forward.”
Restoration
Back where he belongs.
Today, Jay is reunited with his sons. He is there for ordinary days, proud milestones and new beginnings. One of those beginnings made him a grandfather: Jacob holding his brand-new baby girl.
The greatest picture of recovery is not a certificate. It is a father standing beside his children again.
The picture we were waiting for
Fatherhood, restored.
No podium. No certificate. Just Jay standing beside all three of his sons—together again. Recovery gave him the chance to be the father he was always meant to be.
House of Hope in action
The “yes” before there was a nonprofit.
Auntie Boo’s House of Hope began as a family opening its door before it knew how every need would be met.
Bex’s story
Four children became seven.
In 2018, Bex was rebuilding life after divorce and raising four children ages nine and under. When her three nephews needed a safe home, she brought them together under one roof and later adopted them so the brothers would not be separated.
The family carried grief, trauma, appointments, school needs and the ordinary expense of feeding and clothing seven growing children. Friends and community members stepped in with practical help. Their generosity did more than meet needs—it showed Bex the model that would one day become Guardian Angel Kinship Relief.
House of Hope was not born from an idea on paper. It was born in a home that needed hope—and found it through people who showed up.
A small moment from those years
The car rides became family memories, too.
Kinship care is made of everyday moments like this: children talking, laughing and being themselves while a new family rhythm takes shape.
Words of encouragement
“Some of the strongest families are not the ones who never struggle. They are the ones who keep choosing each other in the middle of it.”
— Bex
Kinship Education
Children should not have to lose their family in order to find safety.
Meet Guardian Angel Kinship Relief
Upcoming eventComing this holiday season
Christmas Under the Stars
For up to 30 kinship and referred families, Christmas Under the Stars will be more than a gift distribution. It will be a night of dignity, delight and memories children can carry with them.
There are gifts to gather, bicycles to build, wishes to fulfill and caregivers to remember. This is how a community turns generosity into wonder.
Partners around the fire
The founding edition’s partner shout-outs.
Each edition of BOND-FIRE will welcome the newest sponsors and partners who are helping hope reach farther. These are the first names written into our story.
Founding Strategic Partner
Lisa Cimino
Chandler Community FellowshipVisit Chandler Community Fellowship ↗
Founding Music Partner
Whitney Jones Music
Music rooted in reality, gratitude and healing.Meet Whitney ↗
Future editions will spotlight that month’s newest partners—making every welcome personal and every issue part of our growing history.
Until the next fire
Hope lives here.
Where Children Flourish. Families Find Hope. Communities Grow Stronger.