Hope City Counseling
Hope City Counseling is grace-centered Christian counseling with the same heart, mission, and purpose of The Cole Ellis Foundation. Though Hope City Counseling is a separate entity of The Cole Ellis Foundation, the Foundation works closely with the recommended professionals of Hope City Counseling. Additionally, they are who we use when placing a sponsored individual for counseling services.
God has put us here to pursue life, not death, and to find our joy in all that God has planned for us while we are here on earth.
For several years after Cole’s death, we had been praying that God would send the right counselors into our lives and that we would have a complete peace that they would bring a light and life into the world that we were so desperately trying to comfort and serve. A very special friend coordinated our first meeting, yet God had already been orchestrating the events and relationships in our lives to give us clarity and fulfill His promise. We have known their families for years and never knew that this couple who grew up and married would want to come back to our community to provide a breath of life and light. Through prayer and several meetings over the course of months, God opened the doors of Hope City Counseling. We are so very grateful that Richard and Alisa are on this journey with us. Hope City Counseling is the beginning of their dream to be a difference and our gift to partner with Cole’s Foundation. We have a hope and a future together with God creating the masterpiece of this story.
Montgomery Christian School
We choose to partner with Montgomery Christian School because their mission aligns so closely with our values: creating opportunities, strengthening families, and investing in the future of our community. Since 2007, MCS has been a place where children from across the River Region receive not only a strong academic foundation but also daily reminders of God’s love and purpose for their lives. Their commitment to providing an excellent Christian education that is accessible to every family—regardless of income—is both inspiring and deeply needed in our city.
What makes MCS unique is their model of affordability. While it costs more than $11,000 a year to educate a single child, families pay an average of just $54 per month, with every student receiving a scholarship. That gap is made possible only through the generosity of partners—businesses, churches, foundations, and individuals who believe every child deserves the chance to flourish. Supporting MCS means lifting the financial burden off parents, opening doors of opportunity for children, and strengthening the River Region as a whole.
We are proud to invest in MCS because we see the impact it makes. From small beginnings in borrowed space to a growing campus serving preschool through sixth grade, the school has flourished thanks to prayer, perseverance, and community support. Students are not only excelling in academics but are also thriving through enrichment programs in art, music, and more. Every story of growth, every classroom filled, and every child whose life is changed affirms why this partnership matters.
By supporting Montgomery Christian School, we are not just giving to a school—we are helping to build a stronger, more hopeful community. We partner with MCS because their mission transforms lives, and we want to be part of that transformation.
HAVEN Counseling
The Cole Ellis Foundation is proud to support Haven Counseling, a compassionate and evidence-based mental health practice that creates a safe space for healing, growth, and hope. Founded by Cole’s sister, Emma (Ellis) Gann, Haven Counseling offers personalized care for individuals, couples, families, children, and adolescents—helping with issues ranging from anxiety, grief, and trauma recovery to relationship challenges and life transitions.
At Haven Counseling, they offer personalized, evidence-based therapy to support individuals and families through life’s challenges. They are here to help you nurture your emotional health and move forward with strength.
What makes Haven especially deserving of our support is its commitment to emotional safety and inclusivity, its use of proven therapeutic methods (like cognitive-behavioral techniques and mindfulness), and its mission to walk alongside people in their struggle, not judge them. By helping strengthen mental wellness in our community, Haven Counseling aligns strongly with the Foundation’s values of compassion, empowerment, and creating positive change in people’s lives.