It’s not what Cope sees or hears that sets her apart so much as the fact that she spends her life doing things that a lot of other people don’t. Or won’t.
The 68-year-old Cope has dedicated her life to helping others. She has run a nursing home ministry, a jail ministry, a street ministry and a women’s ministry.
And she has traveled the world on mission trips to Egypt, Israel, Trinidad, Honduras, Brazil and Africa.
“I’ve been to all of those places, but God brought me right back here to this corner,” Cope says, referring the intersection of Seventh and Heaton streets in Hamilton’s north end.
That’s where eight years ago Cope opened Kelly’s House of Love, an outreach ministry named for an abuse victim who committed suicide.
Kelly’s caters to children ages 6 to 18, featuring activities such as crafts, singing, dancing, basketball, junior police academy, face pointing, animal balloons and puppets.
“It’s a place where kids of all ages can go to have a great time in a positive way,” Cope says. “We tell them we love them and let them know how important they are to Jesus and that there’s a better way of life to encourage them.”
Cope’s vision for a playground across from Kelly’s came to fruition last spring, and she has dreams of opening a teen center once she comes up with the funds.
She’s a positive force in a neighborhood with plenty of negatives, and you don’t have to be a visionary for that to be plain to see.
‘Not a bit afraid’
Cope is not wealthy, but that doesn’t prevent her from giving something valuable to those who need it most.
That something is hope.
“I see the people walking by here,” Cope says of the corner of Seventh and Heaton streets, where she runs Kelly’s House of Love on a modest monthly Social Security check and donations.
“You’re supposed to have a sparkle in your eye, and so many of these people don’t,” she continues. “And it’s not the drugs or alcohol. They’ve just lost all hope. I want to give these people something to dream about, something to hope about.”
An acquaintance of Cope’s, Kelly was a woman in her mid-20’s who had been sexually and physically abused her whole life until she ended it with a gunshot through her heart.
A survivor of abuse herself, the 68-year-old Cope has dedicated herself to helping other people, whether it be children through Kelly’s House of Love or adults through one of the many ministries she has run.
She is intent on making both her neighborhood and its people better, and she gets that done in ways that are both gentle and fierce.
One day she might be dropping off groceries at the home of someone who is down on his luck or buying a meal at McDonald’s for a homeless person. The next day she’s charging across the street to get in the face of a man 40 years younger who dared to bring a beer can onto the playground she worked so hard to have built.
“If they’re drinking or doing drugs around my kids, I will run them out of there,” she says. “I’m not a bit afraid to go over there, and if I have to jerk them by the hair or the collar, I will.”
Cope has carried a soft spot for young people in her heart for 38 years, ever since a miscarriage and the subsequent news that she would never be able to have children.
“I remember driving in my car and there was a preacher on the radio who said, ‘There’s a woman out there who feels like she has failed because she can’t have children,’ ” Cope recalls. “God said to tell you that he has a higher purpose for you to help children all over the world.”
And that is exactly what she’s done. In addition to giving the children of Hamilton a place to come and have fun while learning about God, Cope has helped children in countries all across the globe through her mission trips.
And within the past year, she has found someone who calls her “mom.”
Stephanie Brown moved in with Cope in November after her mother passed away.
“I call her mom because that’s what she is to me,” says Brown, who has lived a difficult 33 years.
“I never knew anybody could care this much about me and not want something,” Brown continues. “I’m learning so much from her.”
One of Cope’s favorite sayings from the Bible is “Trade your title for a towel,” referring to the story where Jesus picked up a towel and started washing the disciples’ feet following the last supper.
“That never leaves me,” she says. “That’s all I think about. Don’t get caught up in who you are. It’s all about servanthood.
“When you believe in something and you know that it’s the right thing to do, you can’t give up,” Cope continues. “You’ve got to push forward. You have to have hope.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.
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