Pure Hope Foundation establishes NTCC scholarship

pure hope group presents big check

The 91ֿ Foundation recently received a gift for $32,714 from Pure Hope Foundation (PHF) in Mount Vernon. Pictured at the check presentation (from left) is: Holly Morris, PHF Events Director, Ryan Morris, PHF COO/Executive Director, Dr. Kevin Rose, NTCC Senior Vice President for Student Success, Dr. Jonathan McCullough, NTCC Executive Vice President for Advancement, Michael Lee, PHF Co-Founder and Kathrine Lee, PHF Co-Founder/CEO. The donation established the Pure Hope Foundation General Scholarship, which will provide assistance for PHF students well into the future.

“Pure Hope Foundation is doing outstanding work to help victims of trafficking and we have seen great success from their students at NTCC. We are thrilled to partner with them for this scholarship,” McCullough said. 

Pure Hope Foundation (PHF) is a nonprofit founded in East Texas which offers restoration and healing services for survivors of sex trafficking. Since 2015, PHF has provided home, resourcing, programming and counsel to survivors. 

“We provide a beautiful, safe place to live within a vibrant community along with comprehensive programming for young women needing long-term restorative care,” Ryan Morris said. This residential, therapeutic model offers healthy community, educational/career assistance, and critical life skills, along with programming and counseling geared toward emotional healing. One of the drivers of long-term success is a strong education, which will prepare the young women for the workforce and a sustainable living.”

PHF has developed a partnership with NTCC over the years that has helped give young women the opportunity to achieve their dreams of a college education. 

“Our leadership team is so honored to partner with NTCC through the formation of this scholarship fund to help propel the educational endeavors of the young women we serve. We have experienced such remarkable outcomes for the young women who have earned degrees through NTCC over the years,” Ryan Morris said. “Among our alumni who have attended NTCC we celebrate thriving cosmetologists, paralegals now working on a law degree, those working toward a degree in nursing and some on track to earn a degree as social workers to serve other trafficking survivors.” 

PHF partnered with the Sahm Family Foundation out of California to establish this scholarship.  

“We are incredibly grateful for their extreme generosity and the resources shared with our foundation to allow us to provide such a quality education for the young women of Pure Hope Foundation at NTCC,” Ryan Morris said. 

To learn more about this and other scholarships at NTCC, visit  or contact McCullough at 903-434-8115 or jmccullough@ntcc.edu. To learn more about PHF, visit .