Inner Excellence Freedom Project – Homes of Hope
Your donation will make a real difference in the lives of children in poverty. On their behalf, we thank you.
About
Purpose
The Inner Excellence Freedom Project is a 501c3 non-profit charity created to serve the disadvantaged, especially widows and orphans, disabled and imprisoned family members around the world, by building self-sustainable communities.
Mission
Build one self-sustainable, life-changing community at a time
Values
love, wisdom, courage, joy and freedom
A timeline of how the Inner Excellence Freedom Project got started
In the summer of 1999 I (Jim Murphy) received a call from Major League Baseball International. They asked if I was interested in being the hitting coach for the South African National Team (baseball) for the Olympic Trials. I flew to Johannesburg, South Africa and it changed my life.Our bat boy, Gift Ngoepe, was living in a part of the tool shed of our clubhouse, with his mother and little brother. At least they had brick walls, which is more than I can say for houses in Soweto, the township outside Joburg. I had never experienced poverty before, not this kind of poverty anyway. I vowed I would do something about it someday.- In 2002 I went to Mexico with my church in Vancouver, BC to help build a house for a family living in poverty. It was an incredible few days. Fast forward to 2014 and I began going to Mexico every fall to build a house with my friend David Bentall, and a group called Youth With a Mission, Homes of Hope (YWAM).
In Mexico I met the YWAM director, Tym Kemp, who is now the national director for Mexico. Tym said something that I never forgot. He said, “One of the biggest things that’s different when you live in poverty is a lack of choice. When we get sick, we go to the doctor. When our roof leaks, we call a roofer. When we need supplies, we go to home depot. Not when you live in poverty. You don’t have those options. There’s no freedom to go where you want to go, do what you want to do, or take care of yourself or your kids when they need care.At our most recent YWAM Mexico Homes of Hope trip, when we finished the home, our lead foreman told the family (after the key ceremony), “Have a great life!” I thought, “What if instead of building one-off homes each year, where they go off on their own, we raised some money and built 10 homes; and they shared supplies and helped each other?”To build one house, with electricity, small kitchen, bunk beds, and a locking door costs about $7,500. I thought, “What if I raised $75,000 and we built 10?” This question began a journey of meetings and mentors to sort out the best plan of action to do the most good and be most efficient with whatever resources we are given.- On April 26, 2017, Gift Ngoepe, our South African bat boy, became the first ever African-born player in Major League Baseball, playing shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Watch his first at-bat here.
- In the spring of 2019, I led the first ever Inner Excellence workshop/retreat at Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wa. The massive complex houses 2,400 inmates across all levels of minimum to maximum security. It was the most grateful group I’ve ever worked with. There were five two hour sessions, with a certificate of completion given at the end. It was an extremely gratitude-filled finish.
- On March 20, 2019, we were approved by the IRS with 501c3 status.
- On April 13, 2019, we had our first advisory team meeting. Those present were:
- Tym Kemp, YWAM Mexico, Director
- David Bentall, President, Next Step Advisors
- Frank Geier, COO, Northland Properties
- Mike Bishop, VP, Lowtide Properties
- Wendy Bishop, Executive Director, Executive Education, Sauder School of Business, UBC
- Robin Oldring, President, Oldring Consulting Group
- Ricky Scruggs, Cpt, Salvation Army, Nampa, Id
- Jim Murphy, President, Inner Excellence Freedom Project
Misc. notes
My sister Naomi has been one of the inspirations behind my drive to help the disadvantaged, especially the handicapped. She had a seizure when she was two, which damaged part of her brain, and she’s been a fighter ever since—well, a champion is more like it. She is I think the mentally toughest person I’ve ever met. She stays grateful in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances, day after day. Naomi is an incredible human, and has inspired me beyond measure.
My life purpose
The purpose of my life is to share God’s love, wisdom and courage with professional athletes and leaders around the world, so we can share it with the rest of the world.
The Inner Excellence Foundation Inc. (IXF) was created to help me carry out this mission.
