Today we’d like to introduce you to Nichole Richardson.
Hi Nichole, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story began when my mother moved us from a little island called St. Kitts to the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) so that we could obtain our U.S. citizenship. As a child growing up, I have always wanted to start my own business and give back to the community. I’ve had strong leadership skills from an early age; when I was 16, I started my own dance team called “Ladies with Class” and another group called “Coragrave.” In addition to dance, we did many outreach activities like volunteering at home for the elderly. Who would have thought that a small leadership position would prepare me for my future career in Management?
As I got older, I worked with various health care companies, and I found myself becoming frustrated with the way clients/patients were being treated by those companies. Not enough was done to ensure clients/patients knew their rights or to help them obtain the additional resources they needed.
That frustration encouraged me to open my own non-profit organization called “Mothers Choice Learning Center,” a home away from home. The primary goal of the organization was to help families maintain economic stability and find resources they need to help them survive. I worked with Jennifer Beck who was, at the time, working with cancer patients. I would help those patients apply for benefits while also finding them community resources that included federally funded programs, such as food stamps, and guide them to community-led outreach services like food banks, churches, and corporate ministries. Not only was I assisting cancer patients, but also mentally ill patients, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of violence.
I did all of this while attending university to finish getting a degree and worked full time. It eventually became a financial burden with no additional volunteers or support as the cases grew. Yet, I never stopped helping others, even when my husband urged me to slow down. Eventually, my husband lost his job due to the tragic events that took place on September 11, 2001. I had to work two (2) jobs to continue going to school and continue the non-profit because it was my calling and my purpose.
One day I read information on non-profits that would lead to me to adjust my work schedule to accommodate continuous volunteering at the time; I met another mom who was struggling to cover childcare, and I related to her because I was dealing with the same issue. I reached out to various churches to see if they would allow me to open an after-school creative writing program. Most of them turned me down, but I was convinced that if I could start this program, the benefit would be twofold. I would be able to reduce my expensive childcare costs and be able to assist other families who struggled like me and make it cost-efficient.
Eventually, I was able to find a church, and I employed women who had a challenging time finding work or women that could not afford childcare; so, I offered them free childcare and a salary. With my assistance, one employee who was living in an extended stay hotel with her kids was able to move out and get an apartment. I purchased a 15-passage van to transport students to and from school and allowed one of my employees, who did not have transportation, to drive the minivan free of charge so she could make it to work. The after-school program was a great start, and I extended the program to a summer camp. There were many families like me who could not afford summer camp.
I started a low-income summer camp where families paid only $400 for eight weeks (about two months) and included an enrichment program. Those costs covered the children’s meals, education, and field trips. At the end of the summer, I would host a “Back to School” event where I’d give away backpacks with school supplies to students who needed them and a “Toy for Tots” event where we handed out toys during the holidays. I also did Family Makeovers, where I would get a team of over 30 volunteers and makeover the family’s home for free. We did the works, painting and decorating from top to bottom. Donations were provided to us from Mattress Firm, The Atlanta Falcons, The Gwinnett Braves, Home Depot, and many others. Both programs ran for eight years.
I have had many achievements and many setbacks throughout my life, and through it, all my family and friends keep me going and they continue to support me. I have learned that anything is possible, and no dream is too big and that having faith without a work ethic is counterproductive.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road. I was then in 2007 later diagnose with sudo tumor ceribri ( false tumor of the brain, and in 2014 after a MRI I was told that I had a fatty liver. There’s no stopping me though. God continues to grant me life, even when “medically” I shouldn’t be here. I take every day as a blessing and each day is a new opportunity for greatness.
Although I was able to do a lot for the community, it was financially taxing. There were times where I was not able to pay my rent or car note. I would take time off work to pick up children from school because my employees called out or quit. Unfortunately, I decided to discontinue the after-school program, but I kept the summer camp going until 2016. In that same year, my mother passed away and I did not feel I got a chance to grieve her death.
I decided to host my third annual Woman’s Empowerment Conference to heal after the tragedy. After the summer camp closed, I felt compelled to continue doing work in health care. At the time, I was working in hospice and end-of-life care; I figured I would help families go through end of life with their loved ones the correct way since I was robbed of that chance with my mother.
I worked with several hospice companies, built relationships, and studied the knowledge of compliance which inspired me to open my own hospice company. I worked two (2) additional jobs in the same area of hospice so that I could cover the costs. I had to do it on my own without any loans. I returned home to where I was raised and opened the first black-owned hospice company. My company provides in-home hospice care to the people of the Virgin Islands, providing doctors, nurses, CNAs, chaplains, and social workers to a very underserved community. We also proudly provide full employee benefits, including medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, and air ambulance in the USVI. In my first year, I also opened a second location in Atlanta, GA.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Mother’s Choice Learning Center is a non-profit organization whose primary focus is to build economic stability in families in their community.
Tropical Health LLC a health and hospice service company located in the United States Virgin Islands and Atlanta, Georgia. Our primary goal is to provide hospice care for terminal and elderly patients while going through end-of-life care; we are managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). Tropical health is the people’s choice for quality healthcare.
What sets me apart is my drive for success and passion for helping people while building a successful company. I strive for excellence and success despite any obstacles that I encounter throughout my life. I hope that my story motivates others to keep persevering amid adversity. I want to encourage others to move forward and remind them that “no dream is too big, and no challenge is too great.”
What matters most to you?
What matters the most to me is that I continue to live with a purpose. Everything I do is through the grace of my creator, and I want to ensure that his son’s ultimate sacrifice of dying on the cross was not in vain.
I am not perfect, and I do not have a squeaky-clean beginning, middle, or present, but I care about my work and the people in my life enough to continue to do what I do.
Contact Info:
- Email: nikkyfrancis@gmail.com
- Website: tropicalhealthhs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tropicalhealthllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tropicalhealthllc/
Image Credits:
Nichole Richardson
Mother’s Choice Learning Center
Culture Rok Media Group
