Friends —

Five years ago I started NewHope with a conviction that East Tennessee needed a different kind of healthcare operator. One built on faith, accountability, and genuinely meeting people where they are. Today we serve 110 active clients and around 800 souls a year. The work is real. The impact is real. And so is the weight of carrying it.

I'm writing to a small circle of people I trust — friends, family, and folks who have walked alongside me as this thing has grown — to ask for help in a season where I need it.

WHAT THIS IS

A personal request for gifts to me, Buddy Clay, to help me steady the ship at NewHope as we move into our next chapter. Your gift comes to me personally. I'll deploy it into the business in the way that strengthens it most — starting with paying down operating debt.

WHAT THIS ISN'T

This is not a donation to a nonprofit. NewHope is a for-profit LLC, and gifts here are NOT TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. I want to be straight with you about that up front. What I'm asking for is the kind of help that only comes from people who believe in the mission and in me personally.

A WORD ON THE NUMBER

I'll be honest — $300,000 feels like a mountain when I look at it. And I want to name something else honestly too: over the last two years, most of what I'd built personally went into my health. It wasn't planned, it wasn't a business decision, and I'd make the same choice again. But it's the reason I'm asking for help to steady the business now, rather than steadying it on my own.

Three things keep me standing as I write this:

First, God moves mountains. He always has. I've watched Him do it in my own life and in the lives of the people we serve at NewHope every week. I'm not asking out of fear. I'm asking out of faith that the same God who put this mission on my heart, and who carried me through the last two years, is the one walking with me through this season too.

Second, I would never ask anyone for something I wouldn't do for them. If the roles were reversed and someone I trusted was carrying the weight of a mission like this, I'd want to be in their corner. That's the only reason I have the courage to write this at all.

Third, a mountain looks a lot smaller when a group of people each takes a piece. If 50 friends move $5,000, the mountain is gone. If 100 friends move $2,500, the mountain is gone. That's why the most powerful thing you can do — even if you can't give yourself — is share this page with one person you know who might want to stand with us. Forwarding this is just as much a gift as giving.

WHAT YOUR GIFT DOES

Pays down operating debt so NewHope can breathe and grow without the weight on the books.

Keeps 110+ active clients in continuous care without interruption.

Positions us for the next chapter — including expanding into residential mental health, which East Tennessee desperately needs.

Every dollar goes to retiring operating debt and stabilizing the business. No new offices. No salaries. No fluff.

A FEW PRACTICAL NOTES

Any amount helps. Several friends have asked about $5,000 — that's a meaningful number for me, but smaller gifts matter just as much.

Up to $19,000 per person — or $38,000 from a married couple — in 2026 requires zero paperwork on your end.

Above that? Still no tax to you. Just a one-page IRS Form 709 filing at tax time. Your CPA handles it in five minutes.

I'm happy to jump on a call with anyone who wants to hear the full picture, see the books, or pray over the decision before giving. Just reach out: buddy@newhopehealthtn.com.

A FEW QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE

IS THIS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE?

No. NewHope is a for-profit LLC, so these are personal gifts to me, not charitable donations. If a tax write-off matters to you, reach out and we can talk about other paths.

WHERE DOES MY MONEY ACTUALLY GO?

Directly to me personally. I'll then put it into NewHope as a documented member loan, and NewHope will use the proceeds to retire operating debt. Everything is papered properly with my CPA and attorney.

CAN I GIVE MORE THAN $19,000?

Absolutely. Gifts above $19,000 — or $38,000 from a married couple — in 2026 just require you to file IRS Form 709 at tax time. No actual tax is owed unless you've already used your $13.99M lifetime exemption. Almost no one has.

CAN I SEE FINANCIALS BEFORE GIVING?

Yes. Email me at buddy@newhopehealthtn.com and we'll set up a call. Full transparency for anyone who asks.

CAN I SEND A CHECK INSTEAD?

Yes. Reach out and I'll send mailing instructions. A check made out to Buddy Clay personally works the same as giving online.

WILL MY NAME BE PUBLIC?

Only if you want it to be. GiveSendGo lets you give anonymously, and I won't share names without permission either way.

THANK YOU

Whatever you decide, thank you for reading this far. Even forwarding this page to one person who might want to stand with us is a gift.

Built in the fire,

Buddy Clay

Founder, NewHope

buddy@newhopehealthtn.com