Community Highlights: Meet Chris Barnhill of Frank Town Open Hearts Ministry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Barnhill.

Chris, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up a preacher’s kid in Texas. Ministry and service to others was a core component of my upbringing. I went to a Bible college in Oklahoma thinking I would follow in my father’s ministry footsteps, and did spent the first several years of my career as a Youth Pastor.

From there, I segwayed into various parachurch ministries and have been serving as Franktown’s Executive Director for the past eight years.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Running a nonprofit is vastly different from ministry. Seminary school doesn’t teach you about strategic planning, budgeting, dealing with personnel issues, fundraising, or dealing with strong personalities on a Board of Directors. I went back to school and got a specialized MBA; one that focused on nonprofit management.

When I first came to Franktown there had been some turmoil a few months before, and even though the organization had started in 2005, it felt more like a startup. We spent the first year recruiting Board members, developing collateral material, doing a strategic plan, creating a web page… The work we did was “all hands on deck” boots on the ground – if the bus needed gas, or a mailer needed to be stuffed and stamped, we all pitched in.

The fundraising component is always the most difficult – we do great work and change lives, but how do you quantify the growth of a child’s character… their improved outlook on life…or the restoration of hope in their lives? And even if lives are being changed, if those positive changes don’t directly impact the donor, they won’t know it…unless you tell them.

Raising money for a church where the members attend, or for a school where the children of the donor attend is easier than raising funds for a building or for a program that the donor doesn’t necessarily see. We must communicate the results well to make them want to donate again.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Franktown Open Hearts mission: ‘We bring hope to Williamson County’s inner-city youth by giving them the educational and vocational tools necessary to positively impact their lives’. FTOH is a faith-based organization dedicated to assisting the disadvantaged, underserved children in Franklin, by giving them the same resources, opportunities, and encouragement as more affluent children receive.

Our history: Founded in 2005, Franktown Open Hearts was originally established to serve children in the inner-city communities of Franklin, TN. Because Franklin and Williamson County are recognized as one of the most affluent areas in the state of Tennessee, most people don’t even realize public housing developments exist in this area. This results in the residents, and particularly the youth, being underserved concerning social and academic resources.

What we do: We provide a nutritious meal, educational programming, and character-building activities to school-age children on weekday afternoons/evenings during the school year; and weekdays during the summer months; along with vocational training and experiences on Saturdays throughout the year.

Educational Programming includes tutoring, STEM classes, Robotics, a Reading Program, computer classes, business/finance classes, leadership development, and public speaking.

Vocational Programming includes automotive repair, woodworking, art, welding, culinary, recreation, hunting/fishing, and sewing.

Franktown serves approximately 170 school-age children, living in government-subsidized or low-income housing. 100% of the children we serve live below the poverty line, with the average annual income being $12,563. Twenty-nine of our families make less than $10,000 a year. 99% of the children we serve in a single-parent home; and 45% do not live with either parent (being raised by an older sibling, an aunt, or a grandmother) – all are minorities. Only half of the adults in the community have graduated high school; over 50% are unemployed.

Impacts: After several years of service to these youth, the successes of Franktown have made a strong positive impact on these communities. Sixty-nine teens have become Christians since 2020; most have improved their grades in school; 92% of our kids are at/above reading level; 100% of our graduates ‘launched’ (attending college, enrolled in trade school or an apprenticeship, or gained immediate employment); and 100% of our parents would recommend Franktown to others. *In December 2021, Bill Lee awarded Franktown the ‘Governor’s Award of Excellence’ for exceptional service to the community and State.

What do you think about happiness?
Franktown has been the most rewarding ministry of my career. Working with kids all my life has forced me to be satisfied with ‘delayed gratification’ – meaning you often don’t know the outcomes or impacts of your work. You plant the seed and pour it into the life of a child, but then you or the student moves on and you usually do not know how they turn out – “Was I impactful to them?” “Did they do well later in life; and did my efforts play a part in that?”

This is the first ministry that I have led and I am blessed to see the impact we are making. I get to see it right away. Exposing these kids to culture and the arts… exposing and training them in the trades… showing them that they CAN learn skills and have a fulfilling career… seeing their confidence and self-esteem grow… teaching them a work ethic. It is truly rewarding to witness them develop and change right before my eyes.

Contact Info:

• Website: FranktownOpenHearts.com
• Instagram: @FrankTownOpenHearts
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franktownoh