Gary Randle
“A lot has transpired since the beginning, but the destiny remains the same. One thing is clear to me, my ability is subpar at best, but when I make myself available all kinds of things happen. I’m constantly surprised! My best attribute is a character flaw...”
The Hunter
Whose call is to protect the hunted.
Have you ever thought that the meaning of your name is the purpose of your mission? For Gary, it is so. He is the “spear carrier” of the battle, the warrior. He carries the burden of saving at-risk boys, nurturing and training them to become leaders, not inmates. He fights for them with all that he has. His name is his purpose and his mission!
After a “Weekend of Champions” prison trip to Amarillo, Texas, he could not shake the pull to do something about the plight of African-American males. He would bravely take that vision and go on to become Co-Founder and Executive Director of HOPE Farm, a place where young inner city boys are transformed by cultivating the whole child- spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
Mentorship was a strong component of the program because of fatherlessness in the lives of the majority of these males. Gary states, “ I knew that I couldn’t do anything for the guys who were in prison, but I could do something to keep guys from going to prison.” Knowing that something had to be done, he prayed, and began the work, the work of transformation. He and his co-founder launched their dream, HOPE Farm.
HOPE Farm is a leadership program guiding at-risk boys to become Christ- centered men of integrity that will be leaders in their families, churches, communities, and the nation. It was founded in 1989 by Gary Randle and Noble Crawford, two former law enforcement officers. They shared the burden of the high level of minority males within the criminal justice system and the personal and societal impact of fatherlessness in most of those males’ lives. Based on his philosophy that “it is easier to prepare than to repair” and realizing the importance of early intervention, they began HOPE Farm to help develop boys without the benefit of a Godly male influence in the home and additionally to support the women raising the boys.
Gary has helped build a program of accountability that encourages boys to achieve standards of excellence. After fifteen years with the Fort Worth Police Department and twenty-five years as the Founder of Hope Farm, Gary finds himself repurposing. Gary’s circle is different, but the mission is the same.
Gary was a native of Riverside, California. In his second year of Junior College, Gary was recruited to play basketball at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. He graduated with a BA in General Studies and a Minor in Criminal Justice. The epitome of a family man, he is an excellent husband, loving father, and faithful friend. Married to Marilyn for 36 years. they are the proud parents of an adult daughter, Gabrielle.
