Jerry Hill, the Founder of Timothy Hill, was initially a preacher at the Riverhead Church of Christ in New York. He and his wife Fern opened their home and hearts to dozens of foster children who were in need of a family. Their oldest son, Timothy, saw the painful hardships and emotional suffering that the children had endured, and was deeply affected. He told his parents he wanted someday to… “Build a place where troubled kids could live, be loved, feel safe, and have wide open spaces to ride horses.”​

Timothy began working at age 12 to save money for the land where his dream could become a reality. He worked three paper routes and had already begun contacting real estate agents in search of property. His mother, Fern, recalls fielding return calls from disgruntled real estate agents wondering how a child could possibly afford to purchase land. She simply explained to them that she could not discourage her son from following his dream.

On May 11, 1972, a tragic bicycle-truck accident ended Timothy’s life at the young age of 13. His mother, wanting a way to commemorate his life, wrote a book entitled, “Graduation to Glory,” which recounted Timothy’s altruistic years and his visionary dream of opening up a ranch for troubled children and young people. Friends and neighbors responded spontaneously by creating a memorial fund earmarked “for Timothy’s Ranch.” Jerry and Fern adopted their son’s dream and God has blessed their journey ever since.

Timothy Hill opened its doors for the first time on November 15, 1980 and has been a safe haven for hundreds of children during desperate times of abuse, neglect, and crisis. Since these early days, Thaddaeus “Thud” Hill has taken over as executive director and expanded the vision to 4 states and counting…