Life & Work with Jim Foliano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Foliano. 

Hi Jim, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Ticket To Hope was created by tracing my family’s childhood challenges and turning them into life-changing experiences for others. I have a passion for giving back to the community and helping others who need it most because I’ve witnessed firsthand how difficult it can be to overcome hardships. 

I watched my parents struggle to deal with illness and financial issues. Consequently, I also witnessed the psychological toll it took on my parents and how quickly life can change due to unforeseen circumstances. I learned how easy it is to grow fearful when you consistently see discouraging trends of the present and assume things will never change—constantly asking yourself, “What if the worst happens?” while living under these conditions. The burden of a fearful mindset can be all-encompassing. It’s an unhealthy and troubling way to live. 

During these times, some of my fondest memories of my family’s struggles came from attending Cincinnati Reds games with my father. The experience would lead to great memories during troubling times and allow my family a bit of relief from their troubles. The experience provided an opportunity for HOPE. 

I won a lottery to purchase tickets for a pretty unique sporting event in Columbus, OH. I contacted a local Ronald McDonald House to see if any families currently staying with them would like an evening to take their minds off their struggles for a moment. The response from the family and staff was overwhelming. Six months after creating my 501(c)(3) recognized nonprofit, we’ve created and donated over 750 unique event experiences by donating sporting event tickets, access to concerts, amusement parks, museums, etc.  

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve overcome many challenges, and the results have led to even more donated blessings and experiences. Driving our motivation to grow is building and strengthening our communities and giving others a breath of fresh air to help them change their perspective and provide peace and HOPE. Remove them from their hardships, if only for an evening, to try and help them push that mental reset button. 

Growing a company from the ground floor is new to me, and it’s been quite a learning experience. However, I’ve had so much support and help from our community leaders and business owners to get this nonprofit up and running. The result has been enormous feedback from both the recipients of the experiences and donors. We’re well on our way to achieving many short-term goals, which I’ve lined up for our company and setting the base for a longstanding staple in the community. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I can’t label our mission as work, as I consider it much more of a passion for giving back. “It’s better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35); Giving is inspiring. I truly feel when I can give back, it creates so much happiness, and it’s a feeling I keep chasing. I believe true joy and peace don’t happen until you can give back. It doesn’t have to be on a scale of what I’m trying to accomplish with Ticket To Hope, but it can be something as little as a compliment, holding a door open, or helping someone out without asking for support. It’s almost an accomplishment that you can feel by truly just giving generously.

We have multiple projects in the works to try and help increase awareness as well as build revenue towards our mission. Our ultimate goal is to provide an all-exclusive experience. Why stop at just providing tickets? I have the vision to provide transportation for a family that doesn’t have a way to make an event, a budget for food for the evening, or possibly even a t-shirt. Many of the experiences we have provided thus far have been to children who have never attended a sporting event.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Considering luck or passion for excelling is probably in the eye of the beholder, I’m very much a believer in making “one more call.” Some of my most significant accomplishments in my personal life and with Ticket To Hope have come from picking myself up after hearing “no” and taking one more opportunity to make something happen. For example, after spending a long day reaching out to over fifty potential donors and not feeling I was making progress, I stopped at one last location to introduce myself and work on building connections and adding value. This last visit led to a handshake and over a hundred donated tickets for our mission.

Of those created experiences, we just received the following feedback from the recipients, “We would like to extend a sincere thank you to Ticket to hope for supplying our foster kids and their foster families with tickets to attend a Dayton Dragons’ baseball game. It was the first time many of these children have ever experienced attending a baseball game!” This is what drives me to make “one more call.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tickettohope.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tickettohope/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tickettohope