Grassroots beginnings.
The Founding Vision
It all began with a silent retreat in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Genevieve had been getting a sense of 'more' for awhile, ever since she had been given - yes, given - a large house for free, with the previous owner telling her, "The Lord told me to give you my house. Do you want it?" Genevieve said yes, having a sense that a mission was coming along with the house. But the 'more' wasn't clear for awhile. On the sixth day of an eight-day silent wilderness retreat, she received something like a divine download, with the Lord giving her what she eventually discerned was her mission. Having a mission with an end goal of awakening people to the goodness of God and helping them to come to know Jesus Christ was familiar territory for her, having and continuing to serve as the evangelization coordinator at St. Augustine St. Monica Catholic Church in the same neighborhood, but she was surprised by the construction aspect of the bi-vocational mission.
While the pieces didn't seem to add up initially, the vision came back into focus, with the pieces coming together by themselves. Firm Foundations of Hope has been serving low-income homeowners in our surrounding area since June 2022, while hiring, training and mentoring previously unemployed persons part time, preparing them for the full-time work force.
What started as a ministry on the side became Genevieve's full-time focus in January 2025, when she became the first full-time missionary of Firm Foundations of Hope, expanding our mission and ministry outreach while continuing to grow and develop our revitalization efforts.
Our story continues to be written. We seek only to be faithful to the Lord who guides us.
If you're interested in becoming a part of the mission, please contact us!
Scroll down to meet our team!
Firm Foundations of Hope Board of Directors
FFH is blessed to be led by a great team. Get to know us!
Genevieve Kocourek
President and Missionary
Genevieve is passionate about building up the Kingdom of God and following wherever the Lord Jesus leads her, which includes founding Firm Foundations of Hope and serving as our first full-time missionary. She is a nine-year veteran of the U.S. military, having served in both the Army and Marine Corps with three tours of duty in Iraq. She earned her B.A. in Religious Studies from St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI and her MA in Pastoral Studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and is a trained spiritual director and a licensed residential builder in the state of Michigan. She has over a decade of experience in ministry, with a heart especially for evangelization and seeking the lost. She is a parishioner at St. Augustine St. Monica Catholic Church in Detroit.
Daniel Rose
Treasurer
Daniel moved to Detroit in 2021 after graduating from the University of Michigan with a Masters in Accounting and Bachelor of Science in Movement Science. Since moving to Detroit, he has embraced the city's Catholic community. Daniel has loved getting to know the city's east side through the Church and long runs through the neighborhoods. As an accountant, Daniel's background is in financial statement preparation and tax accounting.
Rudy Riley
Secretary
Rudy comes with experience working in finance throughout his work career, which includes running his own business, Riley and Pearson Financial Services.
Andrew Kotlarz
Board Member