Criminal Charges Filed against Hope Jackson

I’ve received the go ahead to post Hope Jackson’s mugshot and her other information. This is public information. Hope Jackson has pending criminal charges against her in Arlington, TX for scamming the sweet and talented Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. She also has pending charges in several other states for theft by deception / fraud as she has also scammed many other people/groups with Christi's story. She has apologized to me and said she was sorry. Of course I could not respond, but in my head I was thinking, “You are only sorry you got caught.” Much to our shock and surprise, we learned about this situation last fall when a group she had been scamming over a period of time did their own investigation, which led them to Christi's website. Detectives have been working hard putting many different cases together. For years Hope Jackson Williams has been taking Christi’s photos off of this website and then pretending to be me to scam others (mainly famous people, but not always) by saying Christi is her dying daughter. She has used a voiceover software of some sort so the sweet people she is scamming actually think they are talking with Christi at times. She has changed our names and has our story down really well. As one detective jokingly told me, “I think she knows your story better than you do.” I’m just sickened and saddened that this has happened and that others were hurt as a result. This website was never set up to do anything like that and I hope all of the good people in the world keep doing nice things to help others, truly in need. The teacher in me is glad that Shayla could learn a life lesson through all of this. She tends to be naive. Shayla now knows that most people are good, but not everyone is and some who look innocent are far from that. When the girls were little I would tell them if they ever got lost to go to someone who looked like a mommy and ask for help. Now I keep looking at this mugshot of a mommy and think, “Oh, I’m so glad my girls didn’t go to her for help – yikes!” LOL! My heart absolutely breaks for her poor children. I am so glad that I was richly blessed with a wonderful mother in my life.


HOPE JACKSON Date of Birth: July 18, 1976

Social Security Number: 517-92-2730

Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Brown

Height: 5’ 8” Weight 165

2011: Divorced from Rich Williams (Married August 14, 1999).

Mother of two: a  son and a daughter.

Hope was employed at Taco Bell in Billings, Montana

Hope Graduated in 1995 from Laurel High School in Billings, Montana.

If you think you are being victimized, or have been victimized, please contact: Sergeant Cable Johnson Cable.Johnson@arlingtontx.gov (email) Arlington Police Department 620 West Division St. Arlington, TX 76011 (817) 459-5670

6th Annual Amish Country Trip

For the 6th year in a row, we were blessed to celebrate Shayla's first day of summer vacation with our annual trip to the Amish. My mother always thought Christi would enjoy the animals and the beautiful scenery, but due to her "car sickeness" we knew she could never travel that far with all of the rolling hills. The year after she died, we started our annual trip. I really look forward to this special day throughout the year! We had a fantastic time again yesterday! (And yes, Shayla still made an Amish Bingo game for us to play in the car - what fun!)

Amish Country Trip Throughout the Years, 2007-2012

Amish Country, 2012

School's Out for the Summer!

It's extremely hard to grasp the fact that after today, Shayla will be an 8th grader! She had the most amazing and wonderful 7th grade year anyone could possibly be blessed with! She could not possibly go to a better school. They have amazing administrators, terrific teachers and her friends totally impress me. Shayla took and completed her very first high school class and was also in the three honors classes offered for invited 7th graders. She has never had a study hall. I'm still in shock she now has a high school credit and she's only 13. She ended the year with all A's, except for pre-honors Algebra where she earned a B, and learned a ton from a fantastic teacher! She works so hard and is more focused and driven than Shayne and I ever were at her age; I'm extremely proud of her! OK, I'm done bragging about this now. Shayla has an awesome summer planned with lots of learning opportunities and fun, fun, FUN beginning with a party this evening. She also plans to co-author an article with me for middle school teachers called, "In the Midst of the Middle". This will be a student's perspective of what middle school teachers should and should not do to help students and I will back it up with research support. It's really hard to believe Christi would be 15 and wrapping up her sophomore year. What I wouldn't do to have one more day with her! I wonder what she'd be like today. Hug your kids today and tell them how much you love them. Here's wishing you a fabulous summer! ENJOY!

We have a cheerleader in the house & this year's CT Scholarship Winner $1,000 Seneca East

I'm thrilled to report we have a middle school cheerleader in the house! Shayla told me over Christmas break she wanted to try out for cheerleading. I told her it sounded like a lot of drama to me, but if she was serious she would need to let me know in a week and I'd set up a training program for her and she would have to work hard because this school's very, very competitive and you don't just show up and make the team. She came the next day and said, "When can we start?" Having coached a jr. high school squad at Seneca East for 14 years, I think Shayla knew that I knew what I was talking about and trusted me. Beginning January 1st, that amazing child, I do not deserved, worked four or five days a week with me for an hour. She could not do the splits, a cartwheel or a bridge in January. At her tryouts on Friday, she nailed her back walkover, her left and right splits, held both heel stretches for a good length of time and her dance, cheers and cartwheels/roundoffs and jumps all went great she said. I was thrilled, yet not surprised, when we learned on Saturday she made it. I know she will have a great year! They've got a wonderful coach, and a lot of talent and nice girls on the squad. I've ordered a trampoline and put her in tumbling lessons.

I didn't think I would tear up this year, but darn it, I did it again. I basically wanted to apologize to this year's Senior class. I was their 7th grade English teacher the year Christi died and I know I was not as good as I could have been. I always put on a smile and truly did my best, but I was hurting terribly inside and also a full time PhD student at Ohio State and teaching one night a week at Heidelberg. Yikes! I think I went through that year in a fog or a daze. (Actually, they were 7th graders and I think some of them spent that year in a daze too, hee hee.) Thankfully, it appears, in spite of their 7th grade English teacher this year's Seneca East graduating class turned out just fine! Praise God and may God richly bless them all and keep them safe!

This year's awesome book scholarship winners: Marissa, Jennifer & Jessica

This year's $1,000 Christi Thomas Memorial Scholarship Winner, Brooke! Congratulations! Shayla and I had a blast visiting with so many this morning at Seneca East. I wish we could have stayed longer. It was great to be back with my awesome colleagues at a wonderful school district. What fun! Go, Tigers!

Little Update

I am updating with no real news!  I just wanted to share a few pictures and words.

Shayla really enjoyed being on the track team for her school this spring! Over the summer, she tried out for the volleyball team and didn't make it so it was great to learn that they did not cut for track! At one meet, she cleared the hurdle and then fell flat. I mean Superman pose, face plant down. Shayne and I were standing feet from her. We were both within a second of making a move when she got up and ran the rest of the race.  Of course we had two different things planned. I was ready to say, "Honey, come here are you ok?" because I could see blood! Shayne was ready to say, "Get up and run!" Oh, funny the differences between parents! I guess that's why kids need two when possible.
We thought she did great at each meet, even though she usually came in at the end of the pack.  Regardless, she had a wonderful time with her friends and we loved going to her meets to cheer her on.
We thought her band concert and her jazz band concerts this week were fabulous! She was invited to be in the jazz band by the directors and each Thursday morning she had to show up an hour before school for practice. I admire her dedication and work ethic. Never once did we have to go wake her up......actually she usually woke US up to tell us she needed a ride.  She's really amazing that way!  OK, in MANY ways, but I am her mom - I know I'm bias!

Due to Christi's love of roller coasters and Cedar Point, we went there to "celebrate" her 15th birthday. Shayne and I didn't ride anything and spent a great deal of time hugging and talking about Christi. Thankfully, Shayla had fun with her summer friend so she wasn't sad at all; she definitely was celebrating! We just wish Christi would have been riding the crazy coasters too! (And yes, we still call the Jr. Gemini the "Christi Coaster" every time we walk by it because she loved it so much!) I used to tell her that's what it was called. Then she read the sign one day - oops! Thankfully, she thought it was hillarious that she believed it was called the Christi Coaster! Miss that funny gal!

It was great to visit with mom on Mother's Day. Shayla suggested we all pose like something we'd be doing in our generation. She told mom to do the twist, told me to disco and she would text. What a hoot!

Happy 15th Birthday, Christi Thomas!

It's so hard to believe! If Christi would have lived, she would have turned 15 at 1:15 today. Last year's bday "celebration" was too emotional (visiting NYC teacher, giving a Ronald McDonald House donation, pediatric cancer fundraiser that night, etc.) so this year we will still do something Christi really liked, but it will hopefully not be so hard. Christi, we miss you to the moon and back! Fly, high, sweet princess until we see your beautiful face again! Happy Birthday! We love you! (PIC: Holding Christi for the very first time! Wow! It was awesome!)

Raising Money & Awareness for Pediatric Cancer

We were happy to help raise awareness of pediatric cancer and collect money for Kids Cancer Crusade today at Bridge's, the girls' former school. Shayla did beading with the children and we made a $1,000 donation to the school in memory of our Christi, for literacy - one of Christi's big loves. I saw the mural for the very first time. It was bittersweet and it is gorgeous! We miss her so much!

Shayla raises money for Kids Cancer Crusade (an organization started by Jennifer Lehmann in honor of Christi).

Shayla visiting with one of her former fabulous Bridges teachers.

Shayla had a wonderful morning "getting out of school" and assisting the little ones with beading, an idea suggest to us since Christi loved it so much by the awesome Deb Schaefer Kohler, one of Christi's great teachers at Bridges.

For the first time, Shayla took the microphone and said a few words after I presented our $1,000 donation to Bridges, in memory of Christi. Picture: with Dona Kauffman, principal extraordinaire

Shayla with Christi's lemonade stand, finding a cure for pediatric cancer can't come soon enough!

This was really tough! I knew one of my sister's friends is an artist and she drove to Bridges, met with Christi's friends and together they designed this gorgeous mural which is in the "Christi Thomas Student Library" at Bridges. I had seen pictures and thought they were lovely, but to see it in person was even better. The mural is absolutely gorgeous! I'm so disappointed these photos do NOT do it justice. It's really incredible, containing all of Christi's favorite things and reminds me what her life may be like in Heaven. — at Bridges Cancer Awareness Event.

We hope today's donation helps to get more literacy including technology into the school. Very best wishes, Bridges students and staff!