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HOPE client graduates
from Delta College!
On Thursday, March 4, Family
Mentoring Program client Anitra Burrell graduated from Delta College
with a certificate in Medical Billing and Coding. Anitra and her family
moved to Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina and, like so many evacuees,
Anitra had trouble finding work at first. When Anitra first came to
HOPE, she felt lucky to have a night shift job in retail shipping and
receiving even though she didn't bring home nearly enough to
support her family. During her time in HOPE's Family Mentoring Program,
Anitra also participated in HOPE's Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World
training. As part of that training, Anitra learned many "soft skills"
that increased her employability. Now that she has a professional
certification in hand, Anitra is poised to dramatically increase her
income and provide a better life for her family. Congratulations,
Anitra!
Pictured above are Anitra, her husband Herman, and their family.
HOPE volunteer Dick Stonich receives Power of 9 Award!
HOPE
volunteer and retired banker Dick Stonich was honored at the WAFB-TV
Power of 9 banquet on January 28. Stonich won the Power of 9
Award and was featured on the WAFB-TV evening news last
fall for his role as volunteer facilitator of HOPE's Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World training series. Getting Ahead is
a precursor to a traditional financial literacy class that empowers
participants to create a personalized action plan for getting out of
poverty. Stonich was instrumental in identifying Getting Ahead as a valuable training tool and bringing it to HOPE. Since then, he has facilitated ten 8-week Getting Ahead series and 87 people have graduated from the training. Check out some pictures from the most recent Getting Ahead graduation on the Event Photos page of our website!
Pictured above are WAFB-TV
anchor Donna Britt, Stonich, HOPE Director of Operations and Social
Enterprise Janet Simmons, and HOPE Executive Director Renee Craft.
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| Upcoming trainings open to the public! |
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Understanding the Dynamics of Poverty is a one-day training for case managers, social workers, counselors, teachers and anyone working with people in poverty.
Participants learn about:
- what causes of poverty
- how to work with people in poverty
- how to identify local resources
- what instigates changes in the community
- hidden rules of economic class
Current trainings are scheduled for
Wednesday, March 24, in Hammond and Wednesday, April 7, in Baton
Rouge. Both trainings will be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. Please visit our website for cost information and to register. You may also contact Janet Simmons at 225-355-0702 ext. 22 or jsimmons@hopebr.org.
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| Family Mentors Needed! |
| Can you help an at-risk family achieve independence?
Volunteer
mentors serve as advocates and friends of the families enrolled in our
Family Mentoring Program. They help families develop creative
problem-solving skills to meet unique needs. Mentors use their
knowledge, life experiences and talents to help families
identify resources and work closely with our case management team
to help families reach their goals. HOPE's in-depth mentor
training will be from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, and Saturday, April 24. Prospective mentors must attend both days. To become a mentor, fill out our volunteer application and email to Jeffrey Fairley at jfairley@hopebr.org or fax to 225-357-6352. Please don't hesitate to call 225-355-0702 for more information.
Client Melissa and her mentor Faye had a chance to deepen their friendship at Family Reunion 2009.
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| Support HOPE:
Change a family's life with your pledge! |
Dear Friends:
At HOPE Ministries, we take Jesus' mandate to assist the poor one step further.
We help people help themselves.
You
can help us break the chains of poverty one family at a time. What may
seem like a small monthly amount to you tells a family "I believe in
you" and has an incredible impact on them and our community.
- $84 a month
buys a lifetime of independence for a family like Doretha's through our
Family Mentoring Program. Doretha went from a low-wage job to a
management position that lets her put a roof over her children's heads
and money in the bank for their future. Find out more about Doretha on
our video.
- $50 a month puts a person like Valerie through Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World,
an eight-week course that improved her ability to manage her
finances and helped her increase her credit score by over 200
points. Valerie just bought her first house in January.
Over the past few years, 82% of our
clients have succeeded by meeting their financial and housing stability
goals. We've stepped up our impact in the community each year,
consistently increasing the number of families we serve. In 2010, we
will help even more people learn the life skills necessary to become
self-sufficient in our Family Mentoring Program and create their own
action plan to build economic stability in our Getting Ahead courses.
Your monthly gift will help change someone's life.
Thanks in advance for helping us
prevent homelessness and promote self-sufficiency and dignity here in
the Baton Rouge community.
Kindly,
Renee Craft
Executive Director |
| Support HOPE:
Apply for a Capital One Affinity Card! |
Click one of the cards to find out how you can support HOPE every time you go shopping!
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| Support HOPE:
Make a donation online! |
It's easy to make a one-time donation online. Just click on the "doors of HOPE"
to make a safe, secure donation with PayPal! | |
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