Fall Hope For Youth builds and maintains long-term Christian mentoring relationships with urban youth to challenge and enable them to reach their full potential spiritually, a cademically, and socially.
Faith in Action at KAA Cameron, one of our older boys, said he had committed his life to Christ before but now he was ready follow Him. Yes! Another life changed at an incredible year at Kids Across America camp. At 11:45 p.m. on August 1st we loaded up the bus with 47 youth and headed to Missouri to watch Christ work wonders. 14 youth rededicated their lives to Christ and 5 made first time decisions to follow Jesus! All staff and
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Presenting Every Youth Complete in Christ
volunteers involved did an amazing job of following up to keep kids engaged spiritually throughout the week. Several of our kids received servant leadership awards and two received the ‘I Am Third’ award, which is the highest award given by counselors to youth who display servanthood. One group of girls told us that KAA was the first time that they had genuinely heard and seen the gospel presented in word and action. It’s amazing what can happen when the daily routines of life are halted and God has a chance to grab the attention of those He so loves. Program Director Marcus Allen described the week as a first time attender to KAA: “My personal experience from KAA can be summed up with the same statement Job made in Job 42:5 when he said, ‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now
Former Youth Spotlight: Calvin Martin
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Calvin is a former youth who has served in the Navy for the past 13 years. He wanted to be in the military since he was 8 years old. He began coming to Hope For Youth events in 1995. Calvin is now a Petty Officer First Class working in retail sales and wholesale services on the naval ships that travel through Central America and the Middle East. He serves a crew of 215 sailors on the aircraft carriers. We asked him what advice he could give to current Hope For Youth students: “Just join, have something positive in your life. This has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. It kept me out of trouble and I didn’t have to worry about peer pressure. Stay around positive people, ask questions and figure out where you want to go next.”
my eye sees You.’ Job actually saw God (not by word of mouth) but through personal experience, just like I saw the Lord move through His servants at KAA, in order to draw these youth to Himself. Glory to God!”
Friday Night Live and Mentorship are in full swing! 84 students enjoyed the first Friday Night Live of the school year and learned about being on God’s Winning Team. We also have about 25 students getting plugged into mentoring groups with our devoted mentors. A group of our students recently served the community by sorting and packaging food at the Faith Center.
Thank You Darel and Atwell for years of service! We’d like to thank two members of our Board who rolled off as directors but will always hold a special place in our hearts and the history of HFY. Darel got involved with Hope For Youth in 2010 when members of Second Baptist church encouraged him to volunteer and later join the Board. Darel has served as Board treasurer the past four years, providing invaluable financial expertise and guidance for our reporting and accounting. His financial stewardship has kept the ministry on track through the challenges of managing a non-profit. He and his wife Marlo and their extended family have been great supporters of HFY’s ministry over the past five years. Darel and Marlo have volunteered as small group leaders, “discipleship drivers”, food providers and this past spring they even graciously welcomed us into their home for our successful phone-a-thon. Thank you Darel!
It is not a surprise that people refer to Atwell as “Mr. Hope For Youth.” Atwell was the longest running chairman of the Board (since 2003). He began assisting with all our programs as a volunteer in 1996, or what we call “the old days”, and mentored Calvin Martin and his family. Atwell served as interim Executive Director when needed over the past nine years, effectively running the ministry while maintaining a full time job. He and his wife Alisa have such a big heart for the ministry of HFY. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Hope For Youth would not be where it is today without Atwell. The last night of Jesus N The ‘Hood will always be known as “Burger and ice cream sandwich night” thanks to the Williams family. Thank you Atwell!
Letter from the Executive Director 24 years ago, God put a call on my life and a vision in my heart to minister to at-risk, urban youth, and He provided all that we needed to establish Hope For Youth. This summer, God renewed that call on my life. Initially serving as “volunteer staff” during Jesus N The ‘Hood (my favorite program!), and now as Executive Director, I am excited to be back at HFY, and we are ready to reach even more students!
are enthusiastic, hard-working and committed. They are prayer warriors who love Jesus and teenagers. It has been a blessing to provide them with support, training and the expertise that I have gained from years of working with at-risk youth and other ministries.
I’m excited about our new partnerships with Yellowstone Academy (a school through 8th grade) and Children’s Activity Center (a ministry through 6th grade). We are working to get to know their older students/graduates who are now in middle and high school, and draw them fully into the I say with Paul in 1 Cor. 9:16, “For if I relationships and programs of HFY. preach the gospel, I have nothing to We are also deepening our great boast of, for I am under compulsion; relationship with the Star of Hope. for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” I must preach Jesus Christ to Thank you so much to our volunteers, urban teens! donors, mentors, prayer partners and Board members! We wouldn’t be here As we start this school year, I’m without you! thrilled to work with a great group of volunteers and staff members. Blessings, Marcus Allen, our program director and Moriah Hollander, our Donor Wendy and Volunteer Relations Manager
Upcoming Events Oct 2
Friday Night Live
Oct 5
College & Career Prep Starts Every Monday night upperclassmen youth will meet to prepare for college or life after high school.
the
Oct 10
Mentorship Activity Mentors and mentees meet every other Saturday to foster positive relationships and spiritual growth.
Oct 16
G3: Girls, Guys & God
Oct 18 Volunteer Appreciation Event
Nov 6
Friday Night Live
Nov 21
Thanksgiving Feast
Check our Website Calendar for Updates!
Here are a few ways your donations impact Last year HFY ministered to 175 individual youth: youth. Our goal is to increase this number to over 265 this year. Thanks to your gifts we were able to finish our • $250 covers food for 80-100 youth at each fiscal year with all financial obligations met. large group activity. We host 20 meetings like If you are able to give today please go to: Thank you for your continued support as we this every year. begin our next fiscal year. This year Hope For www.hopeforyouth.com Youth’s operating budget is $188,000. • $75 covers a month’s worth of gas for the van to pick up youth. or use the envelope provided. Through volunteer commitment and donations made in-kind of food, facility rental, • $100 commitments per month would bless entertainment and equipment we are able to the staff as they minister to youth, train and God Bless You! run the ministry on a slim budget. empower volunteers, and carry out the mission of HFY.
Financial Update