Hope For Youth 2012 Annual Report
Presenting Every Youth Complete in Christ
Our Mission 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, academically and socially.
The Youth We Serve The unique and primary focus of HFY is on youth (6th-12th grade) from transient families (including those from the Star of Hope homeless ministries), and then additionally on at-risk youth from all over Houston. Our volunteers provide transportation for the youth to HFY program in order to maintain consistent and on-going ministry. Many of youth are in sub-par schools and may be a grade behind. Many of the youth come from families with one or more of the following characteristics: moving multiple times each year, on government assistance, living with a single parent or not with their parents.
A Message From the Chairman Dear Friends of Hope For Youth, Hope For Youth is all about God’s glory and bringing youth into relationship with Jesus Christ and we praise Him for all that was accomplished in 2012! This past year we worked hard to blend our foundational programs and historical success with the new ideas and passion of the staff, youth, and volunteers resulting in a fresh, focused ministry for this generation of urban youth! It was also an exciting year for us as we welcomed new faces to our team. Emily Morris joined us in August as our new Program Director and Kendall Boyd came on board in October as our new Executive Director. They are both energetic and enthusiastic and we are looking forward to seeing them grow and expand the ministry! Additionally, we were blessed to have our Founding Director, Wendy Dewlen, return to serve with us for a period while we searched for Emily and Kendall. Thank you Wendy! A major theme for us this year was partnerships and we were happy to work with new partners as well as renew our relationship with former partners. We moved into office space provided by the Star of Hope Transitional Living Center, and continued to work closely throughout the year with Second Baptist Church, Houston’s First Baptist Church, and the City of Refuge Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Additionally we began working with St John’s United Methodist Church Downtown and the Children’s Activity Center. Through these partnerships as well as our partnership with each and every one of you, we were able to make a material difference in the lives of the youth we serve. We are forever grateful for your support and look forward to seeing God’s continued work in our youths’ lives in 2013! Sincerely,
Atwell Williams Chairman, Board of Directors
OUTCOMES
2012 OUTREACH PROGRAMS A young man ends up at the Star of Hope shelter with his family. A young lady is invited by a friend. A younger sibling is finally old enough to participate. These are but a few of the ways that youth are introduced to Hope For Youth. And they usually come first to an Outreach Program. These programs (Friday Night Live, The Gathering, and Jesus ‘N The ‘Hood) not only begin the relationship building between adults and youth—we also present the gospel, teach on relevant topics, and build community among the youth. One vital aspect of outreach activities was the ministry that happened in the cars while our volunteers provided transportation for the youth. Volunteers got to know the youth and the urban teen culture which then allowed them to discuss spiritual issues. Partnering with HFY, the staff from the
Star of Hope ministries brought 8-20 youth to almost every activity and served as volunteers! They were the bridge for over 30 Star of Hope youth continuing in HFY after they left the Star of Hope program this year.
Friday Night Live has been a Hope For Youth favorite for many years—and the best part of the week according to one young man! Held the first Friday of every month, it served as a “hook” to get youth plugged in to the ministry. We consistently had almost 50 youth in attendance each month as they listened to speakers, participated in small group discussions and enjoyed a variety of Christian artists and performers.
The Gathering provided recreational activities and field trips the third Saturday each month. Youth enjoyed the fun of activities such as ice skating in January, roller skating in May, and a service project in April where the youth impressed all the adults with their very hard work! At the July activity, 74 youth not only bowled and played basketball—they were awed by God’s power in the universe through watching Louis Giglio’s film “Indescribable”. In March, 52 youth and 15 volunteers went to Carolina Creek Christian Camp for our annual retreat. This setting enabled some of the youth to powerfully share their testimonies and life struggles. Team-building, zip lines and basketball provided recreation. Then the girls and guys had separate small group sessions to learn how to build and maintain godly relationships. And of course, no one got enough sleep!
Hosted this year by City of Refuge Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Jesus N The ‘Hood attracted almost 100 Youth each night for five nights in June. Over 70 youth had perfect attendance. We brought in 24 new youth and
reconnected with 4 youth. The long-term influence of HFY was apparent this summer as two of the new youth were children of a former HFY youth, and another two were much younger siblings of another former HFY youth! Why did they all come? “Fun”, “Food”, “I love the volunteers”, “Bible studies”, “Games and prizes”, and of course the entertainment provided by Corey Paul, Soul Fruit and the City of Refuge worship band. Probably the most popular event was the Marriage Panel when three married couples sat on stage and answered questions about marriage submitted on
"My most memorable moments were when the girls trusted me enough to open up and share what was going on in their lives. I was honored to encourage them and give them advice on difficult life choices.”—Hope, volunteer and mentor index cards by the youth. Serving in the background were many HFY graduates who were there to give back to the ministry and to be an example to the current youth.
MENTORING Youth eagerly sign up for our Small Group Mentorship
Program.
Our initial session provided mentors for 18 Youth.
The youth said they loved the one-on-one attention, the fun, going places, growing closer to God, and being able to take leadership roles. The Mentorship Program matched up 2 adults with 3-5 youth in a small group. This is in addition to the mentoring that happens through our Outreach Programs. Our trained Mentors are have a deep impact on the youth—one set of Mentors took their girls out to eat, celebrated birthdays and attended a Mentee’s high school graduation. Personal attention from a Christian adult mentor can start youth on the life-long path of a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We were excited to see this program take off and have already witnessed substantial growth in 2013!
“My mentor keeps me on track with following Jesus, through Bible study and prayer!”—Dajour, 16 years old.
CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT “When can I sign up for camp?” is one of the most asked questions in Hope For Youth. This year we took 48 youth and 6 Volunteers to Kids Across America camp in Golden, Missouri. This was a life-changing experience for our youth—some of whom had never left Texas before! Two youth trusted Christ as their Savior and many more rededicated their lives to Christ. Jazmin (age 14) tried the high ropes course. She was scared, but felt encouraged by her friends to complete it. She also felt the love of God at camp and truly understood that Jesus died for her sins. Desiree (age 16) learned how to strengthen her relationship with Jesus—and also enjoyed tubing in the lake. One youth’s comment after camp—“Our God is no ordinary God!” While at KAA, our volunteers received urban youth ministry training and encouragement. On the bus ride home everyone said, “I’m going to KAA next year!”
“At Kids Across America camp, God opened my eyes to things in my life that weren’t right. I repented, and recommitted my life to Jesus.”—Terrance, 15 years old.
Continuing our tradition of preparing our youth for college, our newly renamed Hope For Life program assisted 10 juniors and seniors in 2012. One girl received help getting a picture ID—which is necessary to take the SAT test , apply to college and get a job. The six seniors received help in applying to colleges. One graduate started at University of Houston, Downtown, and another went to Texas A & M Kingsville. All 10 of the youth received guidance in careers and their futures as well preparation for the SAT test. The five dedicated volunteers worked during and outside of the program times to make all this happen!
HOPE FOR YOUTH IN 2012: 220 youth received over 7,300 hours of ministry Over 50 youth moved one or more times and we kept them in HFY
11 HFY youth graduated from high school this year. Volunteers gave over 2,500 hours of service Almost 30 volunteers had over 30 hours of service each
10 Former Youth served as Volunteers
“I invite my friends to come to Hope For Youth! It’s a great time to learn about God, be with other youth, and do things I wouldn’t get to do otherwise.”—Tray, 18 years old.
DONORS
2012 We thank our Generous Donors who faithfully supported Hope For Youth between Sept 1, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2012. Your gifts are “a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God� (Phil. 4:18)
Businesses
Jeffrey Bartlett
Ashleigh Harrison
Bank of America United Way Campaign
Lawrence and Barbara Bellatti
Bill and Sally Hermann
Champions Machine Tool Sales Inc.
Jeff Bezner
Nicki Herzog
Healthpoint Biotherapeutics
Kendall and Kim Boyd
Richard and Becky Herzog
Hewlett Packard, Corporate Philanthropy
Travis and Lyn Boyd
Roger Herzog
Leo & Dutton PLLC
Debra Bradley
Davina Hicks
McIntyre Automotive
Gwendolyn Brantley
Beverly Hoffman
Murphy Oil Corporation
Doug and Shelly Brough
Joshua Huss
Safeway
Stephanie Celaya
J. G. and A. E. Jackson
Woodforest National Bank
Ethan Cohen
Drew Jackson
Churches
Myron Cooper
Victoria Jalo
Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church
Webb Crunk
Kevin Kuklis
Elijah and Stephanie Culpepper
Bill Lindsey
Houston's First Baptist Church
Rachel David
Candace Lueckemeyer
Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church
Mark Day
Hope Manley
Memorial Drive United Methodist Church
Mark and Brittainy Dennis
Bill and Ann McCulloch
Second Baptist Church
Maurice and Patricia Dennis
Lara McFeely
St. Luke's United Methodist Church
Willie and Wendy Dewlen
Tim McInturf
Trinity Fellowship
Cheryl Douglas
Raken Melvin
Foundations
Ron and Janell Dutton
John and Shirley Meredith
The Children's Fund, Inc.
Dana Edwards
Gwenzetta Mickens
David Weekley Family Foundation
Matt and Angie Foster
Mike and Jenny Moore
Individuals
Ryan and Sarah Fuselier
Jill Morton
Wayne and Youngjoo Gibbs
Don and Jill Nesting
Barney and Karen Gaye Giesen
Samuel and Marlow Newton
Duane and Judy Hansen
Mike and Sue Noel
John and Kathy Andersen Javier and Mary Ayala Bert and Janet Bailey
Samuel Pak
Joe and Kay Sleeth
Diana Walke
Warren and Wendy Pekar
Bob and Marilyn Stanbery
James and Connie Walker
Joan Pennington
Ron and Pamela Sterlekar
Atwell and Alisa Williams
Steven Powell
Bill and Lisa Stryker
Lisa Wilmore
Angela Randolph
F.W. Stryker
James and Diane Witt
Crystal Ratliff
Gladys Thomas
Warren and Christina Young
Douglas Roberts
Susanna Thorn
Gifts in Honor of
Kevin Saxe
Didi Thurman
Thad and Kim Scott
Raymond Tong
Jazmin and Jonathan Johnson—from Davina Hicks
Darel and Marlo Seymour
Michael Treu
David and Gloria Seymour
Thomas Twifford
Prince Shaka
Doyle and Kathy Venghaus
Mark Shearer
Jeff and Jenny Venghaus
Chris and Kristi Schoeper for their wedding—from John and Kathy Andersen
“I became involved with HFY as a volunteer in 1993. It was a wonderful life-experience to see how the Lord works in the lives of the youth. It was difficult leaving Hope For Youth in 2000 when I moved to Maryland. Now I'm thankful to have the opportunity to stay involved with HFY as a donor. It is a joy to see how Christ continues to grow and support the ministry of Hope For Youth.” - Lisa Larsen Stryker
VOLUNTEERS
2012 We thank our Faithful Volunteers! You are vital to the ministry. In addition to the names below, volunteers came from the Veritas and Covenant classes from Houston’s First Baptist Church, the College class from Grace Fellowship UMC and other groups. Please accept our apologies if we left anyone’s name off. We do appreciate all of you! To become a volunteer, please contact Emily Morris at 832-589-5344 or emily@hopeforyouth.org. Nicole Abner
William Dewlen
Marcus Lewis
Thad Scott
Torchawa Alexander
Elizabeth Deyo
Elizabeth Louis
Ashly Scott-Jones*
Nik Arezina
Jerry Espinor
Rebekah Lout
Darel Seymour
Jacob Atchison
Jon Fagala
Hope Manley
Marlo Seymour
Javier Ayala*
Kaleb Fulgham
Mithun Mansinghani
Heather Shaw
Tydon Bell*
Sarah Gee
Lupe Martinez
Chad Smith
David Bentz
Christopher Gordon
Sam McDowell
Twanda Smith
Shelia Bernard
Sherri Groce
Pace McKee
Jonathan Spencer
Malcolm Bernard
Amanda Hampton
Rakel Melvin
Ammi Tan
Carter Blackburn
Ashleigh Harrison
Ryan Morris
Tiffany Tarrant
Alexandria Bland
LaSasha Hayes*
Chris Nalepa
Susanna Thorn
Marquita Brooks
Tamara Hill
Donald Nesting
Susan Torney
Roshonda Brown*
Van Hollie Jr.
Peggy Nicholson
Donna Treu
Sherrie Brown
Rita Hord
Chika Nwachukwu
Michael Treu
Dennis Campbell Jr.
Nathanael Ince
Brittney Officer
Ana Velasquez
Curtis Carter
Drew Jackson
Samuel Pak
JK Wakefield
Steven Chambers
Julius Jackson
Terry Parker
Angelica Waller
Myron Cooper
Tonya Jackson
Glenda Ramos
Dan Walmer
Webb Crunk
Victoria Jalo
Crystal Ratliff
Alisa Williams
Janine Cruz
Melissa James*
Douglas Roberts*
Atwell Williams
Elijah Culpepper
Daveta Jenkins
Sul Ross
Courtney Williams*
Stephanie Culpepper
Jaquaila Johnson
Patricia Ross
Anais Wright
Rachel David
Charde Jones*
Anne Rousseau
Warren Young
Luis De La Cruz*
Laurice Jones
Rita San Miquel*
Brittainy Dennis
Ama Koram
Ellis Scott*
Mark Dennis
Tonya Lenoir
Kim Scott
* A former HFY youth
“At my first activity I was overwhelmed by the raw and pure love of God in the atmosphere. So I just kept volunteering and getting to know the youth. I could see God working through volunteers in a way the youth could relate to.”—Lupe, volunteer.
“I think it’s important for every child to have positive influences and role models, and to be encouraged to reach higher than their circumstances of origin might otherwise dictate. I believe Hope For Youth provides that. As a Christian I am called to disciple others and to be a good steward of God’s resources. Therefore, I feel it’s important that I give my time, talents and resources to an organization that reflects Jesus’ commission to disciple others, particularly young people who may be more susceptible to harmful influences.”—Victoria Jalo, Board Member
FINANCIAL RESULTS STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION As of August 31, 2012 (With comparative information for FY 2011)
2012
2011
33,897
16,688
0
4,075
33,897
20,763
2,820
0
Unrestricted
(2,019)
4,692
Temporarily Restricted
33,096
16,071
33,897
20,763
Assets Cash and Cash Equivalents Property and Equipment TOTAL ASSETS Liabilities Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities Net Assets
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES AND CHANGES IN NET ASSETS As of August 31, 2012 (With comparative information for FY 2011)
2012
2011
101,117
85,877
18,971
11,770
120,088
97,647
Programs
48,062
79,811
Camps
35,846
32,795
Administration and Fundraising
23,226
26,001
107,134
126,837
12,954
(40,960)
Revenue and Support Cash Donations In-Kind Donations TOTAL REVENUE AND SUPPORT Expenses
TOTAL EXPENSES CHANGE IN NET ASSETS
Make a Donation We are working to bring Hope to Houston’s urban communities one youth at a time. To join us in this critical work, you can use the enclosed envelope or go to our website (www.hopeforyouth.org) to make a secure online donation by credit card. For other giving options including in-kind donations, please contact us at 713-670-9000 or info@hopeforyouth.org
LEADERSHIP Board of Directors Atwell Williams, Chairman
E. Webb Crunk III, Secretary Darel Seymour, Treasurer Javier Ayala Rachel David Drew Jackson Victoria Jalo Dr. Samuel Pak Douglas Roberts
Staff
Kendall Boyd Executive Director
Emily Morris Program Director
Wendy Dewlen Founding Director
CONTACT HOPE FOR YOUTH: P. O. Box 573024 Houston, TX 77257-3024 713-670-9000
www.hopeforyouth.org info@hopeforyouth.org
kendall@hopeforyouth.org emily@hopeforyouth.org
Hope For Youth P. O. Box 573024 Houston, TX 77257
Presenting Every Youth Complete in Christ since 1991!