HelpingOvercomePoverty’sExistence,Inc. Spring2017 680WMainSt POBox743 Wytheville,VA24382 HOPE Newsletter Phone:(276)228‐6280 Fax:(276)228‐0508 Email:[email protected] Web:www.wythehope.org HOPEservesthecountiesof Wythe,Bland,Carroll,Grayson andSmythandthecityofGalax. FromtheExecutiveDirector This first quarter of the 2017 calendar year will be marked forever for many reasons, both bad and good. There’s no sense in rumina ng on the bad, so let’s pause instead to celebrate the good, and hope it carries all of us through this year and beyond. One of the highlights so far was a visit by a group of college students from the University of Maryland (pictured below). Rather than spend their spring break at some southern beach, 13 students opted to come to Bland for a service learning week. They stayed at the Bland Ministry Center, visited the Bluefield Mission, a ended a lecture at Emory and Henry College’s Center for Public Policy, and devoted their Wednesday to a couple of HOPE projects. BoardofDirectors Rachel Jones, Chair Harvey Atkinson, Vice‐chair Treva Adams, Secretary Misty Pack, Treasurer Kimeco Addison Bob Ballard Chris DiYorio Jean Farley Lewis LaFon Shelley Woods Staff Curious about their passion to come here instead of beaching it, and what they had seen a er only three days in the region, I asked them what programs they might design if they were plopped down here working for a non‐profit whose name is helping overcome poverty’s existence. Mind you, they had just glimpses of extreme poverty in this region, from the Bluefield Mission, and had heard much about the depleted natural resources of Appalachia at E&H. Without hardly blinking, this engaged group of college students, whose majors ranged from journalism to economics and bio‐engineering to interna onal educa on policy, listed off at least three needs they thought needed more a en on: substance abuse preven on and counseling job crea on and training food security Con nued on page 5 Andy Kegley, Execu ve Director Jodie Huff, Deputy Director Amanda Romans, Homeownership Director Beth Horton, Lead Housing Counselor Juli Mar n‐Wymer, Case Manager Gary Slemp, Housing Solu ons Coordinator Mike Pugh, HOPE Packs Coordinator Hunter Fillers, AmeriCorps VISTA Zona Jones, Administra ve Assistant Dianna DeBord, Recep onist Trainee, Goodwill SCSEP HOPE provides tools to build community sustainability and independence. HomeownershipSpotlight—LongMeadows For nearly two years, we’d experienced a bit of a bump in the road with our new Long Meadows subdivision near Ft. Chiswell in eastern Wythe County. Now, literally a er a conversa on with Governor Terry McAuliffe last October, the road has been re‐paved, and authori es will accept the improvements, meaning we can get on with building permits and selling lots for working income households. Sixteen of the remaining lots are restricted to households earning 80% of the area median income, which equals roughly $41,000 for a family of four. We are also required to build the homes to Energy Star cer fica ons, and have the homes HERS rated. We have averaged a Home Energy Ra ng Score in the low 70s, which means the homes are 30% more efficient than a home built to standard code; this also means there is a 30% savings on energy usage! Through our financing for this subdivision, eligible homebuyers are also required to put in 100 hours of sweat equity. NextStepinManufacturedHomes In partnership with Next Step and partnering dealer, LUV Homes in Dublin, HOPE offers addi onal opportuni es for affordable housing done right. Modular and manufactured homes through the Next Step program are constructed to meet Energy Star specifica ons making them more efficient than a standard home purchased off the lot. Energy costs in a Next Step home are 30‐50% less than a similar sized home. In March, construc on was completed on the first home through HOPE’s Next Step program. Constructed on a sca ered site located in Wythe County, from start to finish, the on‐frame modular home set up was completed in six weeks, and that included a slight delay for weather. This 1,560 sq. . home features three bedrooms and two full baths, a covered front porch and two decks. The home came in at a cost of $83/sq. ., making Next Step an affordable op on for families interested in a new construc on home that can increase in value and become a true investment for the future. With Next Step, the home is turnkey before the owner ever makes their first house payment. Contact Amanda Romans in our office at [email protected] or 276‐228‐6280, Ext. 216, if you are interested in becoming the owner of a new, energy efficient and affordable home. ShirleyMcCormick Over the years, we would receive an occasional call from a donor here in town. She would ask ques ons about this or that non profit, including HOPE. Frequently, in the mail there would be two or three checks in the same envelope, made out to various non profits, as the donor was saving on postage stamps. The next‐to‐last check we received from Shirley McCormick, was wri en on August 29th. We received it the next day—the same day we learned that she had passed away, at the age of 84. Four months later, as her estate was se led, HOPE received her bequest of $50,000, as did other non profits and churches in the community. She was a re red educator, with 24 years teaching at Wytheville Community College, and a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church. Since re ring in 1992, she devoted much of her me and energy to volunteering, and a dedica on to others, including museums here in town, her church, Relay for Life, among others. Her presence and generosity will be missed, but her gi lives on in the mission of HOPE and other agencies! 2 DonorRecognition(October–December2016) Heroes of HOPE Thank you to our donors who sustain their support of HOPE with monthly contribu ons. Clyburn, Jr., Ed and Kelly (HOPE Packs) Co rell, Jr., Kenneth and Sousin (HOPE) Cox, Shirley (HOPE) Haesler, Edna (CFK) Jenkins, Hoyt and Sylvia (HOPE)(CFK) Knack, Fredrick and Shirley (CFK) Miller, Frances (CFK) New Bethel United Methodist Church (HOPE Packs) Mt Mitchell United Methodist Women (HOPE Packs) Pioneer Bap st Church (HOPE) Robine e, Sr., Daniel and Be y (CFK) West End United Methodist Church (CFK) We are now able to set up donors who are interested in making recurring dona ons straight from their bank accounts. Give us a call and we can send along the paperwork. Individuals Anonymous (HOPE)(HOPE Packs)(CFK) Arnold, Robert and Debbie (CFK) Ashworth, Phyllis (CFK) Atwell, Brenda (HOPE Packs) Atwood, Michael and Jennifer (HOPE) Ballard, Elizabeth (CFK) Ballard, Robert and Martha (HOPE) Barton, Walter and Frances (HOPE) Beamer, Rusty and Stacy (HOPE Packs in honor of Terry and Johnny Beamer) Bethard, Wilson and Gail (HOPE) Billingsley, Be y (HOPE Packs) Bird, Jr., Daniel (HOPE) Bird, Russell and Jennifer (HOPE Packs) Bishop, Marie (HOPE Packs in honor of Mabeline and Elton Robinson) Bloomfield, Mark and Kathy (HOPE) (HOPE Packs in memory of Joyce Long) Brogden, Bill and Linda (HOPE) Brossy, Carolyn (HOPE Packs in memory of Joyce Long) Burns, Pat and Anna (HOPE Packs) Bush, David and Gail (HOPE Packs in memory of Joyce Long) Camden, Be y (HOPE Packs) Carpenter, David and Joan (HOPE Packs) Carter, Russell and Melissa (HOPE Packs) Caudill, Jr., Robert and Sharon (HOPE in memory of George Keck) Davis, Nancy (HOPE) Davis, Steve and Sandy (HOPE in memory of Marlene Davis) Delp, Daniel (HOPE Packs) Dix, Donna (CFK) DiYorio, John and Linda (HOPE in memory of Janet Campbell) DuPuis, Tom and Pa y (HOPE) Elve ci, Richard and Nancy (HOPE Packs) Farthing, George and Clara (HOPE) Fulton, Katherine and Kunst, Katharine (HOPE) Grimes, Margaret (HOPE) Hedgepeth, Dennis (HOPE) Hester, Dwight and Helena (HOPE) Horney, Dr. Wayne and Belinda(HOPE Packs in honor of John and Linda Phillips) Humphreys, Nancy (HOPE Packs) Johnson, John (CFK) Johnson, Ted and Janet (HOPE in memory of George Keck) Kegley, Calder and Megan (HOPE in honor of Grace and Reed Kegley) Kegley, George and Louise (HOPE) Kesner‐Bailey, Judy (CFK) Kilgore, Colene (HOPE Packs) Kincer, Faye (CFK) Laing, Drew and Crystal (HOPE)(HOPE in honor of data and technology department at MRCSB) Lester, II, Steve and Lisa (HOPE Packs) Lucas, Jeff (HOPE in memory of John McClane) Mango, Heather (CFK) Miller, Garne and Polly (HOPE in memory of Ian Fiorini) Miller, David and Janet (HOPE) Munsey, Bob and Be y (HOPE Packs) Newberry, Randy and Kris na (HOPE) Peel, Margaret (HOPE Packs) Peery, Annie (HOPE) Phillips, John and Linda (HOPE Packs) Reynolds, Dennis and Hope (HOPE Packs in memory of Joyce Long) Robine e, Wendy (CFK) Robinson, Jessica (HOPE) Rohe, George W. (HOPE) Sherowsky, Ronald and Kathleen (HOPE) Smiley, Ronald and Patricia (HOPE Packs) Smith, William and Farron (HOPE) Stewart, Francis and Carroll (CFK) S ckel, George and Deborah (HOPE) Stone, Debbie (HOPE) Storms, Keith and Lynne (CFK) Sutherland, Jr., Cur s and Faye (HOPE) Tarpley, Kent and Laura (HOPE) Tarter, Sandra (HOPE Packs in memory of C.D. Tarter) Tate, Sue Ellen (HOPE) Teed, Nelson and Rebecca (HOPE Packs in memory of Joyce Long) Tomiak, William and Julia (HOPE in honor of Dr. and Mrs. James Stone, Dr. Kari Thomas and Brandi Moore, P.C.) Trevillian, Elizabeth Jo (HOPE Packs) Udell, Lori (HOPE Packs) Umberger, Martha (HOPE Packs in honor of Dr. O.J. Campbell, Dr. D.R. Throckmorton and Dr. R.G. Copenhaver) Valley, William and Cathy (HOPE Packs in memory of Joyce Long)(CFK) Walters, Ray, Emmy and Jonathan (CFK in memory of Ray and Genevieve Walters and Ed and Marlene Zuber) Wessinger, Gloria (CFK) Yablonski, Tom and Lisa (CFK) Businesses/Corporate Bankers Insurance, LLC (HOPE) Camre Logis cs, Inc. (HOPE Packs) Curves (HOPE) David Mar n Insurance Agency, Inc. (HOPE Packs) Klockner Pentaplast of America, Inc (HOPE Packs) Leonard's Accoun ng & Tax Service (HOPE Packs) Nathan S. Houchins, D.D.S. (CFK) Wythe County Community Hospital Laboratory Staff (CFK) Churches/Faith‐Based Organiza ons Berea Chris an Church (HOPE Packs) (CFK) Chris an Women's Fellowship (HOPE Packs)(CFK) Crocke Chapel Methodist Church (HOPE Packs) Fort Chiswell United Methodist Church (HOPE) Lebanon Lutheran Church (HOPE Packs) Marvin United Methodist Women (CFK) Mt Mitchell United Methodist Church‐ Adult Sunday School Class (CFK) Mt Pleasant United Methodist Church (HOPE Packs) Pleasant Hill Lutheran Church (HOPE Packs) Rural Retreat United Methodist Church (HOPE Packs) Rural Retreat United Methodist Church Women (HOPE Packs) Saint Lukes Lutheran Church (CFK) St John's Episcopal Church Women (HOPE)(CFK) Wytheville Bap st Church‐Good News and New Hope Sunday School Classes (CFK) Non‐Profit Organiza ons Alcohol Anonymous (CFK) Alpha Delta Kappa (HOPE Packs) BSA Troop 60 (HOPE) Fahe (HOPE) United Way of Wythe County, Inc. (HOPE) Woodmen Life Chapter 441 (HOPE Packs) WRHA Resident Council (CFK in memory of Faye Gravley) Wytheville Lions Club (CFK) Governments/Agencies United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HOPE) Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (HOPE) Virginia Housing Development Authority (HOPE)(VISTA) In‐kind Smokey's BBQ (HOPE Packs) Sponsorships/Fundraisers Black Bear Harley‐Davidson (CFK) Blue Ridge Chiroprac c (CFK) Coulter's Florist, Inc. (CFK) First Bank & Trust Company (CFK) Grayson‐Carroll‐Wythe Mutual Insurance Co. (CFK) Grayson Na onal Bank (CFK) Holy Advent Lutheran Church (CFK) Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (CFK) Jeffrey B. Pe t, DDS, PC (CFK) Mt Pleasant United Methodist Church (CFK) Mt Pleasant United Methodist Women (CFK) Rotary Club of Wytheville Noon (CFK) Woodforest Na onal Bank (CFK) Wytheville Bap st Church‐New Hope Sunday School Class (CFK) Wytheville Moose Lodge #394 (CFK) Wytheville Presbyterian Church (CFK) BWCR—Big Walker Charity Ride CFK—Community Food Kitchen HOPE—general opera ng/unrestricted HOPE Packs—backpack program VISTA—AmeriCorps VISTA THANK YOU also to our hundreds of volunteers and the many donors of food, clothing and household items for our clients! Founda ons/Trusts AmazonSmile Founda on (HOPE) Na onal Chris an Founda on‐The Pierce Fund (HOPE) Wythe‐Bland Founda on (HOPE) (HOPE Packs) 3 DonorRecognition(January–March2017) Individuals Bloomfield, Mark and Kathy (HOPE) Crosland, III, John (HOPE) DeBord, Dianna (HOPE) Dillon, Mark and Zella (HOPE Packs in honor of the GWHS Boys Basketball Team, their coaching staff, and the Administra on of GWHS) Dunn, Joan (HOPE) Dunn, Tommy (HOPE) Elve ci, Nancy (HOPE Packs) Gossom, Debra (HOPE Packs in honor of Mike Pugh's birthday) Henslee, Mary (HOPE) King, Richard and Naomi (HOPE) Lester, Steve and Lisa (HOPE Packs) Lewis, Teresa (HOPE Packs) Orr, Charlo e (HOPE Packs) Phillips, John and Linda (HOPE Packs in memory of Kady Cole) Prive e, Gary (HOPE Packs in honor of Anchor of Hope and Galena Presbyterian Churches) Smiley, Ronald and Patricia (HOPE Packs in memory of Dean Bickford) Stafford, Mert (CFK) Wheat, Jim and Susan (HOPE) Willard, James (HOPE) Wilson, O s and Joanne (CFK)(HOPE Packs) Wire, Stephen and Kathleen (HOPE) Businesses/Corporate Bankers Insurance, LLC (HOPE) Big Walker Lookout (BWCR) Bland County Farm Bureau Federa on (HOPE Packs) David Mar n Insurance Agency, Inc. (HOPE)(HOPE Packs) Leonard's Accoun ng & Tax Service (HOPE Packs) Nordson Xaloy (HOPE Packs) Waste Industries, LLC (HOPE Packs) Churches/Faith‐Based Organiza ons Crocke Chapel Methodist Church (HOPE Packs) Draper Valley Pentecostal Holiness Church (HOPE Packs) Lebanon Lutheran Church (HOPE Packs) Pleasant Hill Lutheran Church (HOPE Packs) St Mary's Catholic Church (HOPE Packs) St Paul Lutheran Church (HOPE Packs) St Paul United Methodist Church (CFK) Sunny Hills Church (HOPE Packs) Wytheville Bap st Church (HOPE Packs) Wytheville Bap st Church Katheryn Issac and Mable Crabtree Circle (HOPE Packs) Wytheville First Church of God (HOPE Packs) Wytheville Presbyterian Church Don Wysor Sunday School Class (Fresh Start) Wytheville Presbyterian Church Stuart B. Campbell Sunday School Class (HOPE Packs) Bequests Shirley Dawn McCormick Estate (HOPE) Founda ons/Trusts AmazonSmile Founda on (HOPE) Gwathmey Memorial Trust (CFK) Non‐Profit Organiza ons Alpha Delta Kappa (HOPE Packs)Fahe (HOPE) Wytheville Moose Lodge #394 (HOPE Packs) Wytheville Lions Club (CFK) Governments/Agencies United States Department of Homeland Security Emergency Food and Shelter Na onal Board Program (HOPE) United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HOPE) Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (HOPE) Virginia Housing Development Authority (HOPE)(VISTA) In‐kind Bogle, John (HOPE Packs) Pacific Alliance (HOPE) Smokey's BBQ (HOPE Packs) Sponsorships/Fundraisers Virginia Housing Development Authority (BWCR) BWCR—Big Walker Charity Ride CFK—Community Food Kitchen HOPE—general opera ng/unrestricted HOPE Packs—backpack program VISTA—AmeriCorps VISTA THANK YOU also to our hundreds of volunteers and the many donors of food, clothing and household items for our clients! Where else can you get a 65% return on your investment? Contact us a er July 1, 2017 about our new award of state Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credits, where for a minimum dona on of $500, you receive a $325 state tax credit to offset any state taxes owed. 4 HOMELESSNESS and HUNGER cost everyone. Be part of the solution and donate to HOPE today! Donors—TheBigAsk HOPE has been blessed with over 700 donors at one me or another during our first 25 years. Collec vely, you have given over $11 million, from individuals, businesses, founda ons and government grants. That averages to around $440,000 annually‐‐‐considerably less than our current budget which has grown to $1.2 million! Individuals and businesses represent about 10% of this giving—that is true this year as we have budgeted $120,000 in dona ons. This is mostly the discre onary, unrestricted funding that is the linchpin of our work, the glue which holds us together, the juice which keeps our lights on! At this point, three‐quarters through the year, though, we have received 68% of our budget for contributed revenue, having brought just over $700,000 from donors, founda ons and government grants. For the remainder of this fiscal year, we should be in pre y good shape for the founda on and government grants, but it’s the individuals, business and faith‐based sources which we need to work a bit harder. The prognosis for the coming years, with poten al changes in first federal, and then state funding due to the new administra on’s tax reform and other priori es, is a bit daun ng. If you have contributed to HOPE since last July, we appreciate your support, and humbly ask if you have the means, to make a supplemental gi . If you haven’t, might you consider an end‐of‐the‐fiscal year dona on? We’ve men oned in prior newsle ers that HOPE is entering our 25th year. There are many reasons to celebrate a quarter century of community development impact, and the HOPE Board of Directors is planning just that! Over the next several seasonal newsle ers, you will be hearing more about our upcoming capital campaign and related events. We have set a bold goal of raising $500,000 in cash, as part of an even bolder target of doubling our balance sheet by $2.5 million in total new developments. We are off to a fast start on part of this goal, with new housing developments for the disabled in the pipeline, along with a permanent site and planning for our Community Food Kitchen project. Stay tuned on these developments, and please let us know if you would like to help out in any way. FromtheExecutiveDirector(con HOPEPartnerswithWCMA nued from page 1) This was enlightening as HOPE’s work really only touches one of those three perceived needs. There are other agencies charged with substance abuse work, par cularly around the epidemic of opioid addic on in Appalachia. And certainly there are public programs near and far charged with missions around job crea on, reten on, start‐ups, and industrial development. These students though saw through that shortcoming, and while coming from an urban campus, recognized that in rural places like ours, something more has to be done to educate, retrain, and retain our human resources, less we become nothing but a depopulated and played out desert. Through their day of service with HOPE, they saw both of our founda on programs—housing and food security. They helped move a family with a disabled child within our Hillcrest community, and then they assisted with the wonderful weekly Wednesday packing of 835 bags for our HOPE Packs program. Another group of nine visitors, some of the staff from the Federa on of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (Fahe), an intermediary providing housing financial support throughout central Appalachia, visited HOPE’s office and programs on the previous Wednesday. They also shared in the HOPE Packs experience with about 40 others from Sunny Hills Church, a Rural Retreat Girl Scout troop, and the Kiwanis Club, and commented that witnessing and par cipa ng in this community experience was the highlight of their mission tour. If your civic group, church or family would like to help out with a Wednesday HOPE Packs, contact Mike Pugh at [email protected] or at 276‐228‐6280, Ext. 213. FoodSecuritySpotlight When HOPE Board member Pastor Harvey Atkinson took on new churches in Smyth County last year, he no fied his fellow members of the Wythe County Ministerial Associa on (WCMA) that he would have to give up his role as treasurer. There was more to this transi on than meets the eye. Pastor Harvey handled WCMA funds, which are frequently leveraged with other area program assistance for families in a crisis. He kept office hours here at HOPE, so was able to lean on HOPE’s Intake Coordinator Gary Slemp to check on a client’s need for addi onal assistance. Realizing his experience would be hard to replicate, members of WCMA and HOPE staff, including our AmeriCorps VISTA Hunter Fillers, began to visualize a different system, u lizing a shared spreadsheet on‐line where church staff, HOPE, Bland Ministry Center, Grace Point and others could all see and manage WCMA discre onary funding. Unveiled in January, par cipa ng church and agency staff now go to this real‐ me, on‐line spreadsheet, enter a client’s need for some assistance, and track which other agency is making a pledge for the same client. Importantly, while this system is enabling WCMA to manage its total annual assistance budget of $11,400, it has also iden fied another $13,313 in unmet needs. This helps jus fy increased funding from donors, churches and others in our community. As WCMA Treasurer Pastor Chad Dunford says: Top (le to right): Andy Kegley, Execu ve Director of HOPE, Harvey Atkinson, Vice‐Chair of HOPE’s Board of Directors, and Mike Pugh, HOPE Packs Program Coordinator, accept a $2,500 dona on to HOPE Packs from Robert Waschler with Waste Industries. Bo om: members of Fahe staff from Berea, Kentucky volunteered at a recent HOPE Packs weekly packing. Proverb 19:17 says: “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.” Christ frequently equated the works done for the poor and des tute with works done unto Him. Whether we care for widows, orphans, or the poor, we are told that doing this will result in reward from the Lord Himself. C.S. Lewis said: “The proper rewards are not simply tacked on to the ac vity for which they are given, but are the ac vity itself in consumma on.” That is, the reward promised to us for caring for “the least of these” is not a mercenary affair, but rather a proper result of how Christ intended for us to treat our fellow man. The call of Ma hew 25:40 is given to all in the faith community, and the work of the WCMA is a prac cal, powerful way for many others to get involved. 5 HelpWanted HOPE is seeking a crea ve, experienced, visionary and entrepreneurial grant writer/ development coordinator to grow our Community Food Kitchen program into a pay‐what‐you‐can restaurant. We have raised about half of this project’s an cipated development cost, but have decided to change sites and repurpose this project within our HOPE Ministry Center office building and Main Street loca on. This will enable the project to benefit from synergies of a co‐located office serving a wide‐range of programs for low wealth and disadvantaged individuals. Key highlights of our project to date: Five year’s experience managing our Community Food Kitchen project, averaging 150 meals per week, at an average cost of around $2 per meal, supported en rely to date with over 50 unduplicated monthly volunteers. Raised $270,000 in founda on support for new commercial kitchen to serve targeted, food insecure individuals. Iden fied op mal site in HOPE’s Main Street property, for repurposing exis ng building while adding new space, in a co‐located facility with five other human service agencies, serving thousands each year. SponsorshipOpportunities We’re into our 14th year of the Big Pencil to Big Walker Metric Century Ride, aka The Fast and the Fiorini. This is our biggest annual fundraiser, and consistently scores high marks with cyclists. If you or your business, civic group or church are interested in helping to sponsor this event, or to volunteer at one of the rest stops, please give us a call. We’ll be pos ng an image of this year’s custom designed cycling jersey, which all riders receive as part of their registra on, very soon. It’s not too late to add your name to this jersey! 6 Collabora ons established with other food ini a ves, such as the Culinary Arts program at Wythe County Technology Center. 2015 and 2016 jerseys as designed by world record holder cyclist Sco e Weiss at Starlight Custom Apparel. If you know this ideal candidate, contact HOPE’s Execu ve Director Andy Kegley at 276‐228‐6280, Ext. 211, or [email protected].
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