Agency - House Of Peace & Education, Inc.

HOPE empowers women and children to believe in themselves, to learn new skills and to use those skills to live their best possible lives.

The mission of HOPE is carried out through two programs: HOPE for Kids and HOPE for Women.

Description:
HOPE serves primarily women and children who are low-moderate income and at risk of violence, abuse, neglect, dysfunctional relationships, school and/or social failures, who have a strong desire to make positive changes.

HOPE for Kids: Our HOPE for Kids program works to prevent school dropout and break the cycle of violence by providing a strong mentoring model to increase educational success and to develop interpersonal skills in a safe and nurturing environment.

HOPE for Kids offers mentoring, academic tutoring and homework assistance, social skills development and opportunities for leadership development for youth in grades K-8 during the school year. As well, job skills training is provided to youth ages 13-18 at Project Contact Summer Camp.

HOPE for Women seeks to assist low-income women in transition to their next step toward self-sufficiency, whether it is employment in a job with a living wage or continued education that will lead to sustainable employment , and to help women begin to overcome the societal and internal barriers that have prevented them from succeeding so that they can provide for themselves and their families adequately and with dignity.

HOPE for Women seeks to help women in transition on a path to a more secure future. Our HOPE for Women program includes a 7 week, 175 hour comprehensive individualized computer and job skills training program, along with follow-up and wraparound support for a year.

HOPE staff and volunteers strive to provide an environment that is nurturing, caring, respectful and welcoming. They give unconditional support and affirmation to strengthen self-esteem and create opportunities for success.

History:
The House of Peace & Education, Inc. (HOPE) is a non- profit organization founded in 1996 by four Sisters of St. Joseph to counteract violence and promote peace in the Greater Gardner community through education, mentoring, leadership opportunities and jobs skills training.

HOPE began with a summer program for children in grades 2-6 which evolved into the current HOPE for Kids program that serves 200 youth throughout the year.

HOPE for Women began operating the following year with a 4 week program offering computer skills and job skills training free of charge to income qualified women to prepare them for the next step towards independence: employment, secondary education, or technical job training. The program has expanded its scope to provide 7 weeks of comprehensive computer training and job skills.

Contact people:

Frances Longton, Program Director, (phone), (email) Andrea Hinckley, Operations Manager, (phone), (email) Nancy Phelps, Assistant, (phone), (email)

Address:

Camp Collier, Camp Collier Rd. Gardner, MA 01440 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.hopegardner.org

Directions:

Project Contact Summer Camp is located at Camp Collier, part of the Modnanock Trust Conservation Property in Gardner/Ashburnham. Directions coming from the junction of Rte. 101, Green St. and Elm St. at rotary in Gardner, follow Green St. past the Gardner. . . (more)

Last updated on December 12, 2012