Stepping Up to Share Hope
“Regardless of your negative situation — be it homelessness, depression or something else — when you’re in that negative headspace, it feels almost impossible to get out. But organizations like Home of Hope remind you it’s not permanent.”
This statement by Home of Hope volunteer Jonathan Delgado sums up the perspective on life he’s developed through the help of a supportive community and empowering programming.
Jonathan recently graduated from Trilogy, which he describes as “a leadership and empowerment program for Latinos and Spanish speakers.”
At the core of Trilogy is encouragement for members to push back against self-imposed limitations.
“Everyone in day-to-day life has that limiting conversation of ‘Why can’t I do X, Y, Z things?’ We often create our own limitations that end up being stronger than the actual limitations that are around us,” Jonathan explained.
“We learn [in Trilogy] that when there’s a will, there’s a way.”
In the final step of the program, participants establish goals and a mission statement for their lives and complete a service project to benefit the community.
“While we’re developing all this personal growth, a part of being human is giving back to the community and sharing what we’ve learned with people around us, especially at-risk communities,” he said.
Jonathan is currently in this final phase. When he was looking for an organization to serve, his sister recommended Home of Hope.
“My sister did a project with Home of Hope to repair some rooms, bring in toys and host a field day,” he explained. “We’re the oldest of many younger cousins, so protecting kids or helping them is really close to our hearts.”
When Jonathan visited Home of Hope and toured the property with Samantha Pryor, Home of Hope’s volunteer coordinator, he saw several areas where seemingly small repairs or upgrades could make a big difference.
Along with other Trilogy members, Jonathan cleaned and repaired the outdoor steps in front of the main office and the children’s playhouse and powerwashed and repainted the pavilion.
During his short time volunteering at Home of Hope, the organization’s impact resonated with him.
“When I first arrived, I had an idea of Home of Hope, but when I got the tour of the facility, I learned so much more,” he shared.
“You can provide housing — and that is excellent — and you can provide shelter and food, but [Home of Hope] does so much more than that. They go the extra mile to teach life skills, so this is not [families’] permanent reality.”
Now that he’s visited Home of Hope’s campus and seen the impact, Jonathan is ready to rally a new team to complete a new project. He hopes others will do the same.
“People often say, ‘I don’t have the time,’ but I have learned in [Trilogy] and while helping Home of Hope that you can make time as long as you see the importance,” he shared.
“We’ll say, ‘I have no time to go to this concert,’ for example, but we’ll make the time and money somehow to go. I feel it’s worth asking, ‘Why not put that level of importance into helping others?’”
He believes if others take the time to visit Home of Hope and experience the life-change occurring every day, they’ll be inspired to step up and share hope.
“For people who haven’t gotten involved yet, just take the extra time to look a little further into this program. I think you will immediately see the pricelessness of it,” he said.
“Home of Hope, at its core, is inspiration. [It reminds mothers and kids] they’re not victims of circumstance. Instead, they’re taking steps to make sure they have the tools necessary to succeed.”