For over 13 years, Darene has called the Bellevue community ”home.” Just a short walk away she found a place that would become her emotional anchor: the Bellevue Family Success Center at Community of Hope. Here she found a support system that carried her through some of life’s toughest chapters.
Darene first learned about Community of Hope through a coworker who recommended that she check it out. “I was just looking for something to do in the community,” she recalled. “A space where I could talk to other parents and not feel alone. I found that at the Family Success Center.”
The Bellevue Family Success Center became part of what Darene calls her village — a place where she could decompress, cry, laugh, and be human. Staff members like LaToya and Eugene weren’t just professionals, but they were “like cousins you didn’t know you had.” Darene says that the team met her where she was, with compassion and without judgment. Darene’s grandson, who is autistic and has experienced mental health challenges, has also been supported by the Center. She remembers one particularly difficult time; she was in crisis herself. “I was breaking down, crying. I didn’t know where to start,” she said. “Mr. Eugene just stopped what he was doing to help me get myself back on track. I’ll never forget that.”
What made the biggest difference wasn’t just the resources — though they connected her to everything from food banks to notary services to emotional wellness referrals — it was how they made her feel: seen, heard, and never like a burden.
“They treat you like a person, not a client. They cover the gamut from housing and jobs to just sitting with you when you need someone,” says Darene.
Beyond helping her grandson, the Bellevue Family Success Center has helped Darene care for herself. She’s faced her share of personal challenges, and through her connection with the Family Success Center, she’s learned how important it is to ask for help, show up, and embrace being part of a caring community.
She believes in caring for the community that cares for you and has also made it a point to continue to volunteer and show up side-by-side with others from her neighborhood. “That makes me feel good giving back to my community with the people who live and work in it.”
