Stories of Hope

Do you look forward to your commute to work in the morning? Geoffrey Jackson does. After a year of unemployment, this single father, who is raising four kids, looks forward to his trip to work. “Having a commute means I have a job!” When Geoffrey lost his job late last year, it was the first time he had been unemployed since getting connected to Community of Hope in 2009. 

Mustafa Humphreys considers himself a professional diaper changer and a baby bottle master, thanks to Community of Hope’s Healthy Start home visiting program. New parents, Mustafa and Ayona Dennis, learned about our Healthy Start home visiting program while participating in Community of Hope’s CenteringPregnancy® group.

“You have to leave!” Those words meant the end of “home” for Nikki. She and her two young children had been living at her mother’s home in Washington, DC until one day in early 2016. Nikki had just a week to figure out where she was going to live. Growing up, Nikki was in and out of shelters – all too familiar with the negative effects it could have on her children.

Not many people volunteer at their doctor’s offices, but Wallace Wilson makes it a point to. A professional barber and Ward 8 resident, Wallace came to Community of Hope on a friend’s recommendation. “He told me that I could get great care. That’s exactly what was missing from our neighborhood!”

“Mommy, my arm hurts.” Bianca Bynum was sleeping in bed at home one night in April when she heard two loud sounds followed by that cry. Her motherly instinct catapulted her out of bed to go check on her sons, eight-year-old Leonte and six-year-old Kamari. Not quite seeing them in the dark, Bianca heard her youngest son’s cry for help.

In two short weeks, COH mentee, JT, will embark on a new adventure: he’s starting college! A recent Anacostia High School graduate, JT has already thought about how he’s going to balance his coursework with his extracurricular activities at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, NC. He has to choose between basketball or soccer.

Do you hear the bell ringing? School is back in session for students in Washington, DC!

To get back in school mode, Community of Hope and the William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library hosted our 4th Annual Bellevue Back to School Bash, saluting the end of summer and getting kids ready for a great school year.

This week Community of Hope celebrates the life of one of our founding members, John K. Lunsford. John passed away on August 3, 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer. Our founder, Tom Nees, shared memories of John’s role in our early days.  Tom served as John’s pastor and their conversations often gravitated to how they and the church might respond to the needs in impoverished neighborhoods in the city.

D.C. native Terry Boone describes himself as a man of many hats – he’s a banquet cook, an ad-jingle-making musician, and a martial arts enthusiast. His passions have taken him all over the East Coast, meeting many people along the way. “But what people really remember me for is my smile,” he says. Who does he credit for his healthy and happy grin?

Shante Grant’s family was an average family – mom, dad and three kids – living in a comfortable apartment in the city, working to make ends meet. But when Shante’s husband lost his job in November 2015, all that stability was disrupted. “We fell behind on rent and tried to keep up, but then we just couldn’t anymore.” During one of the coldest winters in our Nation’s Capital, Shante and her family became homeless.