Stories of Hope

January is National Mentoring Month and we want to congratulate Mentor Kristal Lightning! We are thrilled to share that not only is Kristal Community of Hope's 2018 Mentor of the Year but she was also chosen as one of the three United Way of the National Capital Area and Deloitte's Mentoring Matters Coalition Mentors of the Year! She was chosen out of a pool of over 25 organizations who host mentoring programs throughout the DC-metro area.

“When others don’t advocate for you, you advocate for yourself.”

That is the motivation for client Jennifer McLaughlin. Jennifer, 41, originally grew up in Baltimore city and shares that she never had an example of what stable housing looked like because her parents became homeless when she was just three years old, forcing the family to put her in the foster care system. After being in the system for a couple of years she was then reconnected with her family again. Unfortunately, their time together was short-lived, and Jennifer moved out when she was just 15 years old.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and statistics show that about 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.  In D.C., breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer, with Ward 8 having the highest incidence.  Regrettably, for longtime S.E. community member and mom, Donita Caldwell, these statistics weren’t just numbers; they were real people with real connections to her life.

Deidra Eskew, DC native and mom of two, knew when she came to Community of Hope that she had to change.  She had never known her father and, as a result, went through much of her childhood and into adulthood feeling alone.  She had harbored resentment towards her mother – due to her father’s absence and then was burdened with guilt and sadness when her mom passed away.

Tameika Price, a DC resident and Community of Hope patient found her voice this month as she shared about her pregnancy journey.  She provided a testimonial video at the Mayor’s Maternal and Infant Health Summit. 

This month, we hosted our 6th Annual Bellevue Back to School Bash in partnership with MPD's Beat the Street and the William O Lockridge/Bellevue Library. With the help of sponsors, partners, and volunteers, we were able to give 1,232 backpacks filled with school supplies to K-12 students in the Ward 7 and Ward 8 community. Thank you to Gallup, Forrester Construction, The Carlyle Group, National Air Traffic Controllers and so many more. Students were also able to receive free health care screenings, haircuts from our amazing Mr. Wallace Wilson and his barber friends, and other resources to help them prepare for a new school year.

We are very proud to echo recent, well-deserved recognition of Dr. Carla Henke, our Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Henke received a Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40 award! This award is given to 40 rising stars in Washington, DC, who are leading the way in their professions and significantly improving their communities.  She was selected from among 450 candidates.  We believe it is because of she demonstrates an incredible commitment to family medicine and to making high-quality healthcare accessible to low-income families.  

For the second year in a row, there is good news to celebrate about family homelessness in Washington, DC. Family homelessness decreased by 20.8% from 2017 to 2018 (2018 Point-in-Time [PIT] Count for the District of Columbia). That means 242 fewer families experienced homelessness. It’s also worth noting that in 2017, family homelessness similarly decreased by 22%, with 325 fewer families experiencing homelessness than in 2016. These decreases are critical after family homelessness spiked to nearly 1,500 families in 2016, a 47% increase from 2012. 

You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice. These words ring true for Naomi Saforo, a mother of three. As a single parent, she has had to be strong every day for her children and herself. But when times became harder, she started losing her strength.

If you ask someone why they are a mentor, they might say, “It’s important to give back.” If you ask Tiffany why she mentors, she might say, “It’s important to form a bond with someone, in order to make a difference.” Check out the story of Tiffany and her mentor, Dasha, in our Permanent Supportive Housing Program.