September/October 2015
Dear Friends,

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of driving a few of our young people home from a very special event at The Hope Center - our first poetry reading.  These three young people had just shared their original poems with a room full of complete strangers.
 
I expected the car ride to be full of conversations about music, movies and other popular teenage topics, but was surprised to hear a completely different conversation. With no prompting, these three young people began talking about how empowering it felt to share their poems. One young woman who has written hundreds of poems shared that it was the first time she had ever read one aloud. Another young person marveled that so many people came to hear what she had to say.   And yet another talked about how it felt to hear his name announced and to see his poem in a published anthology. 
 
As they all stepped out of the car with huge smiles, an air of confidence and their arms stacked high with anthologies to share with friends, I realized that sometimes it is indeed the smallest of things that can have a huge impact on people.  In this case, it was supporters such as yourself simply showing up to let these young people know that they aren't alone and that what they have to say truly matters. That their accomplishments - big and small - deserve to be celebrated.
 
I consider myself to be incredibly fortunate to be a part of a community that truly gets what matters and want to thank each of you for all you do to ensure that young people aging out of foster care get every opportunity they deserve.
 
Warmly,

Stacy Bluth
Executive Director
The Hope Center
Over 150 people gathered for our first Poetry Reading and Art Showcase on Sunday, October 11th, which was a wonderful success. Our young people shared their poems and showcased their artwork with the audience to rave reviews.  A special thank you to Raleigh Review and Artopia for providing our young people the opportunity to explore their talents and express themselves through art and poetry. 


Highlight: Holistic Support

Robert is one of our young people who participated both in an internship at CAM Raleigh this past summer and our Art and Poetry workshops this fall. With encouragement from his mentor at CAM Raleigh, he now plans to apply to NC State, and hopefully participate in their School of Design, a great fit for such a talented young artist. Robert was also able to create beautiful pieces of art at our workshops, which were facilitated by Artopia. And, through our independent living skills program that we co-host with Wake County Department of Human Services, Robert and other college-aged foster youth participated in college information nights where we discussed the college admissions process, standardized test, and financial aid information, all in an effort to make sure that our young people have the tools they need to make their dreams come true. As an organization we understand that the areas of support that we provide are all inter-connected--success in one area can't come without success in another. 

We couldn't have done it without you! Thank you --sponsors, riders, and volunteers--for your support and participation in this year's Cycle for Hope. We want to express our sincerest thanks to John Paul Womble and Ted and Serena Buckner for their leadership, and TLC Bikes as our Presenting Sponsor. 
On Saturday, October 3rd, Village Motor Werks turned their garage into a benefit for The Hope Center, providing music, food, and a car wash. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for Village Motor Werks, Carolina Rollergirls, and for all those in the community who didn't let the rain get in the way and stopped by to support young people aging out of foster care. Thank you!





In mid-November, we will be launching this year's annual appeal with our Portraits of Transition series, where we we asked young people to tell their stories of aging out of foster care in their own voice. These stories will be published via e-mail, and you can also follow even more stories on our Facebook page. 
Where To
Find Us

silver_laptop.jpg



Donate
pillows2.jpg

We are always in need of items on our wish list to help our young people as they set up their apartments.  For a complete list, click here.
 
 
Volunteer
paper_people_chain.jpg
 
 We are always looking for volunteer mentors and tutors for our young people.  Click here to find out more information about how to get involved.
 
 
Contribute
  bills_coins.jpg
 
Donations of any amount help sustain the work we do with young men and women aging out of foster care.  Click here to find out more!
 
 

Our thanks to our sponsors for Cycle for Hope 2015:

Presenting Sponsor:
Financial Sponsors:
Blankenship Custom Homes, Inc.
Cline Design Associates
Community Management Corporation
DHIC, Inc.
Dixon Hughes Goodman
Dr. Joe and Vicki Siragusa
Drucker and Falk
Fuquay Solutions
Harold K. Jordan & Co., Inc.
James Richardson, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
JDavis Architects
JJ's Kids Cuts
Langdon and Company, LLP
Lynch and Eatman, LLC
Morningstar Law Group
Pat Hielscher and Brooks Wicker
Saige Martin and William Moore
Scott Insurance
Townsend Asset Management Corp.
Triangle Orthopaedic Associates, P.A.

| | [email protected] |
1801 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27605