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The H.O.P.E. Outreach Center began with the vision
of Father Gabriel O’Reilly, the pastor of
St. David Catholic Church. In 1995, Father O’Reilly
began foundational work to realize a long held dream
– creating a living embodiment of the Gospel
of St. Mathew, Chapter 25. He saw, touching his
parish on all sides, the lives of the elderly, the
children, the displaced, and the marginalized. He
found the need for help and knew something could
be done about it. With a few volunteers, and the
Sisters of St. Joseph B. Cottolengo, he began Project
HOPE, an outreach to help other people everyday.
Working initially from the office of the Church
of St. David, the volunteers concentrated on a mobile
home community in Davie, Florida, near the Church.
Basic programs were formed to extend needed services
to the residents, such as after-school children
enrichment programs, visitation for the sick and
homebound, elderly support and companionship, and,
where requested and needed, religious outreach services.
In
1996, a central office, known as “The Storefront”,
and later changed to HOPE’s Emergency Assistance
Program was established in the community's Down
Town Area to extend services, reach more people,
centralize and improve efficiency and results. A
Food Pantry was created and stocked to feed the
hungry. Mentoring services and emergency help were
provided along with a growing volunteer staff to
address many needs. A Board of Directors was formed
and a 501(c)3 qualified charitable organization
was registered under the Florida Secretary of State’s
Office.
Since that time, the HOPE Outreach
Center has introduced many new programs, including:
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Children’s
After School Enrichment |
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Elderly Companionship
and Visitation |
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Emergency Food
Pantry |
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Partial Financial
Assistance Program |
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Information
and Employment Referrals |
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Workforce One
Employment Site |
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Social Services |
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Counseling Services |
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Education and
Support Groups |
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Mentoring/Tutoring
of Children and Families |
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Christmas, Thanksgiving
and Holiday Drives (i.e,. Adopt-A-Family Program) |
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Summer Camp
Scholarships |
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Hispanic Women’s
Support Group |
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Sunday School
Religious Training Program |
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Vacation Bible
School |
HOPE’s
mission will continue to grow as it endeavors
to serve the disadvantaged in any way possible.
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