As Executive Director of Hope Farm, I would like to personally invite you to a tour of our magnificent campus in Como. We are ecstatic about our new building and potential partnerships that come along with being in such a warm community. We reopened for after-school programming again beginning April 22th. We solicit your time and treasure your prayers on our expanded journey.
Our vision for Como is to continue to serve more at-risk, fatherless boys and transform them into Christ-centered leaders just as we have for over 20 years at our Morningside Campus. We plan to do this via a four-pillar approach. Please have a seat at the table with us as we read, feed, parent, and empower.
First, we understand the importance of early childhood literacy and the effect that it has on boys downstream. We have all read the negative trends and results. Boys who had below-grade-level reading scores improved their scores by an average of eight months after just three months of HOPE Farm’s literacy tutoring on the Morningside campus last year as measured by literacy assessments. Help us to stand in the gap for these young boys.
Second, hunger is a grave problem in our nation and we see it every day in the inner city of Fort Worth. HOPE Farm offers nutritious snacks and meals to our boys each day. We have a chef who prepares a balanced meal each night for our boys who are taught dining etiquette as they eat. We understand a balanced meal is vital in order to get maximum efforts and concentration for our boys. Will you help?
Third, we offer Parent University to all new moms in our program, which gives them some necessary tools to communicate, educate, and discipline their children in effective ways. The Mothers Resource Center is a fundamental part of what we do at HOPE Farm. We stand in the gap for the moms as well. We understand that the HOPE Farm message needs to be congruent at home, as well, in order to achieve maximum results. Unemployment and underemployment are big problems within our mom’s circle. We have partnered with several vendors to ensure they have some of the resources/professional development that is needed to show their sons what success at home looks like.
Finally, we want to empower our boys by being more intentional through our leadership development program and core proficiencies. We will emphasize public speaking, presentation skills, critical thinking, financial literacy, writing with impact, and relational competency. All of these core proficiencies are geared toward building confidence so the boys can take charge of their lives. We are also introducing vocational training to our boys with the understanding that not all may want to go to college. This training allows them to have a meaningful alternative in those situations.
If any of these items strike a chord with you please reach out to us. We welcome your assistance to help us inspire young men to see possibilities for their future as well as exposing them to new ideas, experiences, places and people who can help them grow.
