Area Nonprofit, Neighborhood Hope, Cultivates Trust

Neighborhoods changing, histories retold, stories rewritten and futures reimagined.

It’s a natural progression, the seasons of change and growth, but not all areas experience growth at the same time or the same rate. The canopy of neighborhoods that comprise Monroe Road corridor are in varying stages of bloom; our diverse residency of artists, educators, advocates, and everyday families are committed to cultivating positive growth and an environment of inclusivity, sowing the seeds of change.

This takes time, commitment and an enormous amount of trust.

One area non-profit, with offices at East City Church at 6850 Monroe Road, is working to cultivate such an environment through Neighborhood Hope. 

Executive Director, Josh Meadows knows sustainable change happens from within a community. He also knows this is tough ground. Despite soil rich in culture and history, not every neighborhood is equipped with the tools and resources necessary to grow forward.  “We respectfully come into a neighborhood—we learn their stories, their names—building trust and waiting for an invitation from the community to serve as a bridge to resources,” says Meadows.  Establishing a quiet presence, bringing consistency, and working with neighborhood leaders and residents to plot out and implement programs will best serve residents for the long term.

The fact that the majority of students in Neighborhood Hope programs come from single-parent households resonated for Meadows.

Though he gently refers to the childhood hurts that he still carries as “walking with a limp,” he turned his personal pain into purpose. Recognizing the impact his neighbors, coaches and mentors had in shaping his own life in such a fruitful way, Meadows views his role as a way to germinate hope. He aims to heal the fractured roots of often-overlooked neighborhoods and help them thrive as family, neighbors, and community with a common goal: to rewrite and tell their story, bearing an even more beautiful fruit. Regeneration.

Neighborhood Hope’s grassroots programs are foraged from fellowship. They focus on building deep, meaningful connections using five basic lessons: receiving God’s love, self love, loving your neighbor, work ethic, and financial literacy/freedom. They believe in the power of doing life together. They hold 75% of mentoring/tutoring programs in the community, creating change in neighborhoods from the inside out.

Programs like…

• the Neighborhood Initiative – fun and fellowship with neighborhood children, their families, and volunteers
• Health Initiative – focused on better food choices, cooking skills, maintaining vegetable gardens, and overcoming food deserts
• Basketball Program – sports play with smaller groups of mentors, where teen youth participants learn how to mentor younger children, and 
• Options Program – assistance with academic tutoring (<– Fox46 story) as well as trade/business mentors and training opportunities from area businesses.  

Reshaping and replenishing the environment with the loving labor of “one-ness,” Meadows and his ever-growing group of mentors and volunteers believe every child, family, and neighborhood are worthy. All it takes is love, time, consistency and community… so that all may reap the bountiful harvest of hope.

~Tia Yeorgoulias

To donate, volunteer or learn more, visit the Neighborhood Hope website.  Volunteers are needed for “Summer of Hope” on Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 15 – July 15 from 10a to 2p.