Robert Ball Heads to College!!

Robert Ball, who began his training at Hopeworks in October, has begun his college career by starting his first class at Camden County College. Robert will be completing our Hopeworks College Bound program and heading to college full-time in June. Robert joins 14 other Hopeworks trainees who have entered college in the last year and a half. Congratulations to all!

Hopeworks Fields Youth Tax Support Team

Hopeworks has been contracted by the Walter Rand Institute to provide software support for TaxWise. Hopeworks has created a three person youth team that will provide support to 7 different Camden locations during the next three months. This youth team, led by Patrick Belefanti, will be in charge of 30 computers which will be used to help Camdenites receive tax assistance and to take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

GIS Youth earn University of Montana Certification

Ed Figueroa successfully completed all three online college classes from the University of Montana necessary to earn his GIS certificate from UMT. Ed is the first Hopeworks trainee to gain certification. Ed won't be the only Hopeworks GIS certified trainee for long though---Endrix Afanador, Joshua Rivera and Elyse Smith all began their final online course for certification this month while Yesenia Nieves joined the certification process by beginning the introductory class. All total, Hopeworks GIS youth have earned over 48 credits from UMT. Nice job GIS crew!

Thanks Dr. Allen and Pastor Lee

Thanks to both Dr. Greg Allen and Pastor Lee Miller for their service on the Hopeworks BOard. Dr. Allen served with great enthusiasm and zeal during his tenure. Pastor Lee, one of the three founding pastors of Hopeworks, is moving to a new congregation in north-east Philadelphia and will be sorely missed. Thank you both for your service and care for the youth of Camden!

Prayers Asked

Sad news hit Hopeworks when we found out that Jillian Mercado's cousin was shot and killed here in Camden. Joseph Mercado was only 17. He was buried last week in Brooklyn.

Hopeworks Shirts

Hopeworks has created a new logo and is having shirts embroidered with our new look. The shirts will be 100% cotton short-sleeve sports shirts. If you would like to place an order, please send an email to: shirts@hopeworks.org.

Participatory Neighborhood Planning Training, “From the Ground Up”

Hopeworks will be partnering with LISC, PNC Bank and Community Grants & Planning of East Windsor, NJ to provide three Participatory Neighborhood Planning training sessions titled, "From the Ground Up." Attendees will walk through the participatory neighborhood planning process with the overall objective of moving CDCs and grass roots organizations, and municipalities towards the creation of neighborhood plans. The trainings will also focus on the creation of participatory plans that qualify neighborhoods for the New Jersey Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit. The first session will be held at Thomas Edison State College on February 2, 2004 followed by a session at Essex County College on April 20, 2004 , and in Camden the first week of June 2004. If you are interested, please email Milton Keenan at mkeenan@liscnet.org

Hopeworks to present at Ethnography Conference

The 25th Annual Ethnography in Education Research Forum, hosted by Penn GSE and the Center for Urban Ethnography on February 27-28, 2004, will focus on “Ethnography as Scientifically Based Research: Implications for Educational Policy and Practice.” Researchers, graduate students, and practitioners will gather on the Penn campus to consider issues of evidence, truth, credibility, and generalizability and to celebrate the accomplishments of educational ethnography over the past quarter century while simultaneously charting our course to meet the challenges of the next. Ed Figrueroa, Father Jeff and Carol XXXX will be presenting a paper on Hopeworks at this conference.