For the past two and a half years, Mario has been a superlative trainee, production team member and trainer at Hopeworks.  Attending Camden County College, he has fully paid for every class he has taken.  He has worked hard and his hard work is taking him places.  Most recently, it was to Le Moyne College, a Jesuit college near Syracuse, NY where Patrick Keenan, our formation director, and Mario recently visited.   Here is Mario’s reflection on that experience:

As Patrick drove and I sat in the car on our way to Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY, we are able to see all the beautiful scenery. The leaves of the trees are a bright red, orange, yellow and brown. After sitting in the car for almost four and half hours, I have to say that the time was not spent unwisely. As we drew closer to Syracuse, and to Le Moyne, I began to think about the things I was going to see and the questions I was going to ask and going to be asked. So I inhaled and exhaled and relaxed.  By the time I noticed, we were already pulling into the parking lot at Le Moyne College.

Click here to read the rest of the article and view great photos from Mario's visit to Le Moyne College!

The Hopeworks Board recently had a board training presented by the LaSalle Non-Profit Center.  The training emphasized the juridical role that the board has in implementing the mission of Hopeworks.  The conversation was lively, covering the issues of:  board fundraising, pursuit of a mission in a nonprofit environment, board commitment and obligations towards mission and purpose, and various methods of board accountability.  There was an abundance of energy with the various board members asking that we schedule another training!   Wow! 

Matthew Donohue has been volunteering in the Literacy Department at Hopeworks since September 2007.  As a volunteer for Mission Year, he assists trainees with enrichment activities that prepare youth for college success.  In addition, he assists the Literacy Director with the daily operations of the Literacy program.   Matthew, who hails from Cynthiana, Kentucky, has established a wonderful relationship with the youth and staff of Hopeworks.  Matthew has been a tremendous support with the recent changes within the Literacy Department.  When asked what inspires him to service, Matt simply responds, “God, and the many needs of people.”

Nefertiti Bryant, Dan Castelan, Miles Roman and Rebecca Schelmety recently gave up their Friday night to present with Father Jeff and other staff members at the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Moorestown, NJ.  The youth discussed their involvement in our training programs and the work that they have accomplished.  The assembled audience included 40 to 50 parishioners who were all very interested in the youth and their futures.  Nefertiti talked about wanting to go into the legal profession and Rebecca discussed her goal of becoming an obstetrician.  Dan and Miles, who are both in college, told their stories of working towards their college graduations.  Many were pleased to hear that Dan had left Hopeworks to start an internship at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and that the Stock Exchange has extended the internship twice with the possibility of permanent employment.  At the reception following the presentation hosted by the Knights of Columbus Council 1028, the youth met with many of the attendees and talked about their work and ambitions.  Great job to all who were involved! 

Adriana, Luis, Rebecca and Sylvon from the Bluford Design Team have been hard at work developing design proposals to present to the Blufor Series author Paul Langan and his publisher, Townsend Press.  They have used the provocative statement--developed by youth during “Appreciative Inquiry” focus-groups—as a basis to innovate functional and design elements for the Bluford Series website.  The youth will present to Paul during this week's site design meeting. This project encompasses a true integration of youth in our entire design process, and we are excited to incorporate their talents and expertise in upcoming projects, including ad-sales & development of our Camden City Map. 

This past month, the Hopeworks family came together to give thanks. The youth and staff brought in delicious dishes to help us celebrate Thanksgiving. Some of the food that we were blessed with included turkey, ham, baked macaroni and cheese, Spanish rice, mashed potatoes, and so on. Before eating, we blessed the food and everyone spoke on the things that they were grateful for. Although we had a unique group of people, they all had something in common -- being grateful for being a part of Hopeworks and what we stand for! In addition, I know that Hopeworks is very thankful for all the people who believe in what we do and the continued support that we have received. So, from the family of Hopeworks, we would like to say thank you all for all of your support and encouragement!

Every year we have our annual Christmas celebration. This year it will be held December 20th.  We are looking forward to having all of our youth join us in the fun activities that will take place on that day. They will be able to play games, have snacks, AND participate in opening gifts when we do an activity called “Stealing Santa!”  

A lot of people dream of appearing on television at least once in their lifetime. I have to admit that this was also a dream of mine; however, thanks to Hopeworks, this dream came true. On December 5th, 2007, Father Jeff and I traveled to the Hispanic TV station, Univision. At Univision we met with Ilia Garcia, the anchorwoman who was to interview us. However, once Father Jeff found out that the whole interview was in Spanish, he decided to leave it me to take over! I was nervous at first, but I followed Father Jeff’s advice and I inhaled, exhaled, and relaxed. The interview went smoothly and by the time I knew it, the interview was already over. The interview aired on Friday, December 7th, 2007.

On Tuesday, December 4, 2007, Father Jeff Putthoff, Shawn Mack, Steve Bozzone and Board member Skip Torrenson visited Girard College in Philadelphia.The visit included a dynamic seminar presented by the Residential Deans, lunch, and a short tour of the 43 acre campus.   This visit was one of many that Father Jeff and others have made this year to better understand the structure of residential programs for youth. Hopeworks is looking to establish a residential youth community to support youth 18-23 as they continue through the Hopeworks program and into college.  Stay tuned!!!!!

Harleigh Cemetery Update

This summer, the youth GEB (GIS + Web) team collected information about the Civil War Veterans in Harleigh Cemetery.   Hopeworks is now making this information available to the public for download.  Click here to view this map on your own computer.

Hopeworks Celebrates Christmas With Holy Name

The third and fourth graders from Holy Name School, who participate in weekly typing classes at Hopeworks, were treated to early Christmas presents this past week.  Each student was given a brand new book, hat, scarf and gloves, numerous school supplies and candy.  The students spent their normal typing time listening to Christmas stories and enjoying cake, cookies, and juice!

Hopeworks GEB Youth have been working with the Camden District Council Collaborative Board (DCCB) to develop an interactive "Quality of Life Issue Map" and website.  The interactive map will allow citizens to report non-emergency, quality-of-life issues in their neighborhood directly to the city.  Along with the map, Hopeworks created a website containing valuable information about resources and safety in each of the four districts.

Hopeworks Annual Christmas Open House A Big Hit!

On December 11 Hopeworks hosted their annual Christmas Open House.  Over one hundred people from numerous agencies and organizations attended.  Guests were treated to tours, meet and greets with the staff and youth, and delicious home made refreshments.  Thank you to all attendees and supporters of Hopeworks who helped make the event a success!

Hopeworks Is Going to San Diego!

January 17-21 the members of Hopeworks staff will be attending a group relations conference in San Diego, CA focusing on Leadership for Change.  The staff is extremely excited and is looking forward to bringing many great ideas back to Camden.

Thank You To All Of The Foundations And Corporations That Support Hopeworks Through Grants And To Our Many Generous Benefactors!

Upcoming Events:

12/14:  Happy Birthday Steve

12/16:  Happy Birthday Father Jeff

12/20:  Hopeworks Christmas Party

12/24-12/25:  Hopeworks Break - Closed to celebrate Christmas

1/1:  Happy New Year

1/17-1/24:  Hopeworks closed

View Our Latest Client

Newburgh Ministry

Keep an eye out for these upcoming sites:
Big Brothers Big Sisters New Jersey
Camden Youth Drug Court
Grace of God Lutheran
Journeys 2 Joy
Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate
NJRC
Triad Associates
YMCA of Camden County