Building Hope In the Lives of our Future Leaders

by LaAdah Miles (junior)

I am a junior Teaching Fellow and employee at Building Hope Community Life Center located in Greenville, NC. I have been apart of this non-profit community organization for three years. This after school program furnishes a positive Christian environment for at risk children in the community. The ages of the children range from first grade to eleventh grade. Building Hope is a well-kept secret in Greenville, but through our recent partnership with ECU we hope to gain the publicity and support needed to continue our longevity.

We have much to be proud about as we have started two new programs to give boys and girls alternatives to spending their extra time in the streets that bring about negativity. We have an all boys program by the name of 300 MOS (Men of Standard) and WOW ( Women of Worship). MOS is a men's project that challenges young males to become "real" men. They have weekend retreats, conduct clean up service activities, a flag football team in the fall, and have movie and dinner nights to talk about the bible and get guidance on hardships in life and school. The WOW had our first kick off November 11, 2008. WOW hosted an Integrity pageant where the girls were able to show off their confidence and talent through praise dance, choir, and decorations. The WOW vision is that we educate young girls on the importance of loving their selves and leaning on the Lord, not the world, for understanding. We hope that the young girls are able to minister to other young girls as we one day hope to open the door to the community for more WOW members. Although the MOS has been around longer than WOW, we are proud of the milestones made and give all the glory and honor to God.

Building Hope has an open door and would love to see as many new faces willing to help our youth in whatever way your heart desires. I teach a fifth grade class and it seems they get more homework each day. I need the help. If your afternoons seem too demanding we have another program called Standing in the Gap. This program starts from eight in the morning until two in the afternoon as a normal school day would function. This program gives suspended students an alternative to missing out on important school work and encourages constructive time spent while out of the class. This program gives BHCLC a chance to minister and help them see the error of their ways through problem solving skills. These are the children we try to reach most. Their troubles seem too much for them to bare. We just give them as much love and support while in our care. I challenge you to serve your community by getting involved the way i have and play a small, but influential part in changing the lives of our future leaders.

Visit our website at http://bhclc.org/home if you are interested in knowing more. Below is the contact information for BHCLC if you would just like to come and see how a regular day is at BHCLC.

Building Hope Community Life Center
309 West 9th Street P.O.Box 4237
Greenville, NC 27836
(252) 757-1840 Email: info@bhclc.org