Tag Archives: disadvantaged children

Oh, What a Year!

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60th-HiResIt’s always amazing how quickly one year can go by. It seems like just yesterday we were finishing plans for our first 60th Anniversary event in the spring.

And now, here we are at the end of 2015 looking back at what a fantastic year of celebration it has been.

In 1955, God called Jim & Ellen Resh to take a leap of faith and move their young family from Cascade, Maryland to downtown Hagerstown to help reach people in need for Christ.

They packed up their family and belongings and started an adventure backed by faith and never looked back.

Now, 60 years later, thousands of lives have been changed thanks to the faith, dedication and hard work of those who have helped keep the vision of hope alive.

We are so thankful for being able to celebrate 60 years of hope in Hagerstown. We are able to do everything that we do without any financial help from the government. Because God has been so faithful by providing for us through the generosity of our community, we’ve been able to help reunite families, mend broken relationships, restore a life destroyed by substance abuse, provide housing for the homeless, give food to the hungry and reach the young generation with the hope of Jesus.

To everyone who has supported us, helped us, prayed with us and worked with us, we want to say a very sincere and genuine, “Thank You”. God has used you to reach people and change lives in a way that none of us will know until we get to Heaven.

These past 60 years are a testament to the people of this community who put others before themselves and share the gifts that God has provided with those in need.

We thank God for the opportunity to be the oldest, continually operational homeless facility in Hagerstown. We’re here to help the least, the last and the lost. We’ve been doing this for 60 years and we don’t plan on stopping any time soon!

Now as the clocks signify the end of one year and the beginning of a new one, we look forward to partnering with you in the future to continue the battle against homelessness, hunger and hopelessness.

Thank you for making 2015, and the past 60 years, so memorable!

Happy New Year! May God bless you and your family in great ways during 2016!

If you’re interested in stepping back in time once more or want to see some of the exciting things that happened during our 60th Anniversary Year of Celebration then go to http://www.hopecenter60.com. Our anniversary website has plenty of pictures, stories and information about The Hope Center and everything that we’ve done in the past 60 years.

Missions Team Lends a Helping Hand at The Hope Center

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A missions team from Rochester, New York spent a day working at The Hope Center as a part of their youth group’s summer missions trip with Wonder Voyage.

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On July 23rd, the missions team spent the day serving at The Hope Center. Upon arrival in the morning, the group spent a little time learning about the various ministries and programs at The Hope Center before starting their day of service.

 

The team was broken into two groups: one group stayed in the Trinity Center, our multipurpose building on property, to help with different projects, and the other group went to our outdoor camp area outside of Hagerstown.

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The missions team worked from 9am until 2pm doing various projects like painting backdrops, preparing Camp Wild manuals, and some physical labor preparing for the next two weeks of Camp Wild.

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After the morning work session, the group came back together to eat lunch with our residents. They had the opportunity to talk & mingle with the guys in the program and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by our kitchen crew.

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We are very thankful to Wonder Voyage for arranging this missions team to help at The Hope Center. They were a great service to the staff of Camp Wild and they helped get a lot of necessary tasks finished before the last weeks of camp.

Wonder Voyage is a ministry that helps to get churches and youth groups to various missions opportunities or pilgrimages worldwide. To learn more about missions trip and pilgrimages hosted by Wonder Voyage, go to http://www.wondervoyage.com.

Become a Volunteer!

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Do you have that feeling that you just want to make a difference in your community?

Have you been trying to figure out how to get involved?

Why not join our team of volunteers?

Since 1955, The Hope Center (formerly known as Hagerstown Rescue Mission) has been reaching the least, the last, and the lost for Christ. We’ve been successful because God has always supplied our needs, including providing the best volunteers!

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Volunteers come in many different shapes, sizes & ages! Our volunteers have many different interests but they all share the same goal: to help others.

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Depending on the gifts, talents & personality that God has given you, we can help you find the best place to fit into our ministry. If you love working with kids, we’ve got the perfect spot for you. Wanna feed the hungry? We’ve got a kitchen ready for you. Would you rather tinker, clean or do something with your hands? We’ve got jobs just for you.

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There are so many different ways to get involved that you may have a hard time deciding which you want to do. Well don’t worry about that either, you don’t have to do just one task! From photography, to food service, to painting, to donation sorting, to our Ladies’ Auxiliary, we’ve got plenty of interesting, challenging and spiritually fulfilling volunteer jobs for you.

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And the best part of volunteering, you can help as little or as much as you want! There are volunteer opportunities that take place each day or once a year. It’s up to you to decide how involved you’d like to be. And you don’t have to do it alone. We welcome volunteer groups, families or just a handful.

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Ready to take the next step? Excellent! Go to http://www.volunteerhagerstown.com and take a look around. Click on the ‘Opportunities’ in the top tool bar to read through the many different volunteer positions that are available. If you’re feeling frisky, click on the ‘Urgent Needs’ tab to see what volunteer positions we desperately need immediately. Even if you’re unable to help with that job, you might know someone who can. So go ahead and take a look at how you can get involved.

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Once you’re ready to get started you can click on the ‘Why’ tab and fill out the email form at the bottom. Someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible. Or you can always call us at 301.739.1165 or email us directly at hagerstownrescue@verizon.net.

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We look forward to having you join our team of fantastic volunteers! Since we don’t receive any money from the government, we rely heavily on the support from our community of friends. From prayers, to donated goods, to financial support & volunteers, our friends in the community help to make this ministry possible and have helped to reach thousands upon thousands of lives for 60 years!

We have a great legacy of ministry in Hagerstown and we’re looking forward to a great future! Why not be a part of it?

Wildside Winter Olympics

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Each month Wildside Youth hosts a large, free party for any kids in the greater Hagerstown area between the ages of 5 & 12.

On Tuesday, January 22, the Trinity Center at The Hope Center came alive with the flurry of activity from Wildside’s Winter Olympics party!

This yearly event is a highlight of the winter for the kids who come. This year, over 50 kids braved the freezing temperatures to enjoy a night celebrating the winter games!

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The kids enjoyed some free time followed by a massive “snowball fight”. The snowballs were balloons and the object of the game is to get as many snowballs onto the opposing teams side of the room. The snowball fight was a battle between the boys & girls and the girls came out as the Olympic victors!

In addition to the snowball fight activity, the kids were able to enjoy some winter themed carnival games. The games included Olympic Ring Toss, Olympic Torch Relay, Snowflake Matching (a wintery twist on Old Maid) and Make a Goal, a hockey inspired game. The kids were able to win prizes at each event.

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Along with all the winter themed activities, the kids were also able enjoy other regular Wildside activities like the Marketplace, the Hollywood & Hawaiian game rooms and an area dedicated to art projects.

Following the game times, the kids came together to learn about one of the Wildside Core Values. In the fall the kids learned about respect. The lesson of the night focused on Proverbs 14:2 and the ‘Parable of the Sower’. The kids learned they should always do their best to live a life that shows respect for the Lord. At the end of the lesson three kids came forward during the altar call!

At the end of the lesson the kids were served a delicious dinner of fish sticks, green beans, rolls, cupcakes & more! Prizes were also distributed to lucky Olympians!

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All this fun is provided free of charge for kids ages 5-12. If you know of kids who would definitely love these types of action-packed events then please check out www.wildsideyouth.com for more info or call 301.739.1165.

Also, if you’re interested in volunteering at The Hope Center, including with Wildside, please call 301.739.1165 or email hagerstownrescue@verizon.net.

Even though Wildside only has large themed parties like this once a month, the Wildside fun continues every Sunday evening at Sunday Night Wild. Sunday Night Wild is a free activity for kids from 7-8pm. They sing, play games, learn about Jesus and eat some great snacks! This is a great event to invite unchurched kids or to supplement the Christian education that churched kids are already receiving. Go to www.wildsideyouth.com to learn more about Sunday Night Wild.