Hope First Updates
It's
that time of year again. The trees are blooming, the grass is getting green, and flowers are starting to grow. The nice weather has been a tease to what is ahead... but then we get snow!
On this Good Friday, we remember the sacrifice Jesus made and reflect on what He did on the cross. We are filled with somber gratitude as we think about what today means,
but also full of hope knowing what is to come on Sunday when we celebrate that He is risen! We hope you are taking the time to be with friends and family and remember what this weekend is truly about.
Reflection: April- One Year Ago
One year ago this month, we had our open house to celebrate the completion of the building renovations. It was such a great event seeing and meeting so many of you. As we reflect on the past year, we are so thankful for all of your continued support. The enthusiasm and joy we felt that day was contagious. We loved giving people tours, chatting about the plans for the center and the services we would be offering,
and seeing little kids run around enjoying the cookies.
Since then, we have continued to grow our volunteer team, finish decorating/furnishing the building, fill our material services store, install phones and computers, complete training, and officially started seeing clients in the fall of 2024 on a limited basis. We have people at the center throughout
the week, even an amazing intern who we are so thankful for. We are hopeful that in the very near future we will have our Executive Director position filled and start building our team out even more. We continue to get referrals to our center, people finding us online and calling, and our name being spread word of mouth. We have more donors and churches/organizations jumping on board, excited for what we are here to do. God is doing some amazing things.
Looking back on all the people who helped us with the building renovations and getting us to where we are now, we just want to say thank you again. We had help from many gifted people for every aspect of the renovation- electrical, HVAC, plumbing, drywall, flooring, and more. People donated their services, resources, time, and knowledge. We truly were amazed at all of you
who stepped in to help us complete the renovation project. Thank you.
Along with thanking everyone for help renovating the building, we want to once more acknowledge and thank the Hegel Family Foundation for their incredible generosity in donating the funds to actually purchase the building. What an incredible gift that was, and always will be. We are humbled
to also share, and thank them, for their recent gift of a grant that we will be able to use toward hiring staff. Their heart and passion for what Hope First is here to do is clearly evident. Thank you Hegel Family for your continued support and generosity.
One final thought. To everyone who has donated time, materials, financial support, prayers, and
more, please know that within those very rooms that were stripped down and rebuilt, are men and women receiving counseling, parenting support, post-abortive counseling, material services, and more. Isn't that an incredible thing to think about? What was once just a dream, is actually happening. Clients hearts are being helped and healed. Families are receiving hope. Above all, we know that it's the love of Jesus flowing through everyone that is making this possible and that His plans will
prevail. Thank you for being stewards of what you can offer and being a part of this incredible journey! This verse comes to mind:
"And the King will say, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you also did for me."
- Matthew 25:40
We are so thankful for everything that has been done since the open house on that rainy day last April, and we look forward to all that is to come throughout the rest of 2025 and beyond.
Donation Update
In our last newsletter, we mentioned we would include a list of current store needs. One of the board member's daughters went around and wrote down all the bins that were running low. It is amazing to see people of all ages working alongside Hope First! But
since then, we received a few large donation drop offs- which is incredible. Thank you to those of you who dropped items off! We were able to restock a lot of our clothing bins. At this time, we do not have any material needs. But another great way to donate is in the form of gift cards. We use these for our clients. Here are a list of ideas:
King
Soopers
Walmart
Target
Barber Shops
Hair/Nail Salons
Thank you for your consideration! If you do have a question about a specific donation you have at home, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can email us at info@hopefirstfrc.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
