Houston Non Profit Donations

I am very confident in saying that 90% of the world’s most passionate and hopeful people are 25 years and younger. Look at college campuses during a presidential election year or the energy of a high school pep-rally. Revolutions are started by young people who have heard their parents talk about tyranny for a life time and have the hope and courage to start change. Here, at Star of Hope young adults are leading the way in fighting against poverty, abuse, addiction and homelessness with Star of Hope.

If your cynical side is throwing thoughts around your brain like young adults haven’t become jaded from world experiences or they are too naïve to realize the world is unchangeable, silence it. “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa. Wake up Houston and do a small thing with great love. Follow the example of the teens across Houston.

Here are a couple of examples:

Boy Scout Troop 924’s David Reeves delivered with his father, Rick Reeves, 11 well crafted, handmade benches. David had independently contacted a representative at Star of Hope about a service project, he then independently arranged for a group of Boy Scouts to construct the benches and he then personally delivered them. These benches will serve as a great resting spot for mothers and fathers to sit as their kids take advantage of the spring sunshine.

Every Wednesday from 11:30 – 12:45 Heidi Hartung, Chloe Espenan, Anna Buvens, Sahar Yazdanfard and Katy Wefelmeyer from Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart walk into Star of Hope Women and Family Emergency Shelter as if they are employees. They go straight to the kitchen was their hands, put on their apron and hairnets, and start serving lunch to the Star of Hope clients. After volunteering once a week for almost 8 months they practically are employees.

These young adults are doing what they can passionately and are making a difference by helping non profit organizations in Houston. On behalf of Star of Hope I would like to thank them for their passion and hope that blesses and inspires their community!

If you are interested in donating time or money to charitable organizations Houston, Star of Hope Mission has many opportunities! 

He's universally known as one of the best-selling and most influential artists in Contemporary Christian Music. A three time Grammy Award winner with 40 Dove Awards and 13 million records sold, this Christian Superstar is an everyday Joe - I mean  Michael. 

On October 18th, just 11 days past his 53rd birthday, Mister Smith went to Houston - and without singing a note - wowed hundreds and hundreds of fans. He was signing - not singing and music lovers lined up to meet the man and have him autograph his new
CD " Wonder".  

The occasion was another KSBJ Street and Greet. Star of Hope, in partnership with area Lifeway Book Stores, sponsors the event as music giants appear at selected stores and sign the merchandise. But most importantly - they meet their fans.

Now I think its fair to say that Michael W. Smith appeals to a vast and widely diverse audience. His career so far has spanned at least three decades and shows no signs of stopping. He is the Frank Sinatra of Christian Music - and his loyal audience goes ga-ga when he's around. No wonder he was named one of People Magazine's "Most Beautiful People."

He has the ability to treat every wide eyed housewife and giggling teenager, every bashful kid with a guitar and every hesitant husband with three CDs with fresh, genuine enthusiasm. He's the real deal - down to earth with a heavenly smile.

I even had a chance to chat with him about our city's homeless and the state of Houston Non profit Donations. I suggested that he record a song about the homeless - maybe with TobyMac - he smiled and said "write it - and we'll see." Hmmm - I love a challenge.

I am taking this moment to pause, reflect and be thankful. We have been blessed this year with not only an overwhelming quantity (52) computers,  but high quality of computers.
 
Earlier this year Friendswood Community Church donated $15k to our Men's Computer Learning Center which gave us the opportunity to create a modern business environment for guys that are in the program to learn business computing skills and locate jobs.  Harper Pearson, the prestigious accounting firm, donated 12 almost new computers to be used at our House of Hope computer lab which benefits the homeless children living at our Women and Family Center. The wonderful folks at Aaron's Rental  just delivered 21 excellent computers to replace all the computers at our Transitional Living Center which is used to serve our client population that are in the long term program.

Finding good quality computers to equip both our clients and staff is a difficult task. I am just thankful that our Heavenly Father stirs the hearts of generous people for the things we desperately need. It happens over and over and I am so thankful.

God Bless,
A

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to ride along with Charles Williams in Star of Hope’s Love In Action Van.  For several years Charles has been hitting the streets of Houston and inviting the homeless to “come inside” to find hope, shelter and an opportunity for a fresh start. It was amazing to see how many of the homeless men we talked with know him by name.  As we handed out water, over and over I heard the words, “Thank you, Charles.”

One man, a Veteran from San Antonio, had been in Houston for a couple of days. As we drove him to the Star of Hope Men’s Development Center he told us he was waiting for an apartment to open up and only needed help for a couple of weeks. Someone had recommended not going to Star of Hope, “They’ll just take your name and tell you to come back in three days.” He had been sleeping in a sleeping bag on a floor. That night he slept in a bed!

Many of those Charles invites to the shelter tell him the same thing, “I'll come in a couple of days” or “Maybe next week.”  He patiently keeps going out and continues to invite. “You never know,” he says, “Today may be the day they say ‘yes.’”

Currently, Charles is giving water donated by I AM Waters Foundation. Check them out at iamwaters.com. The foundation has pledged to donate 35,000 bottles of water to Star of Hope over the summer months.

Discover ways to make this summer a Summer of Hope for Houston’s homeless:
Houston Non Profit Donations and Volunteer Opportunities
 

The most frequent response we get from Houstonians who visit and tour the Star of Hope facilities is this:  “I had no idea Star of Hope did ALL of this in the community!”  Everyone in Houston seems to know about Star of Hope and think well of it, but in many ways it’s a "best kept secret."

So, to help you with “The Big Picture” of all we do in our city for those who have reached bottom and are not able to sustain independent housing, we have prepared a short, 4 minute video tour of all that Star of Hope does.  I invite you to view it right now, by visiting www.youtube.com/StarOfHopeMission.

And, if you’d like to see all this in person, I invite you to come join me for lunch and a tour…and see and be inspired yourself!

Blessings,

Hank

THIS JUST IN:  Star of Hope has launched a new texting campaign. You can make a difference by giving a $10 gift to help Houston's homeless right now from the your mobile phone:  Text “SOH” to 20222!

Visit Houston Non Profit Donations and discover other ways to give.

"We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield." Psalm 33:20

Just in time for Easter, you can now send an Easter eCard to a friend to let them know that you care about Houston's homeless and support Star of Hope Mission.

Each meal at Star of Hope costs only $3.31 to prepare and serve. Please give today and help those who are struggling get a taste of hope this Easter. On the donation form, select "Send an eCard (optional)" to write and send your personal message.

Provide meals and send an Easter eCard at Houston Non Profit Donations.

Recently, CNN aired a touching story about an honor student whose ambition is to be a Harvard grad, with a Ph.D in medicine. It’s not the kind of story you expect to see making national headlines, except this student is poor, homeless, highly intelligent and living in a California shelter with his mother and sister.

I thought of Kelsey, one of our teens who lived at the Star of Hope Transitional Living Center with her mother and brother, before moving into our New Horizons community. When she first arrived at Star of Hope her morale was low. Homelessness is difficult for adolescents. The staff loved her through her distress, and the structure of our teen program bolstered her confidence and fueled her hope of going to college one day. Kelsey’s dream now is to study engineering and become an Air Force pilot!

Kelsey is a straight-A student and, recently, was nominated to attend the week-long National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. The NYLF is a prestigious program for helping exemplary students prepare for professional careers.

You can imagine her excitement when she was nominated, but immediately, her heart sank, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to afford to go. But after a little help from staff, she was astonished to learn that a generous donor made her dream-trip come true! This is what she wrote to her donor.
 

“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be a part of what will be my future. It just brightened my Mother’s eyes when she found out that I would be able to go to Washington. She has always wanted the best for me and couldn't give it to me. This will never be forgotten."

Kelsey has just returned from this amazing experience… and her dream and HOPE are alive… in God’s grace and in her future! At Star of Hope, we want all our homeless kids to experience the fact that God has a great future planned for each of them!
 

Houston Non Profit Donations