In the city of Charlotte, not even 1 out of 10 people who start in poverty, will ever escape it. This means Charlotte is the worst city in the nation in that category. What does that mean to us at Neighborhood Hope? The Neighborhoods that we call family, that we have been developing relationships in for the past 8 years, are labeled as low income housing, which means these beautiful people are included in the alarming statistic of a lack of upward mobility. To be able to look into their faces knowing the odds are stacked against them, does not settle well with us.
We want to be a part of the solution in seeing hope come to life, and see these negative cycles broken. We exist to change the narrative of our city. No one organization can take this challenge on their back, the narrative can only change when everyone does their part. When different ethnicities and socio-economic classes come together to do life and become family, change will happen. We believe in community mentoring. Mentoring can have a powerful effect on the narrative of the child’s life, their family members, and the mentor.
We invite you to be a part of the solution in changing the narrative in these
beautiful communities. Learn more by getting to know some of our exceptional youth.
“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously – take God seriously.”
-Micah 6:8 MSG
He has a strong passion to see our often forgotten neighbors, live a meaningful story.
Josh loves making connections in the community and has a passion for social entrepreneurship. In his spare time, Josh loves hanging with his wife Jenny, playing sports, and looking for the next adventure.
Jenny serves as the Program Director for the Health Initiative at Neighborhood Hope. She currently develops curriculum and programming for the initiative.
She is presently working towards her Master of Science in Human Nutrition. Her hope is to provide our community with the necessary health education and resources to lead abundant and healthy lives. She has a deep passion to see our community thrive, in the same way, she would want to see her own family thrive. Her vision for the health initiative is that there would be a sustainable change in our community and a deeper understanding of holistic health and wellness.
Cat is the GLUE of Neighborhood Hope. She holds all of us together and is our organizational “momma bear”.Cat runs our Options Program that focuses on helping high school students through their school career and has a deep passion for helping them navigate their path after graduation. She has a huge heart for young adults and helping them live meaningful, intentional lives. Cat’s passion led her to organically start the original Wednesday night program in July 2011.
When she isn’t being the glue of Neighborhood Hope, she is wife to Chris and momma to Khalil (23), Jacob (9) and Genesis (3). They are her biggest support system and cheer squad. Cat has been with Neighborhood Hope since day 1 and we couldn’t do it without her!
TJ serves as the Head of Sports Outreach and as a Community Outreach Advocate for Neighborhood Hope. He facilitates the basketball ministry as well as helping with and supporting other community initiatives.
TJ has served as a volunteer with then The Abandon Project since January of 2016. He began volunteering while he was studying Africana Studies and Sociology at UNC Charlotte. His hope is to provide a safe space for children to grow their love of sport, but also to use sports as a way to grow and expand life skills. TJ has a passion to see the kids he serves become leaders in their community and to build meaningful relationships in the community.
Abby was an educator for five years before joining the Neighborhood Hope Family. She spent most of her career teaching Kindergarten in the Charlotte area. Her greatest passion as a teacher was to be able to foster a genuine love for learning inside and outside of our classroom. When she is not teaching or working with Neighborhood Hope, you can find her hanging out with her husband, Zack, and daughter, Jessie!
She began volunteering with Neighborhood Hope in 2021 and quickly realized how important this program was to the community. Her vision and hope for the tutoring program is to help provide a safe and loving environment for students and their families, a space that helps to promote an excitement for learning that she feel so passionately about.
Alyssa is the event coordinator and social media expert for Neighborhood Hope. She has spent time overseas spreading the love of Christ and she has always been drawn to people and relationship building.
Alyssa’s deep desire to love people and to see them grow makes her a perfect fit for Neighborhood Hope. She has quickly found her place in the community and has been a part of some pretty amazing projects already. Alyssa also started her own jewelry business, Lyssa’s Jewelry Box, where she makes clay earrings.
