New Hope Blog
New Hope teaches children grit at Azalea Park
In the Azalea Park neighborhood of Lafayette, the New Hope Community Development of Acadiana works with children to offer just what its name says – new hope.
Fatherless Elephants
About five years ago, I came across a fascinating 60 Minutes story by Bob Simon that could easily serve as a modern day parable. In South Africa's Pilanesberg Park, an endangered species of white rhinos were thriving until an unknown killer began stalking them....
Our Forgotten Past
There was a person from Lafayette of historic significance who has gone virtually unnoticed: Christiana Gordon Smith. If you were to Google her name, you would find only nine results. Her name is not mentioned in any Civil Rights Museum. Every day, hundreds of...
New Hope News December 2014
With Open Arms December 2014 Volume 4, Issue 6 When we started our program four years ago, most of the 16 children in our program had significant anger...
New Hope News November 2014
The Lost Boys November 2014 Volume 4, Issue 5 In January 2013, one of our new students was a fourth grade boy, T. This little 10 year-old had been hanging...
Where Are They?
Volume 3 Issue 7 Not too long ago, club soccer was a very big part of our family's life. Picking up kids from practice, traveling to tournaments, and occasionally pointing out overlooked fouls to the referees. We did all the usual things that soccer families do....
Third Quarter Grades
Third Quarter Grades May 2013 Volume 3, Issue 4 The school year is rapidly winding down. A few weeks ago, our kids brought home their third quarter grades. As I was reviewing the students grades, I began to reflect on New Hope’s year. How have we done...
A Young Man and A Boy
A Young Man and A Boy March 2013 Volume 3 Issue 3 Volunteers are New Hope’s life’s blood. To provide adequate homework help for our “at-risk” students, we strive for a student-to-mentor ratio of about 2-to-1. That means to run a program for forty registered students...
Evicted
Evicted FEBRUARY 2013 Volume 3 Issue 2 Stressful experiences can be beneficial. Moderate stress can increase one’s preparation, concentration and overall performance. Too much stress, on the other hand, can be debilitating. We have heard stories of...
Expelled
Expelled Volume 3 Issue 1 Did you know that children growing up in poverty are 3.4 times more likely to be expelled from school? Have you ever wondered what happens when a child gets expelled? I didn’t … until recently. This June, “LeRoy”...