HOPE BUILDERS BLOG
Hope Builders Urgently Needs Your Help
Dear Community Members, Hope Builders urgently needs your help. I am particularly worried that our current trainees, who have demonstrated so much progress to date, risk falling even further behind. To make matters worse, Hope Builders has postponed its annual Builder’s Luncheon and is also projecting lower revenue through its social enterprise, leading to an anticipated shortfall of almost $300,000 through the end…
St. Joseph’s Day
Hope Builders is proud to be a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Today, on St. Joseph’s Day, we honor our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and as we’ve done every day for 25 years, proudly live out their values as we serve the “dear neighbor” and move Orange…
COVID-19 Update
In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, Hope Builders remains dedicated to empowering Orange County’s young adults with the mentorship, life skills and job skills training that meet the needs of employers. The agency is following official recommendations regarding limiting the spread and impact of COVID-19 to ensure the well-being of our community. Hope…
The Future is Working – 24 hours. 7 Organizations. 1 Cause
Hope Builders is teaming up with 6 other organizations on Thursday, March 12 for The Future Is Working— a Giving Day to develop a stronger workforce for Orange County. Mark your calendar. Under the guidance of the Orange County Community Foundation, the coalition is striving to raise $70,000 to create pipelines of opportunity for Orange…
An Interview with Shawna Smith – 20+ years of changing lives
How long have you worked at Hope Builders? 22 years! I started in 1998 and assumed the role of Executive Director in 2008. What drew you to Hope Builders? The first time I walked into the Hope Builders lobby at 801 North Broadway in downtown Santa Ana I knew without speaking to a single person…
Ana & Gabriela- How Your Support Impacted An Entire Family
Two sisters with different careers aspirations, who both financially struggled as single mothers, were able to find meaningful careers through Hope Builders. Ana was 12 and Gabriela, 10, when their family moved to the United States from Mexico. Despite the hard adjustment, they were both able to successfully graduate from high school. Shortly after graduation,…
Where are they now? – Adrian G., 2008 Graduate
In honor of our 25th Anniversary we’ve been reaching out to our many talented alumni for updates on how the skills training and support around life’s challenges they received at Hope Builders has empowered them to thrive. Our longtime supporters may remember Adrian, pictured right, as our 2008 Light Up A Life Gala speaker. That…
2020 Marks Hope Builders’ 25th Anniversary
This year marks Hope Builders’ 25th anniversary. Since 1995 Hope Builders has helped more than 6,000 young people move from poverty to prosperity. Join us in honoring this milestone by revisiting our founding by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange as the first feature in our anniversary series. Click here for a personal recounting…
HB100 Bi-Annual Meeting: An evening of hope and growth strategy
Behr Paint Company generously hosted Hope Builders’ HB100 bi-annual meeting on December 9th. Orange County leaders, pictured above, came together to strategize how Hope Builders can best develop and scale innovative solutions to the skills gap. Members were joined by Dr. William Singleton, Clinical Psychologist, who shared insights on the lasting impact of childhood trauma…
Employer Roundtable- The Important Role Employers Play
After discovering one of his top performing employees was a Hope Builders’ graduate, Francois Tiab, Owner of Embers West, decided to reach out to Hope Builders with the desire to access more reliable employees. “Unlike many of the laborers we get from other sources, the youth here really want to make a change,” said Francois….
New Name