History
The House of Peace & Education, Inc. (HOPE) was founded by four Catholic sisters, members of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield. HOPE opened its doors in the summer of 1996 following two years of careful needs assessment in the Greater Gardner area. Sisters Helen Catherine Shine and Nancy Welsh brought their extensive experience and strong network of friends, products of over a quarter century of service in this small once-industrial city in which the Sisters of St. Joseph had served since the mid 1920’s.
Sisters Mary Frances Honnen and Maxyne Schneider brought from service elsewhere their backgrounds that included grant writing, planning and administration. All brought educational and pastoral experience to what was to become the HOPE mission: counteracting violence, one of the region’s leading public health threats, through education, mentoring, leadership training and the fostering of spiritual values.
From the outset, the four HOPE founders worked to establish the organization with strength so that in time it might be transferred to the care of the Greater Gardner community to carry on its mission. The founders envisioned that “circles of community” would widen as HOPE grew. Their intent was to provide service for and with their neighbors without distinction, continuing the 350-year history of the Sisters of St. Joseph to serve the “dear neighbor,” especially those in need. That mission flowed from the Christian Gospel mission “that all might be one.” It further honored the core teaching of all the world’s great religions that service to one’s neighbor is an essential element of the love of God.
The founders established HOPE as a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an interfaith spirit, purposely giving it no legal ties to any religious denomination, but fostering warm collaboration with faith communities of the region and beyond. They envisioned a board of directors that would grow in strength and “ownership” of HOPE and a group of volunteers that has now grown to more than 200 annually.
Fundraising needed to be developed, too, now exceeding $300,000 yearly. In all of this, neighbor has been connected with neighbor and the circles of caring
community widened.
The three programs established in the first year of HOPE’s operation have grown in strength and enrollment in the ensuing 12 years. They focus on the needs of children, women and families at risk. Eighty percent of children and all job-training candidates are from families qualifying for subsidized school meals. Many participants come from families who have already experienced the effects of violence. Many children come because of academic or behavioral challenges. Others are youngsters of academic strength who come to benefit from HOPE’s connections with two colleges in order to prepare well for college. Whenever a child enrolls in a HOPE program, that child’s family becomes a HOPE family. Even within HOPE’s programs a sense of community connectedness prevails.
In doing job training for women HOPE follows the 350-year tradition of the first Sisters of St. Joseph in France, who taught the making of lace and ribbon, then the skill that opened job opportunities for poor women in supplying the needs of the Church and monarchy. At the time of the re-founding of the Sisters of St. Joseph after the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution was in its own early days. Archives show that our sisters in Lyon, for example, ran programs for young women to learn the use of the textile machinery that provided them with the skills for employment. Today’s computer training at HOPE is the contemporary embodiment of a long tradition.
As the last of the four HOPE founders left the HOPE staff in June 2008, the founders’ dreams had been largely realized: The organization is regarded as one
offering effective high-quality service in close partnership with other organizations in the region. The board of directors is strong and fully engaged, with prominent and skilled community members seeking membership on it. The board’s careful 18-month preparation for executive transition has brought to the
organization a skilled and highly respected new Executive Director. A member of the Sisters of St. Joseph Leadership Team continues the Congregation’s presence on the HOPE board and the retiring Executive Director remains on the board as a director emerita. HOPE enjoys the financial and moral support of virtually every faith community in Gardner and many at a distance. Its financial needs, as for all small nonprofits, continue as the regional community asks HOPE to take on yet more service. Its current strength, however, is – literally – a dream come true, one in which HOPE’s wide circle of supporters can share the joy.
HOPE purchased its new location at 29 Pleasant St in Gardner in December 2015 and in December 2018 was ready to open our new retail and program spaces. Feel free to come by and check out our new space and enjoy a cup of HOPE Blend coffee. In the Spring of 2023, two additional classroom spaces were created in unutilized space in the lower level and opened for our after school programs allowing our programs to expand to accept an additional 36 students. In the spring of 2024, we purchased a replacement to our original HOPE van, purchased by the Sisters in 2007 and retired from service in 2020, a 2016 29 passenger mini school bus to better serve our program participants in ensuring that they are able to attend our programs.
Sisters Mary Frances Honnen and Maxyne Schneider brought from service elsewhere their backgrounds that included grant writing, planning and administration. All brought educational and pastoral experience to what was to become the HOPE mission: counteracting violence, one of the region’s leading public health threats, through education, mentoring, leadership training and the fostering of spiritual values.
From the outset, the four HOPE founders worked to establish the organization with strength so that in time it might be transferred to the care of the Greater Gardner community to carry on its mission. The founders envisioned that “circles of community” would widen as HOPE grew. Their intent was to provide service for and with their neighbors without distinction, continuing the 350-year history of the Sisters of St. Joseph to serve the “dear neighbor,” especially those in need. That mission flowed from the Christian Gospel mission “that all might be one.” It further honored the core teaching of all the world’s great religions that service to one’s neighbor is an essential element of the love of God.
The founders established HOPE as a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an interfaith spirit, purposely giving it no legal ties to any religious denomination, but fostering warm collaboration with faith communities of the region and beyond. They envisioned a board of directors that would grow in strength and “ownership” of HOPE and a group of volunteers that has now grown to more than 200 annually.
Fundraising needed to be developed, too, now exceeding $300,000 yearly. In all of this, neighbor has been connected with neighbor and the circles of caring
community widened.
The three programs established in the first year of HOPE’s operation have grown in strength and enrollment in the ensuing 12 years. They focus on the needs of children, women and families at risk. Eighty percent of children and all job-training candidates are from families qualifying for subsidized school meals. Many participants come from families who have already experienced the effects of violence. Many children come because of academic or behavioral challenges. Others are youngsters of academic strength who come to benefit from HOPE’s connections with two colleges in order to prepare well for college. Whenever a child enrolls in a HOPE program, that child’s family becomes a HOPE family. Even within HOPE’s programs a sense of community connectedness prevails.
In doing job training for women HOPE follows the 350-year tradition of the first Sisters of St. Joseph in France, who taught the making of lace and ribbon, then the skill that opened job opportunities for poor women in supplying the needs of the Church and monarchy. At the time of the re-founding of the Sisters of St. Joseph after the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution was in its own early days. Archives show that our sisters in Lyon, for example, ran programs for young women to learn the use of the textile machinery that provided them with the skills for employment. Today’s computer training at HOPE is the contemporary embodiment of a long tradition.
As the last of the four HOPE founders left the HOPE staff in June 2008, the founders’ dreams had been largely realized: The organization is regarded as one
offering effective high-quality service in close partnership with other organizations in the region. The board of directors is strong and fully engaged, with prominent and skilled community members seeking membership on it. The board’s careful 18-month preparation for executive transition has brought to the
organization a skilled and highly respected new Executive Director. A member of the Sisters of St. Joseph Leadership Team continues the Congregation’s presence on the HOPE board and the retiring Executive Director remains on the board as a director emerita. HOPE enjoys the financial and moral support of virtually every faith community in Gardner and many at a distance. Its financial needs, as for all small nonprofits, continue as the regional community asks HOPE to take on yet more service. Its current strength, however, is – literally – a dream come true, one in which HOPE’s wide circle of supporters can share the joy.
HOPE purchased its new location at 29 Pleasant St in Gardner in December 2015 and in December 2018 was ready to open our new retail and program spaces. Feel free to come by and check out our new space and enjoy a cup of HOPE Blend coffee. In the Spring of 2023, two additional classroom spaces were created in unutilized space in the lower level and opened for our after school programs allowing our programs to expand to accept an additional 36 students. In the spring of 2024, we purchased a replacement to our original HOPE van, purchased by the Sisters in 2007 and retired from service in 2020, a 2016 29 passenger mini school bus to better serve our program participants in ensuring that they are able to attend our programs.
