H.O.P.E. Center still open, despite rumors

EL DORADO — The South Arkansas H.O.P.E. Development Center, Inc., has not closed.

The nonprofit, youth development program at 1514 Junction City Road is open and ready for business — or rather, more business — and has been for more than a year.

However, many people in the community are either unaware that the program exists or think that it has shut down, said Patrick Frazier, founder and chief executive officer of H.O.P.E. Development.

“People think we’re not open, but we’re here. I’ve been down here working on the building. The building needs so much work.,” Frazier said. “There have been leaks, and someone knocked out a window.”

When someone — the suspect has not yet been identified — busted one of the large glass window panes in front of the building, Frazier got creative when trying to figure out how to pay for the repairs.

He turned the gaping hole into an opportunity install a sign that summarizes the mission of H.O.P.E and displays its logo — a pair of green-and-brown hands that are cusped beneath a falling water drop.

Frazier explained that the drop of water represents the planet and the colors green and brown symbolize the Earth and hope.

For those who are wondering what the H.O.P.E. program is all about, the sign says it all — a teen center that focuses on mentoring, crime prevention, and life skills.

When Frazier was looking for a way to fulfill his passion for helping children and giving back to the community, a team of volunteers, partners, supporters and sponsors — many of them from Lion Oil/ Delek, Frazier’s employer — stood at the ready to assist.

The result was H.O.P.E., which was launched in the spring of 2015 with the purpose of mentoring area youth.

Services

A rough outline of services to be offered by H.O.P.E. was primarily youth-driven — an afterschool program, tutoring and mentoring, building and teaching life skills, a dance team and a parent committee.

Frazier said the program has since been chiseled down and redirected more toward its educational/ mentoring components.

Some activities, such as the Dazzling Divas dance team and parent committee, have been placed on hold.

Others have been pulled

to the fore in a holistic approach to better serve youth and adults in the community, Frazier said.

After-school tutoring is available with a teacher from the El Dorado School District, and space in the building has been remodeled into an education room with computers.

“Also, for parent-teacher conferences, if the parents can’t make it, they can call us at H.O.P.E. Development, and we’ll go and represent the parents,” Frazier said.

Teens and adults who are looking for work can also receive assistance at H.O.P.E.

For its job/career development program, H.O.P.E. displays a bulletin board with job listings in El Dorado, surrounding areas and beyond.

H.O.P.E. staff helps with resumes, job applications, interview preparedness and transportation to job sites for visits and interviews, Frazier said.

“If you’re of age to work, you can go to the board and pick out a job. We’ll print the application out and prep you for the job ,” he said. “If it’s local, we’ll take you to the facility so you can apply. If it’s not local, we do everything online.”

Teens and adults who want to obtain a driver’s license can also turn to H.O.P.E.

“They can enroll in the program, and we’ll prep them for the test and quiz them,” Frazier said.

“When they’re ready, we’ll take them to the (Arkansas Office of Motor Vehicles) and let them try the test. If they don’t have a vehicle, we’ll provide one,” he continued.

A licensed fitness trainer is also an integral part of the H.O.P.E. experience.

“We need to try to get healthy, and we need to show kids and young adults how to get healthy,” said Jasmine Harris, vice-president of H.O.P.E.

Harris speaks on the issue with authority and firsthand knowledge.

She once weighed nearly 300 pounds and lost more than 200 on a transformative life-journey that included proper nutrition, exercise and a change in mentality toward weight loss.

Harris is a lab technician for the Arkansas Department of Community Correction and a fitness instructor at HealthWorks Fitness Center.

“We want a well-rounded program and offer help wherever help is needed,” Harris said.

To help foster an appreciation for the outdoors and wildlife, Frazier said H.O.P.E. took advantage of an opportunity to link up with an area 4-H program.

“They took four or five kids duck hunting in Hampton,” he said.

Community bingo games are also held at H.O.P.E. from 5 until 7 p.m. each Thursday.

Future goals

Frazier said H.O.P.E. is exploring fundraising ideas to expand existing programs and add new ones in the future, including vans to transport participants.

A fundraiser was held earlier this year at Mystic Creek Golf Course.

The Delek Tournament for H.O.P.E. was a major fundraiser that helped to benefit H.O.P.E. and 13 other nonprofits in El Dorado.

Frazier said the tournament will be held again in June 2017.

Other plans for H.O.P.E. in 2017 include a formal grand opening celebration and a 5K run fundraiser.

While education and mentoring are the focus of H.O.P.E., the program leaves plenty of time for recreation and entertainment for its enrollees.

Electronic drum sets, video games, air hockey and traditional board games, including Connect Four and Monopoly, are on prominent display there.

Also prominently displayed throughout the building are posters with motivational messages and photographs of notable historical and pop cultural figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, President Barack Obama, Bruce Lee, Muhammed Ali, and the 2016 U.S. Women’s Olympic team.

Frazier said he wanted to incorporate people and quotes that have inspired him, with the “H.O.P.E.” that others will also be inspired by them.

Approximately 16 children have signed up for H.O.P.E., and there is room for plenty more, ages 10 to 19, Frazier said.

The cost to enroll in the program is $10 per month.

“We’ve gotten great feedback from the community. When you do good work, good people get behind you, and we have been blessed,” Frazier said.

“”When you’re doing this type of work, you’ve got to be passionate, and I just want to help our people excel. It’s a very simple message,” he said.

Office hours for H.O.P.E. are 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. each weekday with the afterschool program starting at approximately 4 p.m.

For more information, call 870-639-8113 or stop by the H.O.P.E. office, which is next to the train trestle at Junction City Road and Marrable Hill.