HOPE Helping Other People

H.o.p.eHope.p.e, Inc. (Helping Other People be empowered) began in november 2009 as a passion of the ceo and founder, kenita smith. As a former single parent, she struggled to complete her b.b.a & m.b.a. she noticed that there was not much support for single parents trying to finish their college education, and she wanted to create an organization that would allow her to give Hope to others that are in the same situation. Some of the impact: the organization has served 115 single parents and 233 children over the past 14 years. Over 80% of our participants graduated, empowered to achieve their education goals this year, 15 single parents graduated with their degrees. 76 single parent incomes have soared from below the 20,000 mark to exceed 50,000. From our recent survey of graduates (where 74% of our graduates responded): 97% of graduates are currently working in their chosen career field and earning above minimum wage. 46% are first-generation college graduates in their families, breaking the cycle of generational poverty. 82% have experienced a significant increase in their yearly salary (roughly a 38,923 salary increase). 37% of our graduates had no savings when starting the program, but now 89% have established savings accounts with an average balance total that has increased 219%. 100% of our program participants are on track to graduate on time, with an average gpa of 3.44. 100% of our participants have stated that their childrens school grades have also improved during the time theyve worked on their degree.