At New Hope, we take the story of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke very seriously. Our Local Mission partners are neighbors helping neighbors, making a difference in the lives of men, women and children in Lee County. Please take some time to read about our friends and partners and their work and prayerfully consider how you may be able to serve with them.
By volunteering 1-4 hours, one day a week, you can make a difference;
- in the life of a child by tutoring; improving reading skills, building self esteem, confidence, and self reliance at Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts Elementary School, Heights Foundation programs, or AFCAAM programs.
- by delivering (agency vehicle) nutritious meals on wheels to the home bound.
- by volunteering at CCMI’s Hands and Hearts, or Brightest Horizons at Harlem Heights, daycare programs for poor families.
- by transporting (agency vehicle) at home, non driving, elderly to doctor appointments, grocery shopping, social events.
- by packaging meals and/or serving the poor and homeless at a CCMI Community Cafe or at The Heights Foundation.
- by ministering to pregnant women facing one of life’s most difficult decisions, at Verity.
- by addressing God’s view on overcoming temptation, stealing, forgiveness, and salvation at the women’s Juvenile Detention Center.
- by tutoring adults seeking a GED, or assisting in family development programs at The Heights Foundation.
Are you ready to serve? Use our ministry opportunities form to let us know and we’ll contact you!
Use the map to find each Local Partner–click any pin for a detailed location and directions.
View New Hope Presbyterian Church: Local Partners in a larger map
Young Life
Bill Loy
Young Life is a non-denominational, Christian, non-profit organization that is committed to introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith. Young Life staff and leaders are caring adults who strive to build positive relationships with teenagers. Through friendships as well as through clubs, and camps, Young Life leaders get to know teenagers and gain their trust. Because of these relationships, leaders “earn the right to be heard” and can share the Gospel with their teenage friends. Young Life wants to reach every kid, everywhere, for eternity.
Meals on Wheels: CCMI
Sarah Owen
CCMI’s Meals on Wheels program organizes, plans and administers the delivery of well-balanced and nutritious meals to the home bound; and does so at the lowest possible cost. One nutritious meal a day, five days a week (with extras for the weekend) are delivered by a team of volunteers regardless of the client’s ability to pay, to residents of Lee County who are unable to plan, shop for or prepare meals due to illness, disability or advanced age. In addition to the delivery of daily meals, they also deliver weekly or monthly HOPE (Helping Older People Eat) Bags to clients they have identified as in need of additional food items.
Hands and Hearts Childcare: CCMI
Sarah Owen
CCMI’s Hands and Hearts Childcare provides a state licensed childcare center for working poor families. Full time childcare is provided at a reduced rate to working families living below 150% of the poverty level, and who are on the waiting list at Childcare of Southwest Florida. Forty children are currently enrolled at their childcare facility and 20 are on the waiting list. In June of 2007 we converted the Center to a Montessori pre-school in order to give the students the best possible education.
Teen Challenge
Kevin Cummings
Teen Challenge believes in second chances. Their purpose is to facilitate life transformation for the boys and girls, and men and women whose lives have been affected by issues like anger, rebellion, depression, drug use and/or abuse and other life controlling problems. They believe that by providing students with a fresh perspective, they will have the opportunity to realize their potential and reach their dreams. They believe in God’s ability to change a person’s life and that given the chance, every person can go on to lead a satisfying and purposeful life.
Community Cafes
(formerly The MLK Soup Kitchen; now also in Cape Coral)
CCMI’s Community Cafes provide a noon time meal six days a week to men, women, and children in a traditional soup kitchen setting, nutritious packaged meals and beverages for the home bound hungry. Customer Choice Marketplaces (formerly called Food Pantries) provide emergency groceries to families in need. The Cafe’s noontime meals provide a stable, dignified and healthy way for the temporarily or chronically homeless to receive a nutritious meal. The latest Lee County homeless census indicates that there are nearly 3,000 homeless men, women and children residing in the county, and the many that are located near the Center in the Dunbar area. In an effort to work toward ending homelessness rather than just managing homelessness, CCMI now assesses Community Café and Customer Choice Marketplace clients in an effort to make a change in their life with the coordination of other services. Their hope is that in 10 years the number of homeless in Lee County will be on the decline.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Bill Harward
InterVarsity is an evangelical campus ministry serving more than 31,000 students and faculty on more than 580 college and university campuses nationwide. Incorporated in 1941, InterVarsity has a rich tradition of campus witness, thoughtful discipleship, and a concern for world missions.
Lifeline Family Center
Kathy Miller, President
Since 1996, Lifeline Family Center has been providing young women in crisis pregnancy a safe home. It is a non-traditional maternity home modeling the love of God. During the two year program, young moms develop confidence and maturity through spiritual guidance, professional counseling, character building, parenting classes, GED prep and career training. Support and services are provided to birth mom and babies until the child’s second birthday. Ultimately, moms learn to become God-dependent, self-supporting contributing members of society. Lifeline Family center’s goal is “changing the world – two lives at a time.”
Gabriel House
Ed & Annie Ravish
The mission of The Gabriel House is unique: to rescue children who have been abandoned, discarded and who are in need of medical treatment. The vision is to rescue, rehabilitate and help these children reach their highest level of independence and functioning. The home provides a loving compassionate Christian environment which does not discriminate against race, creed or color. The target population is focused on children from birth to six years old. The healing power of love flowing freely to little children, coupled with the necessary medical treatment, has been close to miraculous. Over the past twenty years, many, many children have been rescued, medically treated and adopted across the United States. However, the healing does not stop after the medical treatment. The children take with them into their adoptive families a very powerful source of love.
SWFL Juvenile Detention Center (Juvie Jail)
Jeannie McGalliard
The SW Florida Regional Juvenile Detention Center is a 62-bed, hardware secure facility that serves youth detained by various circuit courts. The facility provides supervision of youth in a safe, secure and humane environment. Services for youth include: education, mental health, substance abuse, and health care. New Hope volunteers address God’s view on topics such as decision making, forgiveness, real love, overcoming temptation, stealing, and more.
The Heights Foundation
Julie Workman
The Heights Foundation works to break the cycle of poverty in the Harlem Heights, South Fort Myers neighborhood. Our mission is to promote family and community development, support education and wellness, and provide the benefits of the cultural and expressive arts. For over 10 years, the Foundation has worked to build strong relationships, develop holistic programming, and forge creative partnerships to develop a network of support and opportunity for those in need.
Lee Women’s Center (Verity Pregnancy & Medical Resource Center)
Jenny Lee Arnold
Verity Pregnancy & Medical Resource Center was founded to care for women and their families who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy. Our staff is devoted to providing the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding pregnancy issues, as well as providing help for the woman seeking healing from one or more previous abortions.
We are women helping women, and we strive to ensure that everyone who walks through our doors experiences our warm and friendly environment and staff. And all of our services are free and confidential!
New Hope Mentors
Dave Sutton, Mentor Coordinator
New Hope has been in a mentoring relationship with Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts Elementary School. This was the first mentoring program at any Lee County School. Both permanent and seasonal members actively work with a student for one hour each week. A marvelous experience rewards every mentor as they accompany students in an environment featuring the arts. Edison Park is the school where many Lee County natives had their elementary education. They have special classrooms for music, dance, and arts. Each student can have a young student-sized violin and/or drum. The school was patterned after the FAME TV show of the 1960s.
ESL (English as a Second Language)
Mary Jewitt
New Hope Presbyterian EPC, under the guidance of the Literacy Volunteers of Lee County (LVLC), provides tuition-free adult literacy programs through trained tutors. The mission of ESL (English as a Second Language) is to teach English to adults from various cultural and language backgrounds. ESL tutors work with adults to help them acquire fluency in spoken and written English from Beginner to Advanced levels. The 2010 sessions included students from Brazil, Guatemala, Haiti and Peru. New Hope volunteer tutors are trained through LVLC.
