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Story of HOPE: Felicia
Felicia came to HOPE asking for assistance. She was in crisis because she lost her apartment due to hurricane Ian. She shared that her landlord sold the property she was residing in. As a result, she was residing in a hotel and eventually did not have any funds for the hotel and ended up living out of her […]
A Story of HOPE- DeAndre
Sometimes a little stability and consistency go a long way. DeAndre had a great job in insurance sales for a large law firm. However, his job, which depended on visits to client homes, suffered when the pandemic hit, causing his company to lay him off. Then things began to spiral. DeAndre lost his car and […]
A Story of HOPE- Hollie
When times are tough even the smallest obstacles can turn into serious challenges. Hollie and her extended family have been clients of HOPE throughout difficult seasons of their lives. Hollie in particular lives on a fixed income and raises three grandkids. As such, she and the children have benefited tremendously from HOPE’s annual Christmas in […]
A Story of HOPE – Maria
I was frozen, I didn’t want to speak to management.” -Maria (HOPE Client) Maria arrived at HOPE after a three-hour bus ride via Lynx from Altamonte Springs to Oviedo. She was between jobs and car trouble left her with no reliable transportation. She heard about HOPE through 211 – United Way of Central Florida’s telephone human services directory, […]
Moe Diaz, HOPE Driver
Moe is responsible for driving HOPE’s vehicles for pickups and deliveries, customer service, and donation intake at…
Sara Nowak, Administrative Assistant
Sara is responsible for providing administrative support to the CEO and Director of Administration. She assists with…
Rachel Mann, Volunteer Manager
Rachel is responsible for recruiting, scheduling and orientating volunteers to ensure that HOPE has….
Jolie Hodge, Customer Service Rep
Jolie is responsible for customer service, sorting and pricing community donations, stocking the sales floor…
Ervin Gonzalez, Facilities Manager
Ervin is responsible for performing routine maintenance tasks and managing facility projects for HOPE’s buildings and sites…
Steven Vanderwolf, Food Pantry Coordinator
Steven is responsible for completing the food inventory and ordering the weekly amount of food needed, coordinating with local businesses…
Romain Casanova, Marketing Manager
Romain is responsible for designing all of the creative content for internal and external events, social media, newsletters, and…
A Story of HOPE- Alisia
“After the move, I was overwhelmed and got behind fast” is what Alisia told one of HOPE’s case managers when she first came to us for help. Alisia, a single mom, had recently moved across Central Florida to provide a better life for her daughter but had fallen on tough times. Alisia lived in Lake County through the […]
A story of HOPE- Kendra
Last year Kendra lost her job and she couldn’t pay her rent. Fears of eviction mounted as her due date approached. Meanwhile her job search remained at a standstill. Then, Kendra learned about calling “211” which is a telephone human services directory run by United Way of Central Florida. She was then referred to HOPE […]
A Story of HOPE – Bill
During New Year’s individuals and families re-evaluate, reset and recharge. Many set goals and “resolutions” for the coming year, while others bask in the freedom of an empty calendar brimming with possibilities. 2022 was a difficult year with record high housing prices, steep inflation, and constant stock market churn. Often, the only thing that was […]
Janine Morales, Case Manager
Janine’s responsibilities at HOPE are to manage individual cases and assist clients with allocating resources and housing issues.