Raising Hope Together

10/13/2017

Raising Hope Together would like to announce our 2018 Board: Emil Farjo (President), Dori Hayes (Treasurer), Gareth Flanary (Clerk), Robert Smith, Carol Goulet, and Tanya Ward.

We would also like to announce that RHT has decided to assist the families who were victims of a house fire. We will be working with the families to help secure new housing.

07/30/2015

To Our International Friends and Neighbors:

Since June 2011, the West Springfield Church of Christ has been privileged to build relationships with a diverse international community in the West Springfield Area. We partnered with Raising Hope Together, Ascentria (formerly Lutheran Social Services), the Town of West Springfield, and others to assist those impacted by the tornado. We would like those relationships to continue to grow.

We are offering a FREE one-on-one English language learning program called FRIENDSPEAK. It is designed for students who can speak and read English but who have limited vocabulary, comprehension, and pronunciation skills. Interested students will have one-on-one sessions that will broaden comprehension and reading skills. These skills will help improve the student’s ability to communicate in their work, school, and community environment.

The curriculum uses Bible stories as the textual basis of mastering these skills. Short Bible stories will be read… vocabulary lists will be developed… pronunciation (reading) will be practiced… and comprehension will be tested. The use of the Bible stories will introduce students to the biblical text as well as increase their English skills. The program has been used successfully in every part of the world and the United States.

To launch the program, we have invited three (3) teachers to join us August 31-September 12th. These teachers will teach daily (Monday-Saturday), one-hour classes from 10-12, 2-6, and 7-9. The classes will be held at the Church of Christ in West Springfield. Transportation will be arranged and provided as needed.

It is important to call – 736-1006 or 297-1286 – to register and set up an appointment.
Please call SOON.

Sincerely,

Gareth D. Flanary

Gareth D. Flanary
Friend

07/25/2015

Raising Hope Together, the long-term tornado recovery group started serving the needs of area residents impacted by the disaster... Diane Crowell was one of the original board members... she helped us connect with many Merrick section neighbors and as well as with resources in the Town (Kiwanis, Town of West Springfield, Helping Hands, Environmental Committee, etc.)... she would often visit our office at the former WS Methodist Church on Main Street as we worked with clients in the neighborhood... she showed me the ropes on how to help a community... Raising Hope Together honors her!

07/10/2014

This morning, I met with Bill Moynihan at his Virginia Avenue home. I am hoping Raising Hope Together can extend some assistance to this family. They are not able to live in the home until structural security issues are addressed. They will be forced to live in a local hotel for the time being. They have two small children. Let's keep them in our prayers.

A tree fell on a home on Virginia Avenue late Wednesday night during a storm.

08/10/2013

We are thankful to the teens from the 1st Baptist Church of West Springfield who are working on the Reflective Garden on Main Street... thanks for your service...

01/07/2013

Raising Hope Together, the long-term tornado recovery group in West Springfield has partnered with many to assist those affected by the tornado. The partnership with the Town of West Springfield has been essential. The Town received donations from the community to help with the disaster. A supervisory committee was formed to manage this fund (Jeanne Galloway, Laurie Cassidy, and Victoria Kelleher Connor). Raising Hope Together was invited to use these funds for many rebuild projects.

This past week, the final funds from this disaster relief fund were released to RHT. We appreciate the professional management of these funds. Every dollar was used to meet direct rebuild needs. We thank the Town of West Springfield, Greg Neffinger, and the committee. Together, we were able to make a difference in our community.

01/07/2013

On June 3, 2011, the West Springfield Church of Christ started receiving disaster relief supplies from the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief organization in Nashville, TN. That summer, we received almost $500,000 of food, water, personal care items, cleaning supplies, furniture, mattresses, and appliances. Ed Sullivan from Sullivan Paper Company graciously donated warehouse space for us to use for distribution. We were able to distribute these goods to hundreds of people that were affected by the tornado including people from Springfield, West Springfield, Monson, and Brimfield. Later, the church partnered with Raising Hope Together to contine to meet the unmet needs of tornado victims.

Today, January 7, 2013, we gave away the last piece of furniture. Many thanks to Sullivan Paper for their partnership. Thanks to Churches of Christ Disaster Relief for making our efforts possible. We hope all the supplies have made a difference to those suffering and in need.

11/22/2012

Thanksgiving: RHT has been blessed by the community as we have tried to assist those affected by the tornado. Thanks for the opportunity to do our part to help. We continue to be supported financially from unexpected sources. This week WalMart sent us $1000. Special thanks to Pam Coleman, Taniesha Burton, and Iris Antonio who work hard to see that RHT accomplishes its mission. Special thanks also to the Board of Directors who guide our path.

In the last couple of weeks, we have been able to finish a landscaping project in Westfield and a fencing project in West Springfield. We have also secured a partnership with Westover Job Corp. Hopefully, they will help us with a ceiling remove/repair project.

Happy Thanksgiving!

11/22/2012

Thanksgiving: RHT has been blessed by the community as we have tried to assist those affected by the tornado. Thanks for the opportunity to do our part to help. We continue to be supported financially from unexpected sources. This week WalMart sent us $1000. Special thanks to Pam Coleman, Taniesha Burton, and Iris Antonio who work hard to see that RHT accomplishes its mission.

11/15/2012

Thursday, November 15, from 6-7:30, Raising Hope Together will sponsor a community meeting at the Town Hall. It will be a time of reflection and sharing about the tornado recovery. Everyone is invited to come, share, and learn about what has been done. Thanks to so many who make this service possible. See you tomorrow night!

10/29/2012

Today (Sunday), we found at that Church World Services contributed $5,000 to our work helping folks recover from the tornado... God continues to provide the resources...

Special thanks to a new friend and volunteer -- Omar. Omar is a recent immigrant from Iraq... he finished the last section of siding for the Main Street project...

Our recent mailing has surfaced three new projects in Westfield... we are hoping to secure volunteers from Westover Job Corp to help us...

Well, tomorrow we brace for another storm... our prayers are that there will be limited damage... FEMA and MEMA are prepared again to help...

Be safe everyone!

10/16/2012

Project 99% finished... the volunteers steadily worked through the rain for over two weeks and finished their work yesterday afternoon... a small section will be completed by a local volunteer... the volunteers worked tirelessly... pictures will be posted soon...

What's next? We are sending out postcards to announce that residents need to contact RHT by October 31 if they have unmet needs... we would like to wrap up our work by the end of the year...