Hope Prevails: Hearts for Hope and the Fight Against Injustice
We at Hope CommUnity Center want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who attended our 10th Annual Hearts for Hope event last Thursday. Seeing so many of our community members, young people, college students, and families unite to support our mission toward growth, empowerment, and Hope was heartwarming.
In light of recent events in Florida, our Executive Director Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet traveled to Tallahassee to speak against Bill SB1718 at a committee hearing that would vote on the bill. If passed, the proposed bill would impact the entire community, including staff members and mixed-status families participating in the programs. Felipe passionately argued against the bill, sharing his story of being an undocumented immigrant for 15 years and the hardships immigrants face today. He called on the committee to vote against SB1718 and to remember how far immigrants can go and how much they contribute to the community. We at Hope will continue to fight against all forms of injustice.
Despite our challenges, Hearts for Hope remains a momentous occasion that brings people together to learn, support, and uplift one another. For over 51 years, Hope has been a place of education and empowerment for Central Florida’s immigrant and economically disadvantaged populations.
We are proud of the positive impact we have made in the community and grateful to our sponsors, Heart of Florida United Way, AdventHealth, Certified Financial Group INC., Community Health Centers, Rose Property Group, INC., Dog and Cat Foundation Orange County Florida, R.A. Simasek, P.A., and the Hope CommUnity Center Board of Directors for their support and generosity. We believe every student deserves a chance to pursue their dreams through education, regardless of their background or financial situation. With your support, we can help bridge the gap and provide life-changing scholarships to deserving students from economically disadvantaged areas. By joining us, you are making a powerful statement that every student deserves a chance to achieve greatness through education.
Your contributions allow these students to fulfill their potential and build a better life for themselves and their families. With your help, we can continue to provide life-changing programs like College and Career Access, Youth and Family, and Academic Support. Your donations help sustain these programs, which give Hope and opportunity to those who need it most.
As we reflect on the past and embrace the future with intention and imagination, we look forward to finding new, better ways to make a difference in the lives of those in the community. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support and for joining us in our mission to grow, empower, and Hope.
