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Job Opportunity: Full Time Position for a Ministry Van Worker is available. Please look at the posting below and apply with a resume and covering letter.
2012-07 Minsitry Van Worker- Full Time>

Job Opportunity:Youth Worker, Full TimePosition available at the Tegler Youth Centre. Please see the posting below and apply with a resume and covering letter.
2012-06 Youth Worker FT>

WOW.

I do not know who this message should be directed to – please share with your organizing committees.

I was a first time attendee at the recent Spring Banquet and Gradation. There are many adjectives I could use to describe my experience but WOW covers it all.

Where to begin . . .

Volunteers and staff – BEYOND EXCEPTIONAL – from purchasing ticket to leaving the facility at the end of the evening, everyone went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable – was aware of where to go – stopped and talked with me while waiting prior to 6:00 p.m.

Banquet – A FEAST – amazing – I know the food was prepared at the Hope and transported to Sherwood Park – everything tasted 5 star – the meat was tender and lean – the salads and vegetables were cut to perfection and dressed beautifully – the desserts were individually plated and decorated (what a beautiful touch) – my water glass was never empty (how many dozen lemons were sliced ?)

MEN AND LADIES GRADUATING – were all so handsome and beautiful – they all walked with pride – they made eye contact and smiled a lot – happiness showed on their faces.

CHOIR AND HORN BAND – brought me to tears – seeing those men stand up straight and tall and sing from their hearts – as I scanned their faces there was not one of them who had a look of “I would rather be anywhere but here” look on their faces.

The pre-dinner and dinner music was very classy!

The after-dinner ceremony left me in tears and awe at different times. I am well away that the Hope does great work but seeing the short presentations and hearing some of the numbers overwhelmed me – these facts stand out:

– over 900 children attended Brightwood Ranch last summer – how many young lives you were able to touch and give some summer freedom

– the gardening venture at Wellsprings – peace and tranquility while these women heal

– the largest graduating group of the Breakout Program – a testament to the men and the program

– the number of people you feed on a daily basis – numbers are staggering

Congrats to you, your staff, the volunteers and the men and woman in the various Programs. I look forward to attending the Banquet in the future.

Janet

Inside the auditorium, men dressed in suits and ties milled around the stage, excited and nervous, waiting for their rehearsal to start. Down the hall, Hope Mission staff were busy setting 80 dinner tables with silverware and flowers. It was a cool Friday evening in April, and the 2012 Spring Banquet was about to start.

Soon the hundreds of guests began to arrive. Some had been coming to the banquet for years in support of Hope Mission; some were coming for the first time; and some were there to support a loved one who would be graduating this evening. The first item on the program was dinner—and Hope Mission’s kitchen staff had outdone themselves again with a menu of fresh fruit salad, roasted root vegetables, and slices of hot roast beef. But the best part of the evening was still to come.

After dinner, everyone moved into the auditorium and quickly began filling up the long pews. On stage, the graduands of Breakout sat in rows, holding their sheets of music and waiting for the program to begin. After an introduction from executive director Bruce Reith, the Breakout Community Worship Choir got to their feet and sang. The sound of forty male voices singing a hymn in unison was very moving—deep and resonating, powerful and emotional.

Then came the highlight of the night: the graduation ceremony. In total, 63 people were graduating from Hope Mission’s addiction recovery and barrier removal programs this evening, including women from Wellspring, youth from Shift, and men from Breakout. When several of them stepped up to the microphone to tell their stories, you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. The audience sat riveted as each person shared their painful past, their transformation at the Mission, and their new-found joy and hope for the future.

As the graduands crossed the stage to receive their diploma and a congratulatory handshake, the audience in the pews rose to their feet, clapping long and loud as if for an encore—a sign of respect for these men and women who had worked so hard to overcome so much.

For everyone who attended, the Spring Banquet was more than just a good meal and recognition of success; it was a chance to see that God can completely reverse a situation that seems hopeless. It was a chance to be moved, be inspired, and to rediscover hope.

Recently the kids at the Tegler Youth Center got to enjoy the harvest of weeks worth of gardening in the Tegler Garden. Their garden skills are evident in this set of photos. You’ll also seek kids enjoying those efforts with their very own homemade pesto!