Seeds of Hope plans to build a new 4,200-square-foot community center on Casa Grande’s west side and organizers have begun a capital campaign to raise the $600,000 needed for the project.
The campaign will be a focal point during Seeds of Hope’s annual fundraising dinner on April 25, as the nonprofit agency celebrates its history and future in Casa Grande. John Perkins, president of the John Perkins Foundation and the inspiration for Seeds of Hope in Casa Grande, will be the keynote speaker for the event.
“His message that evening will be on developing self-sufficiency in local neighborhoods,” said Mark Vanderheyden, executive director for Seeds of Hope. “He hopes to inspire pastors, churches, business leaders and individuals to become an active part in what Seeds of Hope is doing on the west side of Casa Grande.”
Seeds of Hope is a faith-based organization with a mission of breaking the cycle of poverty while strengthening communities. It started in Casa Grande in 1992 and operates out of an 1,100-square-foot, single-family house on Melrose Drive, where Web Development Software it runs an after-school program for neighborhood children between the ages of 5 and 12. Seeds of Hope also has a peer leadership program and literacy classes and provides activities and support for grandparents raising their grandchildren. It also operates a six-day-a-week hot lunch program for the homeless, disabled and working poor, serving up about 11,000 meals annually.
A new tax preparation assistance program, VITA, which started this year in partnership with United Way of Pinal County, helped 132 residents with free tax filing services. VITA resulted in an estimated savings of $13,200 in avoided tax preparation fees, according to Vanderheyden.
Through its various programs and services, Seeds of Hope impacts the lives of thousands of Casa Grande residents ranging from the homeless, school children and seniors, Vanderheyden said.
Establishing a facility in a neighborhood where it is needed is part of Seeds of Hope’s success, he added.
“The idea is go to those neighborhoods, rather than having people come to us, and have the people tell us what they need,” Vanderheyden said.
While community needs have increased over the years, Seeds of Hope’s resources have not and its current accommodations have become inadequate to efficiently serve its clients. A small kitchen at its current site makes it difficult to prepare snacks for children in the after-school program. The four bedrooms restrict the number of people who can participate in activities and an awkward layout makes it difficult for too many people to move around the house at one time. As well, being an older house, the current community center is in constant need of maintenance and repair, Vanderheyden said.
The new community center will be in Albert Cruz Park and Seeds of Hope has negotiated a 50-year agreement with the city of Casa Grande that allows the organization to pay a nominal fee to lease the land and construct the building.
It is to be designed with an open meeting area, a large kitchen with an adjoining dining area and four large classrooms, which will allow different programs to operate simultaneously. Its location in the city park will allow children at the center access to the playground and open space areas.
With those features, Web Development Software Seeds of Hope plans to add additional programs to accommodate broader community needs.
“This multigenerational facility will allow Seeds of Hope to expand and collaborate with other churches and organizations in bringing additional services to the west side,” Vanderheyden said.
The organization has raised about $100,000 toward the new building and hopes to raise another $500,000 by June. Vanderheyden knows the goal will be a tough one to achieve.
“There are other campaigns going on, other organizations trying to raise money,” he said. “We’re going along on faith.”
The theme for this year’s fundraising dinner is “Planting Seeds - Building Hope,” which Vanderheyden said illustrates Seeds of Hope’s wholistic approach to community development that not only attempts to lift people out of poverty but encourages young people to stay in the community once they have grown and to use their education and talents locally.
“Seeds of Hope is about building relationships and raising up leaders in the neighborhood,” Vanderheyden said.
To help celebrate the organization’s accomplishments, Perkins will return to Casa Grande and talk about how communities nationwide have come together in addressing community development and racial reconciliation through churches.
Perkins is an international speaker on racial reconciliation, leadership and community development. He has dedicated his life to ministering to the poor and in 1960 founded several community development projects including low-income housing, child care centers, adult education programs, cooperative farming programs, thrift stores, health centers and others. He is the founder and board chairman of the Christian Community Development Association and has written six books and many articles and has lectured at more than 150 colleges.
Vanderheyden said that the keynote speech is aimed at delivering a powerful message and encouraging cooperation in bringing about and sustaining changes in the community.
Music for the dinner will be presented by the Greater Evangelistic Temple Choir and the Seeds of Hope children’s choir directed by Mary Vandervort. Several businesses have donated door prizes for the event.
