Education Extra
Hope Inspired Ministries (HIM) celebrated their first class of 2020 with a graduation ceremony on March 10. Friends, family, mentors and supporters gathered to celebrate the six women who graduated from HIM’s job-training program and are now employed in the Birmingham area or are pursuing higher education routes. HIM Graduation ceremonies focus on the transformation of broken lives and are an emotional experience for graduates and guests.
These graduations demonstrate how great things are happening in our community! John Bowman, Executive Director of HIM, shares, “About six years ago, I attended my first Hope Inspired Ministries graduation. One word describes the addiction that was formed-WOW! At that moment I began to be changed by hearing how the students’ lives transformed through HIM. I fell in love with seeing how offering Hope can change a person’s life. Then, six years later, God brought me to HIM full-time. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for the opportunity to help these graduates realize their purpose and value, set goals to reach self-sufficiency, and witness how their lives have been changed through HIM!”
HIM’s curriculum is focused on teaching essential life/soft skills, employment skills, character building, financial management, in addition to problem-solving, critical thinking, anger management, and conflict resolution. HIM combines classroom instruction with intensive case management that assists students with other life issues such as obtaining proper documents and navigating through legal issues. In 2017, due to the HIM’s proven formula of success, the ministry expanded their services into the Birmingham communities of Woodlawn, East Lake, and surrounding areas. In 2019, a partnership with The Foundry Ministries allowed HIM to also begin serving the men seeking help in their Birmingham area program.
Opportunity to Serve. Volunteers are vital to HIM. There are several different avenues of volunteering available. Volunteers provide lunches to meet physical needs. They provide support and encouragement to students through mentoring one day a week. Volunteers also help students advance their education through tutoring. Finally, volunteers assist with fundraising/special events and through financial support. For more information on how to be involved in transforming lives, contact Hope Inspired Ministries at [email protected] or by calling 205-202-6305. †
