Hope Center of Le Roy

Press release:

The Hope Center of LeRoy, located at 42 Main St., will be starting up another GriefShare Support Group. It will take place every Thursday afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m. beginning on March 2, and running through May 25. The group is designed to offer help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member, or friend. The three key parts of the program are the use of a personal workbook, a video seminar, and group discussion. The cost is $20. For more information or to register, please call the Facilitator, Mari-Lee Ruddy, at (716) 861-5645. You don't have to bear your grief alone.

Press release:

The Hope Center of LeRoy is pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Thompson to a staff position as its Fresh Start Tutoring Program Director.

Having retired in November after 26 years at the Elba Central School, Amy has been involved on a volunteer basis with the Hope Center since it became a nonprofit. Their first planning meeting was in October of 2017.

"We began serving our first students in January of 2019," Amy says. "I was drawn to this mission because I believed it was just another extension of the ministry God had given me. I love helping students learn!"

Community outreach programs are the focus of the Hope Center, and Amy has formed a partnership with the LeRoy Central School Reading Specialist, Helene Beswick, who provides valuable feedback on how the program can best help students.

The Fresh Start Tutoring Program welcomes anyone with a heart for teaching and making a difference in the lives of our next generation. Training is provided for volunteers who will assist students in math and reading, once per week for approximately half an hour. The Hope Center currently has twelve students and that number will be increasing as there is an increase in volunteers.

Amy is excited about the future.

"I would like to keep expanding our program at the Hope Center. I know there is a need to assist both high school and adult learners, and perhaps even second language learners. The possibilities are endless if we can get enough volunteers."

When asked for her advice on how parents can contribute to school success, Amy states," It's important for parents to read to their kids, even as they get older. I also believe that it's important to talk with your kids and help them to build their conversation skills and vocabulary."

Director of Development, Diane Sia, is very pleased that Amy has decided to continue her life's work at the Hope Center. "What's so wonderful about Amy's retirement is that she can now ignore the alarm clock, yet at the same time pursue something she loves to do. She is a gifted, kind, and compassionate leader and we are so blessed to have her on our team!"

For more information on the Fresh Start Tutoring Program, which is currently offered to K-6th grade students, or for questions regarding volunteering as a tutor, please contact Amy at fs.hopecenter@gmail.com. Retired teachers, and high school or college students are encouraged to apply. This much-needed program is available at no charge thanks to funding from the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes, the Victor L. and Maudaline L. Blood Charitable Foundation, and through the generous support of the community.

Submitted photo.

Press release:

The Hope Center of Le Roy Gears Up for Fall Programs

The Hope Center, located at 42 Main Street in Le Roy, is a faith-based, non-profit community outreach center established in 2016. Their mission is to serve by providing resources to help those in need. All are invited to participate in their programs, three of which will be starting up this fall:

"GriefShare" is a weekly grief support group that will meet on Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:30pm, starting Sept 8th through Dec 8th. This program is designed to help and encourage those who have experienced the death of a spouse, child, family member, or friend. If you, or someone you know needs help healing their broken heart, this is the place to be. For more information or to register, please call Mari-Lee Ruddy at (716) 861-5645.

"Fresh Start Tutoring" is a free program that supports children in grades K-6 by assisting them with their math and reading skills. Students meet with a trained volunteer for about 30 minutes each week. We are currently in need of caring hearts to become volunteer tutors. (This is ideal for high school students or retired teachers!) Please contact Amy at fs.hopecenter@gmail.com if you are interested in making a difference in a child's life.

"Memory and Friends" is a free monthly respite care program for those challenged with early to mid-stage memory impairment due to Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. We are looking for dedicated volunteers to work with our guests one-on-one, or to assist with preparing lunch, set-up, clean-up, and activities. Please contact us at hopecenter585@gmail.com if you have approximately 4 hours a month or every other month to join us and become a Friend. You'll be so glad you did!

The Hope Center of Le Roy announced today that Diane Sia has been hired as the Director of Development. The Director of Development is responsible for the overall operation of the Hope Center which offers free programs and services to the community such as the Fresh Start Tutoring program for children.

“We are delighted to have Diane on board,” said Board Member Bill Friedman. “She has the right personality and skillset to work with our program directors and volunteers, as well as with community and business leaders, to advance the growing activities and services we provide to the families in our region.” 

Diane brings a wealth of knowledge from the nonprofit sector, having recently served as the Director of Development for Crossroads House, Batavia. With more than twenty years of experience in management support roles including three years in administrative nonprofit responsibilities, she helped the home meet its financial objectives by overseeing fundraisers, business appeals, and their annual campaign. She directed marketing and promotions, edited their biannual newsletter, and managed multiple special projects while continuing to build a strong relational network.

Henry Moore, Board Member, and the Hope Center’s former Executive Director said, “A major part of Diane’s role will be to establish solid relationships with the families who receive our services, our staff and volunteers, business sponsors, community members, schools, and churches. We are confident she will excel in enhancing each of these important connections.”

“I am so happy to join the dedicated staff and volunteers at the Hope Center and to be a part of its vision for the future,” Sia said. “I am excited to contribute to the organization’s efforts to address community needs by focusing on program development, financial stability, and relational health,” she added.

With expertise in communications, marketing, and management, Diane previously worked as the Store Employment Associate for Tops Market and as the Financial Records Control Clerk for LeRoy Central School. Diane lives in LeRoy with her husband, David.

Press release:

In recognition of National Gratitude Month, Tompkins Bank of Castile, Tompkins Insurance Agencies and Tompkins Financial advisors are donating a total of $7,500 to several food pantries, churches and school districts throughout Western New York. The initiative — which is rolling this Thanksgiving week — is called “Banksgiving.”

It is being done in honor of National Gratitude Month.

In Genesee County, the organizations benefitting from the Banksgiving donation are The City Church in Batavia and Hope Center of Le Roy Inc.

“At Tompkins Bank of Castile, supporting the communities we serve is one of our core values and highest priorities. We’ve seen first-hand the pandemic’s impact on individuals and businesses in our own communities,” said John McKenna, president and CEO.

“In honor of our customers and in support of those in our communities, we’ve made additional contributions to support local organizations, which have become a lifeline for many during this difficult time.”

The full list of organizations can be found here.

It's the vision of Rev. Henry Moore and the team at the Hope Center of Le Roy that the new ministry 42 Main St. will provide the community with a place of hope and help.

"We just want to show God's love through all of us and everything that we're doing," Moore said. "That's a lot of what we're based on, the fact of God's love and things will take shape from there."

The Hope Center, which is still just barely furnished, offers several programs for the community already.

There is L.I.F.T., which stands for Ladies in Faith Together. It's a program for single moms, where single moms can meet and support each other, share a meal, and grow in faith together.

The King's Table provides support for caregivers of children with special needs. 

"A couple of ladies who have special needs children took it upon themselves to start the program," Moore said. "Since then they've begun to bring families in and it gives them an opportunity to just meet together."

Fresh Start Literacy is a program for children to get extra help with reading.

"We really feel like this is going to be a powerful one because so many families have children who struggle to read," Moore said. "It's tough in a school atmosphere to get one-on-one help. We're willing to offer that."

Moms United in Prayer is a chance for women to pray together on a regular basis for children and schools.

Annually, the center offers Go Pro Spa Day and the Prom Dress Give Away.

Planned programs include Celebrate Recovery, a disaster relief program, children and teens programs and a New Life Clothing Center.

Much of Moore's ministry is based on the work, including the Prom Dress Give Away, he was doing with the Living Waters Church.

The Hope Center is now a separate nonprofit, and Moore is seeking donation and community support. The Hope Center has also started a building fund with the hope of eventually owning its own building.

"What we really want to do is get the community involved get all the churches to come together," Moore said. "I mean, no one person has a vision to make everything happen. One of the things we found was that someone has a vision and they don't know how to make it happen. We want to help that."

The rest of the leadership team includes Donna Friedman, Pat Bedford and Amy Bolton.

The motto of the Hope Center is that "hope is more than a wish. It is a confident expectation."

Moore said it's his goal to see the new ministry provide that kind of confident expectation to the Le Roy community.