May 2, 2023

Virgil Sheppard – President and CEO, Hope Partnership for Education

Hope Partnership for Education is a co-sponsored ministry of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

The spring season brings much to celebrate for Hope Partnership for Education students, alumni, and our community of supporters. Hope and the Police Athletic League (PAL) co-hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration on March 7th for Hope’s newly refurbished gymnasium floor and roof repair.

The Fairhill PAL Center has operated in the gym since before Hope took residence in 2013. The gymnasium is crucial to ensuring Hope’s students and alumni and youth from the neighborhood have a safe, welcoming environment to socialize and explore their interests in athletics. Mansion, a current 5th-grade student, served as the event’s keynote speaker.

Read what he had to say:

“I am grateful to attend PAL after school. I like that I don’t have to leave Hope and have a safe place to spend a few hours after school. I am thankful to be in a safe place with Officer [Andre] Epps because I know that if I wasn’t at PAL, that I could be bored, making bad decisions, and getting into trouble. I know those are not good options for me so I plan to keep going to PAL after school and spending time with a great role model, Officer Epps.”

As Mansion stated, the renovation has allowed both organizations to provide a safe, welcoming environment for youth every day. And now that the roof is safe, students will construct raised garden beds and plant seeds in partnership with Urban Creators, a local farm and education space, and in celebration of Earth Day.