Hope's Story

Hope Whitlock, eighty-one years old, is the inspiration for A Place for Hope's name. Mrs. Whitlock was raised the daughter of Chester sharecroppers. She tells us that she worked in the cotton fields most of her life. That memory, she states, is not a happy one.

She is glad to be "out of the fields." She adds wood to the stove in her living room. Joining us in the warmth are several grandchildren, nieces and nephews, in-laws, and neighbors. They sit and share friendship, food, and spirit. They do not know a stranger.

Mrs. Whitlock is the mother of seven. She came to Rock Hill more than three decades ago. Her four-room home was built by hand by her late husband. Ripped screens, broken glass, rust, and roosters are the landscape today. An occasional alcoholic passes by...a wasted life. The children see and learn. There are no questions asked, all are family here. The residents sleep in shifts because of the limited space. Hope's home is the heart of the Blackmon Road community, where folks in need stop for a hot meal, or a drink of water, or a moment's rest. The door of her home on Blackmon Road is always open.

A steady stream of children, mostly small, and many her own grand-children or great-grand-children, gather around the small wood-stove today. It's about this. These faces tell of the "hope" only a toddler can believe or comprehend. Our world of peace
begins with one person...one soul at a time. We need not travel to Afghanistan, or
distant shores to witness the brutality of poverty.

 

PHOTOGALLERY (click to enlarge)

Neighborhood

Centerse do not bring stained, heavily worn, or outdated clothes.

Residentshold items such as cookware, dishes, specialized kitchen appliances, or household decorations.

Summer Camp (Petting Zoo, Carowinds, Lake Shore Ministries Mission, Car Wash Service Project)

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HOPEFEST 2006

Helen Ansel Couch Square Roots The man can flat SING... Peace & Love Through Music Mellow Groove...Soulin' Sonny Rob Quincy Say What?!...HopeFest '06   Tom w/ Tony Kemp (Southern Silk) Love, Love, Love...all ya need is...

VICTORY BENEFIT