Testimonials

One year ago, our church led the “Winters’ Hope Project.” We recognized a need in our church family and developed a plan to meet that need in a significant way. The Winters are a family living with Muscular Dystrophy and Cancer. The home they were living in was not accommodating to their significant needs.

After months of planning, the project kicked off with demolition of their existing house. 11 days, countless donations, lots of sweat, and hundreds of volunteers later, a brand new home was built for the Winters. The Winters are forever changed because of this project and the investment our community made. Not only are the Winters changed, but our community caught a glimpse of something that is not seen very often – hope.

College Church of the Nazarene is located in the middle of the University District. The University District is a mix of residential, commercial, civic, and educational development in the City of Nampa, Idaho. The District includes a mixture of older and newer development, although it is commonly perceived as an older residential area. The District generally follows city wide demographics, with some notable exceptions. These exceptions include a significantly lower median income and population density. The University District has the highest population density per square mile in the City of Nampa. 5,254 residents occupy the University District doubling the city average of 2,612 residents per square mile. Children ages 12 and younger make up 22 percent (1,155 residents) of the University District.

Just like a need was recognized and met for the Winters family, a need was recognized and is being met for the University District as a whole. There is no doubt that this neighborhood can benefit from seeing even more hope invested. College Church of the Nazarene is committed to being a better neighbor and to start meeting the needs of the University District. One of the most critical needs assessed by residents of the University District was a safe place for young families to enjoy playground equipment and other amenities in their neighborhood.

Until the NHP happened, there was no park or playground equipment within the University District. Our goal was to provide a safe and friendly environment for children and families within the University District to play and/or gather for neighborhood events. We did this by building a 25,000 square foot pocket park that includes ample green space, a half basketball court, a park shelter and commons with table, benches, a barbeque, drinking fountain, and a state of the art play area suitable for children ages 2 – 12 that is also ADA compliant.

In the past several months we met with many of our neighbors surrounding the future pocket park and talked with them about our plan. We were overwhelmed by their receptivity and excitement for this addition to their neighborhood. Since the completion of the park, neighborhood children and families have been using the park nonstop and it has already become a neighborhood land mark for these families. To date, there have been neighborhood gatherings, birthday parties, wedding receptions, and constant general use of the park by the surrounding neighbors – it is a beautiful sight!

In addition to building a pocket park, our church, neighbors, and hundreds of volunteers from around the community participated in dozens of other “home improvement” restoration and beautification projects throughout the University District providing materials and labor. This included projects such as plumbing, roofing, siding, window replacement, painting, landscaping, and many other needs.

The Neighborhood Hope Project happened July 12 – 17, 2010. With 6 days, countless donations, lots of sweat, and hundreds of volunteers later, our goal was to help the University District catch that glimpse of hope the Winters and hundreds of other people saw last summer by doing these home improvement projects and building this pocket park. I am so proud of all the people who gave of their time and resources to be a part of the NHP.

As the youth pastor of College Church of the Nazarene, I am especially proud of the students who participated in this project. In January of 2010, 27 of them committed to be a significant part of making this happen. We prepared them for seven months to be leaders with this project and they were fantastic leaders! Not only did they give up 6 days, 24 hours a day, of their summer vacation, each of the student participants paid $400 to go on this mission “trip.” This summer, instead of jumping in a van and driving 15 hours to an inner city, our students opened the doors of our church building and walked into our neighborhood to serve. It is a privilege for me to be associated with these amazing young men and women who are genuinely good people wanting to make a difference – and they are making a difference!

For College Church of the Nazarene and the University District, the Neighborhood Hope Project was just the beginning. We plan to continue these efforts for years to come building hope in the University District. The 6 days of the Neighborhood Hope Project was a worthwhile investment for our neighborhood and for the next generation to grow up with a constant reminder as they play for years to come at their very own “Hope Park.”

We are deeply grateful for Recreation Today of Idaho, Playworld Systems, and Haemker Construction for their vital role in the NHP. Without you, this would not have happened. The folks at Recreation Today of Idaho and Haemker Construction caught the vision for the neighborhood they are a part of as well, invested their resources – equipment, time, money, and personnel – to complete this project above and beyond our expectations. We will forever be thankful for these kind and generous people. We look forward to our continued relationship with you and to the hope we will continue to spread together!