Heights of Hope

10/08/2026

We are so excited to celebrate our 2026 Neighbor of the Year, our dear friend and neighbor, Marlene!

Each year, Heights of Hope recognizes a neighbor who goes above and beyond to care for others and build community. This year, we asked our neighbors to nominate someone, and one name came up again and again: Marlene.

Marlene is the kind of neighbor who shows up. She brings meals, bakes treats, gives rides, offers advice, prays with people, listens when someone needs to talk, and has become a neighborhood grandma to so many kids and families.

She loves Jesus deeply, and that love is evident in the way she cares for people. She makes people feel seen, loved, encouraged, and cared for.

We are so grateful for Marlene and for the many neighbors who help make the SOAR neighborhood such a special place to call home.

Congratulations, Marlene! We love you, and we are so glad you’re our 2026 Neighbor of the Year!

10/06/2026

Last week, we celebrated our 4th cohort of Circles Leaders and Allies!

For 18 months, Leaders and Allies met every Tuesday night—sharing meals, working toward goals, building relationships, navigating real life, and continuing to show up for one another.

And there is SO much to celebrate! Among this group, some of our Leaders have become debt-free, earned a college degree, started grad school, stepped into a new management position, built stronger relationships, worked toward better mental health, and—maybe most importantly—learned to believe that they can do hard things.

Through all of it, we’ve seen God’s faithfulness in the growth, the relationships, the doors He has opened, and the way this community has shown up for one another. We are incredibly grateful.

We are SO proud of our Leaders and grateful for the Allies and entire community who walked alongside them.

And now we’re getting ready for Cohort 5!

We’ll begin again after the new year and are looking for both Leaders and Allies to join in on this next journey.
Interested in making changes in your own life—or walking alongside someone else as they work toward their goals? Send Heights of Hope a message to learn more!

10/03/2026

Saturday is one of our favorite neighborhood traditions - our FREE GARAGE SALE (formerly called Swap Meet). Join us anytime between 12 and 3. Come shop for free treasures and bring along some things to give away! We’d love to see you!

09/30/2026

Each year, we have the honor of presenting the Kristen DeWitt Advocacy Award to someone who reminds us of our dear friend Kristen through the way they love and serve our community.

This year, we were so happy to present the award to our friend, Mary Elzinga.

Mary has been a behind-the-scenes force at Heights of Hope for years. She is the person who shows up, sees what needs to be done, and quietly takes care of it. She has spent so many Tuesday nights making sure our Circles crew has a meal and that everyone is taken care of. She’s also spent the past couple of summers mentoring a Youth Leadership Coalition intern, encouraging and cheering them on as they learn new skills and experience their first jobs. And she has stepped into clutch roles at so many events and activities over the years.

She shows up. She listens. She encourages. And she somehow always seems to know where she’s needed.

Kristen and Mary share something especially meaningful: their love for people is clearly rooted in their love for God. Both have a way of quietly showing that love through their presence, their encouragement, and their willingness to care for others.

We miss Kristen like crazy, and we are so grateful for the people who continue to remind us of her through the way they love our community.

Congratulations, Mary. We are so grateful for you.

09/25/2026

We’re proud of Priscilla and all she does for our community. We’re grateful for partnerships and for her life experiences, which have been an asset in our community and neighborhood.

🌟 Celebrating a Life of Impact 🌟

Last night at our annual banquet, we had the privilege of presenting our 2026 Impact Award to Priscilla, recognizing the meaningful difference she has made in the lives of youth and in the Escape community.

Priscilla is deeply committed to truth, justice, love, and grace, and to valuing every person, no matter how others may see them. We are deeply grateful for the way she invests in young people, builds meaningful relationships, and helps create a place where youth know they are seen, valued, and welcomed.

Congratulations, Priscilla, and thank you for the impact you continue to make! 💙

09/24/2026

Come Celebrate With Us!

After 18 months of Tuesday night dinners, goal-setting, hard conversations, lots of laughter, encouragement, growth, and friendship, our 4th Cohort of Circles Leaders & Allies is getting ready to CELEBRATE!

These Leaders and Allies have spent the last year and a half walking alongside one another—working toward goals, building relationships, cheering each other on, navigating challenges, and becoming a pretty incredible community along the way.

And now it’s time to celebrate just how far they’ve come!

📅 Tuesday, September 29
🎉 7:00 PM
📍 Niekerk Church
545 Country Club Rd. (Enter through Door B)
🍰 Light refreshments will follow

We would LOVE to have our friends, family, neighbors, community partners, and supporters join us!

And if you’ve ever wondered “What exactly is Circles?” this is a great night to come check it out! Hear directly from our Leaders and Allies, learn a little about their journey, and see what can happen when people choose to show up for one another week after week.

Come celebrate 18 months of showing up, growing, building relationships, and doing life together.

This chapter may be ending, but the friendships, growth, and community built along the way are definitely not.

We hope you’ll come celebrate with us!

09/04/2026

Grateful for partnerships and for the privilege of ABCD, asset based community development.

08/25/2026

What if getting a raise actually meant having LESS money to support your family?

For many families in our community, that’s the reality of the Cliff Effect, or the Benefits Cliff.
A small increase in income can suddenly mean losing critical supports like food, childcare, healthcare, or housing assistance—sometimes costing a family far more than the raise they received.

Heights of Hope and Circles Ottawa County Leaders and Allies invite you to join us for an eye-opening, interactive event that brings the Cliff Effect to life. You’ll see firsthand how difficult it can be for families to move toward financial stability when earning more can actually mean falling further behind.

Come experience it.
Learn from it.
And discover how, together, we can help create change in our community.

08/17/2026

This summer students worked hard in learning in the classroom sessions and their internships.

They have learned some of their strengths and they set goals on how to continue to develop them. Time management, efficient and employer communication, financial literacy with our partnership with Community Action House, and we even had some fun!

Students were able to site visit Latin Americans United for Progress - LAUP and Escape Ministries to learn more about other youth development organizations in our community.

Although there were many milestones of celebrations, students invited their family and friends to present what they learned about themselves and our community over the summer.

Youth Leadership Coalition 2026 in the books! Great work students!