Tag Archive for: #communitypartnersofhope

Community Partners Of Hope Name New Executive Director

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Community Partners of Hope announces the appointment of Jhanderys (Jhan) Dotel-Vellenga as its executive director.

Dotel-Vellenga brings a foundation in community development, pastoral leadership and cross-cultural partnership building to the role. She steps into the role with a clear vision for advancing the organization’s mission and expanding its impact across the Henderson region, according to a press statement from CPOH.

As the new executive director, Dotel-Vellenga will provide strategic and operational leadership for the organization and will oversee shelter and program operations, financial management, fundraising and community engagement efforts. She will work closely with the board of directors and supervise program leadership to ensure excellence across all services.

Community Partners of Hope provides integrated services through its men’s shelter, Hope House, and the Freedom Bridge Resource Center, supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and those affected by substance use disorder. Under Dotel-Vellenga’s leadership, the organization aims to build on its strong foundation while pursuing sustainable growth and innovation.

“Community Partners of Hope represents the kind of collaborative, compassionate work that transforms lives and strengthens communities,” said Dotel-Vellenga. “I am honored to serve in this role and to help guide the organization as we deepen partnerships, expand access to resources, and walk alongside individuals on their journey toward stability and hope.”

Dotel-Vellenga’s professional background reflects a deep commitment to service and leadership among vulnerable populations. Most recently, she served as a mission co-worker through the Presbyterian Church, in Managua, Nicaragua, where she helped to coordinate community development initiatives, cultivated partnerships, and supported programs focused on food security, women’s empowerment, and pastoral formation. Her experience includes program coordination, stakeholder engagement, and cross-cultural collaboration—key elements of effective nonprofit leadership.

Her work also includes extensive involvement in prison ministry, restorative justice programs, and reentry support, as well as volunteer service in women’s shelters and mentoring programs. These experiences have equipped her with a nuanced understanding of the challenges surrounding homelessness, substance use disorder, and reintegration.

Dotel-Vallenga will work closely with the entire board of directors, but particularly with Jeanette Floyd and Jane King, co-chairs of the board. “Jhan brings both strategic insight and a deep sense of compassion to this role,” said Dr. Floyd, “Her leadership will be instrumental in strengthening our programs and expanding our reach in the community.”

“I look forward to having Jhan assume many of the essential tasks that have previously been spread among various board members” said Jane King. “She will add much needed continuity and direction.”

Community Partners Of Hope Seeks To Fill Executive Director Role

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Community Partners of Hope is seeking an Executive Director to provide strategic and operational leadership, ensuring the success of shelter and program operations, fiscal health, and community outreach. This influential, part-time role reports to the Board of Directors and directly supervises the Manager of the Shelter and Hope House and the Freedom Bridge Program Director.

Community Partners of Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 to operate the Henderson Men’s Shelter. In 2015, Hope House began as the next step towards independent housing. In 2024, the shelter moved to a larger and better equipped location in the former City Road United Methodist Church fellowship hall at 903 N. Garnett Street. Shelter Program Manager Darryl Jones manages both the men’s shelter and Hope House.

In November of 2025, Freedom Bridge Resource Center opened with funds from the opioid settlement administered by the City of Henderson. Danetta McKnight is the program director and is working with other providers to create a central hub for services.

Learn more about Community Partners of Hope at www.cp-hope.org.

The Local Skinny! CPOH in Need of Items

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If you had to go outside today, hopefully you were bundled up enough to keep warm as the wind swirled and cold temperatures persisted. No doubt, you didn’t linger outside if you didn’t have to.

The City Road Center for Hope Shelter Manager Darryl Jones said the overnight staff hung around until mid-morning today to allow the men in the shelter to have a few extra hours inside.

Usually, the men who spend the night at the shelter, located in the former City Road Methodist Church at 903 N. Garnett St., have to be out by 6:30 a.m.

But Jones said that in “white flag” conditions – when the temperature is below 32 degrees – the men can stay longer.

During the recent bout of ice and snow a few weeks ago, the shelter remained open because daytime temps never got above freezing. “Several times this season, the shelter was open all day long,” Jones explained.

The shelter gives men a safe place to spend the night, offering meals, a real bed, a shower, and a place to do their laundry.

The shelter always appreciates donations to help offset costs. Monetary donations are most welcome, but donations of other items help defray costs, too.

If you can donate any of the following items, please contact Jones at 252.820.0701 or email manager@cp-hope.org.

Below is a list of much-needed items at City Road Center for Hope:

  • Paper Products
  • Cleaning Supplies
  • Snacks
  • Family Size Frozen Dinners
  • Laundry Pods
  • Cereal
  • Batteries, AA or AAA
  • White Out
  • Office Supplies
  • PJ Bottoms, L, XL, or XXL
  • Shower Slippers, L or XL
  • Deodorant
  • Bath Towels
  • Monetary Donations are always welcome.

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Freedom Bridge Resource Center Ribbon Cutting

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Dozens of supporters gathered at the Freedom Bridge Resource Center Tuesday to officially mark its opening with a ceremonial ribbon cutting sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.

But work at the center has been going on for close to two months now, and Program Director Danetta McKnight said the resource center has been able to provide ongoing assistance to 20 individuals during that time. And they’re just getting started.

Freedom Bridge is part of Community Partners of Hope and is located beside Vance Recovery at 936 West Andrews Avenue. It’s a resource center – a hub – where partners come together to serve the community, she said.

Representatives from The Genesis Project, a Charlotte-based program, come weekly to provide services such as peer support and other types of counseling for clients in recovery from substance addiction.

“We’re grateful that someone saw something in Freedom Bridge,” she said.

The support for individuals in a recovery program comes in different forms, and Freedom Bridge is where all types of services can come together to help clients and families in their journeys.

One community volunteer employs clients as day laborers, which gives them a little money in their pocket to buy food or toiletry items, she said.

Whether through mentoring, helping reconnect those estranged from families because of substance abuse or just providing a small meal and a warm place to “be,” Freedom Bridge is living up to its mission statement: Helping people cross over from systems that trap them to lives they own.

McKnight expressed gratitude to the community for being accepting of the work that Freedom Bridge is setting out to do and to Community Partners of Hope “for connecting with me and listening to a young lady that had a dream…believed in my dream and offered me a position where I could do what it is I felt like I was born to do.”

Visit https://www.cp-hope.org/freedombridge to learn how you can help through volunteering or donating.

(The information above was originally posted December 17, 2025 but has been updated December 23 to include the broadcast audio available below.)

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The Local Skinny! CPOH Ministry Freedom BRIDGE Opens Monday

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Freedom BRIDGE, a ministry of Community Partners of Hope, is scheduled to open its doors next week and there are still plenty of ways to help the nonprofit in the way of donations.

Danette McKnight is the new program coordinator, and she has created a wish list of items still needed. There’s a list at SignUp Genius.com. Search for Furnishings for Freedom Bridge.

Take a look to see if there is anything you can offer. The ministry is particularly looking for set of old folding chairs or tables that a church or other organization no longer uses that could be donated. The list ranges from bookshelves and inspirational posters and artwork to a refrigerator and folding tables.

The new program is opening at 12 noon on Monday, Nov. 3 with a mission to connect individuals affected by or at risk for opioid use disorder with the support they need to heal and thrive. The office is located at 936 W. Andrews Ave., next to Vance Recovery.

Through accessible classes, compassionate counseling, prevention programs, and recovery services, Freedom BRIDGE is designed to empower people to reclaim their lives and build stronger, healthier communities. It also will offer services to families of those affected by opioid use.

Learn more at https://www.cp-hope.org/freedombridge 

Contact Danetta McKnight at bridge@cp-hope.org or call 252.572.2067.

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Community Partners of Hope

Community Partners Of Hope To Launch ‘Freedom B.R.I.D.G.E.’ With Opioid Settlement Funds;

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Community Partners of Hope has been awarded $140,000 from the City of Henderson’s opioid settlement fund and soon will begin a new ministry called “Freedom B.R.I.D.G.E” that will include a community resource center.

B.R.I.D.G.E. stands for Building, Recovery, Intervention, Development for Growth and Empowerment and CPOH board co-chair Jane King said the nonprofit organization is accepting applications for a program director for the new ministry, which will connect individuals affected by opioid use disorder with the support they need to heal and thrive.

The program will use a comprehensive support system ranging from classes and counseling to prevention programs, recovery services and programs for families and friends of clients as well.

The part-time director will report to the CPOH board and will work 12 noon to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Find the application at www.cp-hope.org/freedombridge.

TownTalk: Men’s Shelter Closing In On New Home At Former City Road Methodist Church

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The nation celebrates Independence Day next week, and just a few days later on July 8, the emergency men’s shelter is planning an independence day celebration of its own – that’s the day the shelter leaves its current location and clients will call City Road Center of Hope home. Darryl Jones, the shelter’s program manager, said the building is going through the final phases of meeting all the code requirements, and Monday, July 8 should be the day when the shelter will be operating at the new location.

An official ribbon-cutting is planned for August, but until then, the larger shelter can serve more clients. The current shelter is full, Jones said, with 11 men housed there.

This day has been a long time coming, and Jones said this is not the end of a project, but rather, just the beginning.

The 365 Dream Team project seeks to find 365 donors to give $365 a year to help the shelter stay open 365 days a year.

“Without you all, we wouldn’t be doing this – you are our backbone and we still need your support,” Jones said when he was a guest on a recent TownTalk segment.

Area churches, organizations and individuals provide support through financial contributions, providing meals or other supplies the shelter needs.

And area restaurants help provide food for shelter clients, too. “We’re so thankful for them and for the churches,” Jones said. “I’m pleased and overwhelmed with joy and happiness” that all these people are coming together to help the mission of helping men overcome life’s challenges and get back on their feet.

Visit www.cp-hope.org to learn how you can help. Make a financial donation, sign up to provide a meal, or volunteer.

Send tax-deductible contributions to:

Community Partners of Hope, Inc.

P.O. Box 1791

Henderson, NC 27536

Please note in Memo Line 365-2024-05

 

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TownTalk: Community Partners of Hope Men’s Shelter 365 Dream Team

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Darryl Jones is walking, talking proof about getting – and giving – second chances in life.

And just in case anybody wonders about the good things that go on at the emergency men’s shelter and Hope House here in Henderson, Jones is a living testimony.

He’s been shelter program manager for just over a month now. But a decade ago, he was one of the first two residents of Hope House, transitional housing that helps men get back on their feet and become productive, contributing citizens of their community.

The men’s shelter and the transitional housing program are part of Community Partners of Hope. Jones was a guest on TownTalk Monday to share his story and to encourage the community to continue to support the efforts of CPOH.

“I went through a time in my life when I needed help, and I reached out,” Jones said. There’s an array of services and resources available in the area – from vocational rehabilitation to mental health providers and job training programs – and he wants the clients CPOH serves make use of them.

“If you apply yourself, you’ll be on the right track to getting back your life,” Jones explained. “You have to stay the course – you have to want it.”

Jones himself is a prime example. He was admittedly in a low place in his life back in 2014, but he stuck with it and was selected among the first two residents of Hope House, which opened in 2015. With a job in food service and things beginning to look up, Jones was asked to come to work as shelter manager.

“Of course, I wanted to give back, so I said yes,” he recalled.

Since its inception, the men’s shelter has been housed in the basement of the Presbyterian Church in downtown Henderson. But renovations have been underway at the former City Road Methodist Church to transform the buildings to be the new shelter home, called City Road Center of Hope.

Jones said the plan is to start moving “stuff” next week in advance of the June 15 move date for those who currently spend their nights at the shelter.

But it’s June already – doesn’t the shelter only operate during the cold winter months?

That was then, Jones said, and this is the new reality. The shelter intends to remain open all year long, achieving a long-talked-about goal.

The 365 Dream Team concept is part of what’s been going on behind the scenes to allow the shelter to expand its operations and be available throughout the cold of winter, the heat of summer, and everywhere in between.

The idea is to get 365 people – or groups, or clubs, churches or other organizations – to donate $365 a year toward the overall operations of the shelter.

He’s overwhelmed by the support, including donations of meals to supplies, snacks and water for the clients, as well as the monetary support. Please keep it up, he added.

“Without you all, we wouldn’t be doing this. You are our backbone and we still need your support” to provide mentorships, internships and being volunteers.

For Jones, the staff and volunteers became like family when he most needed support. “They helped me and I wanted it,” he said. “I wanted to succeed and excel.”

“I’ve got a big place in my heart for them – what they did for me – they believed in me.

Visit www.cp-hope.org to learn how you can help. Make a financial donation, sign up to provide a meal, or volunteer.

Send tax-deductible contributions to:

Community Partners of Hope, Inc.

P.O. Box 1791

Henderson, NC 27536

Please note in Memo Line 365-2024-05

 

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Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Community Partners Of Hope Mourns Death Of Beloved Men’s Shelter Worker

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William James Avery, a dedicated worker at the local men’s shelter, died last week. He was 80.

Avery completed his shift that began at 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 and ended the next morning at 6:30 a.m.

From there, he went to a medical appointment and suffered a medical emergency, according to his co-worker and friend, Shelter Manager Darryl Jones.

In a written statement, Jones said Avery “loved the shelter and the men who came there for help.  He gave selflessly of his time to this ministry and was anxiously awaiting the day when we could move into our new location at City Road Center for Hope.”

A service will be held at 11am, Saturday, Jan. 6, at Shiloh Baptist Church, 635 S. College Street in Henderson. Interment will follow at Elmwood Cemetery. A viewing will be held from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 5 at Davis-Royster Funeral Home.
Avery was a Vietnam veteran and worked at General Motors for 30 years. He was a church deacon and sang in the men’s choir there. He began his work with the men’s shelter as a volunteer for nine years; he was a paid employee for six years.

Jones said Avery was someone he could count on – “reliable, faithful, dedicated, committed, trustworthy…he was all these things, but most of all, he was my friend.”

 

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Community Partners of Hope

TownTalk: Men’s Shelter To Have Sign-Raising Event On Saturday

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Join Community Partners of Hope Saturday morning to be a part of a “Raise Our Sign” event at the future home of the emergency men’s shelter at the former City Road Methodist Church.

Delthine Watson said this is a way to celebrate the next steps for the new men’s shelter.

“We’re going to raise the sign because God has brought us to a building, and we are grateful and thankful,” Watson said on Thursday’s TownTalk. The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the site, located at 905 N. Garnett St., Henderson.

“We’ve worked through all of the steps and now we’re finally able to say ‘We’re here! We’re coming!’

The men’s shelter, currently operating out of the basement of the Presbyterian Church, opened on Oct. 1 to provide a place for unhoused men to seek refuge during the winter months, but Watson, CPOH’s community network specialist, said the goal is to have the new shelter open year ‘round.

“Regardless of whether you’re hot or cold,” (being homeless) is still the problem,” Watson said.

Individuals will be able to tour the building that will house the new shelter. With good luck, Watson said, work should begin in a few weeks to transform the fellowship building.

“We encourage you to join us …and to hear the changes that we want to make as we serve the community,” Watson said.

The current shelter can hold 12 men, and the new space will at least double that capacity.

“At some point, maybe we could serve families,” Watson mused. “The doors are wide open for what we can do…when your belief is strong and the community is supporting you.”

Call 919.339.1462 to learn more or visit www.cp-hope.org to learn how to donate.

The shelter currently needs donations of 30-gallon garbage bags, individual snacks for the men, and clothing such as pajama bottoms, thermal underwear, shower shoes and toiletry items.

 

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