Various people involved with Cy-Hope spoke about the different programs the nonprofit manages. Local students also spoke about the impact Hope Centers have had on their lives. Various people involved with Cy-Hope spoke about the different programs the nonprofit manages. Local students also spoke about the impact Hope Centers have had on their lives.[/caption]

Last night, Oct. 26, Cy-Hope celebrated a move to a new headquarters at 12715 Telge Road, Cypress, the former home of Northwest Forest Conference Center. Since 2010, the nonprofit organization has been working to make life better for children in Cy-Fair.

Cy-Hope purchased 8.9 acres at the site in January, including several log cabins and a replica building of the Alamo. Since then, more than 12,500 volunteer hours have been poured into the renovation of the new headquarters. Today, a staff of 12 counselors now serves 200 clients weekly.

“The number one reason a child drops out of school is a lack of hope, and what we do is we give hope for a brighter future so every child will become a productive citizen,” executive director Lynda Zelenka said.

Every weekend, when children do not have access to meals from school, Cy-Hope provides 1,300 students backpacks full of enough food to sustain their families. Other programs organized by the nonprofit include a summer camp called Camp Lemonade, Virtuoso band camps and Larry Dierker’s baseball program.

As an education supplement, Cy-Hope manages Hope Centers in two apartment complexes and one mobile home community where more than 100 children receive tutoring and mentoring, learn life skills, enjoy recreation and learn about STEM—science, technology, engineering and math. A scholarship program helps at-risk students afford college education or vocational certifications.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-District 10, made a special appearance at the event and spoke about the importance of volunteerism. He said he was surprised to learn that roughly half of Cy-Fair ISD’s 115,000 students are considered economically disadvantaged.

“I was a federal prosecutor for many years, and I always saw these cases on the backend after hope was lost—the kids dropped out of high school and then they started to get into drugs and then they bought a gun and then they ended up in jail at the taxpayers’ expense,” McCaul said. “To me, it’s far more productive and a far better investment to invest in our children at this young age to stop that cycle.”

713-466-4673. www.cy-hope.org