Please join us on Saturday, May 12th at 1pm for the Building on Hope Community Celebration of our new Manchester Girls Inc. facility located at 340 Varney Street. Volunteers from all trades are currently hard at work transforming the building into a beautiful center for the girls and their families. The renovations wrap up next Saturday when they will be revealed to the girls, their families, staff, and the community.

Come celebrate this wonderful gift and the work of our amazing volunteers with us on Saturday, May 12th. Come for a tour, enjoy food provided by T-Bones & Cactus Jack's and entertainment provided by the band, RBK Project.

Building on Hope Announces
$250,000 Renovation Project for Girls Inc.

Volunteer organization seeks community support to renovate Girls Inc. Facility in Manchester

Manchester, NH – The spirit of community barn-raisings dating back to the earliest New Hampshire settlers lives on as Building on Hope announced an effort to undertake nearly $250,000 in renovations to Girls Inc.'s Manchester, NH facility today. Building on Hope is a community initiative of volunteers who work with builders, architects, designers and suppliers to provide physical improvements to facilities associated with non-profit service groups. In 2010 Building on Hope rallied hundreds of community members and businesses to complete a $250,000 renovation and dedication of the Krol House, a 70 year old Easter Seals NH intensive residential treatment facility for young boys.

The Manchester Girls Center is housed in a 27-year old former church located at 340 Varney Street in Manchester that is in need of major renovations, repairs and cosmetic work. The center offers a wide variety of services and programs for girls, their families and community members. Each day approximately 100 at-risk girls attend the Manchester Girls Center and benefit from a program that handles challenging issues facing girls each day, ranging from personal safety, economic literacy, and media messages to health concerns. Beyond the enrichment and personal development programs, each evening Girls Inc. provides 50-60 girls with a hot, nutritious meal in a safe, family friendly environment.

"Girls Inc. provides an invaluable service to our community – educating, motivating and instilling confidence in at-risk girls and preparing them life," said Jonathan Halle, co-chair of Building on Hope. "This facility will undergo major interior and exterior renovations, from a new roof and windows to new playground and landscaping. We're excited to begin recruiting volunteers to help make this dream a reality."

Every two years, Building on Hope takes on a new challenge – organizing volunteers, collecting resources and focusing attention on a specific task to be completed over the course of a week with volunteer labor and donated goods.

"You hear all the time about dreams coming true, but you never really believe it could happen to you," said Cathy Duffy Cullity, CEO of Girls Inc. of New Hampshire. "We have imagined many times what it would be like to have the resources to improve our facility on Varney Street and make it worthy of the 100 girls who burst through our doors each day. Thanks to Building on Hope it will soon look like the inviting, warm, friendly place that it is!"

Girls Inc. has made a lasting impression on many girls throughout New Hampshire, including Destiney Davis: "Growing up, my home life was full of almost every type of abuse you could possibly imagine. Girls Inc. was the place where I finally gained the courage to talk about it and reach out for help, and they gave me every ounce that they could," said Davis. "The staff at Girls Inc. raised me to dream, achieve and persevere despite my setbacks. I can now say undoubtedly and with the highest confidence that I have everything it takes to accomplish anything that I desire. I am one of many who can say gratefully and with pride that Girls Inc. essentially saved my life, and I will spend the rest of my days paying forward every bit of what they have so passionately given me."

Over the next four months Building on Hope and Girls Inc. will recruit volunteers to commit supplies, labor and donations to support the project. On April 27, Building on Hope will officially break ground and begin a two straight weeks of intense work. Renovations are scheduled to be completed by May 12 in time for a community celebration.

Co-chair of the Building on Hope Committee, Karen Van Der Beken, said "We are calling on the entire community to rally around this project – everyone can potentially contribute. For instance, architects, designers, and builders can provide professional services for all or a part of the re-construction process. Retail stores can provide lighting, furnishings, artwork, and any individual or business can donate time or money to help us with this project."

There are numerous corporate sponsorships available for businesses of all sizes. Potential corporate sponsors can contact Cathy Duffy Cullity at 603-625-1296 and visit www.BuildingOnHope.com for details. To learn more about Girls Incorporated of New Hampshire visit: www.girlsincnewhampshire.org.