About Boys Hope Girls Hope of Cincinnati
One of 16 affiliates across the United States and Latin America, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Cincinnati helps academically motivated middle and high school students rise above disadvantaged backgrounds and become successful in college and beyond.
Our goal is to graduate young people who are physically, emotionally and academically prepared for post-secondary education and a productive life, breaking the cycle of poverty. BHGH of Cincinnati utlizes the following elements to achieve our mission:
- Academic excellence
- Service and community engagement
- Family-like settings to cultivate youth empowerment
- Long-term and comprehensive programming
- Faith-based values
- Voluntary participant commitment
"Boys Hope Girls Hope has allowed me to live life with purpose. They have taught me to be the reason someone smiles, to dream big and to make every day count because the best is yet to come.”
Steven, Scholar
Our Mission
Boys Hope Girls Hope helps academically capable and motivated children-in-need to meet their full potential and become men and women for others by providing value-centered, family-like homes, opportunities and education through college.
Our Vision
Our vision is that our scholars reach their full potential and become healthy, productive life-long learners who:
Adapt to an ever-changing world | Thrive in the face of obstacles | Generate a positive ripple effect in their families, work places, and communities
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ACADEMIC FOCUS
We believe in the transformative power of education to develop lifelong learners using:
• Strengths-based, positive youth development approaches
• Practical preparation for careers to sustain one’s self and family
• Exposure to diverse opportunities that enrich one’s life and enhance learning
• Scholarship incentives encouraging and maximizing self-motivated learning -
SERVICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
We believe in the Jesuit-inspired, values-centered hallmark of building “persons for others” by:
• Developing character through service learning activities related to social justice and civic responsibility
• Educating those at every level of our organization in cultural competence
• Seeking collaborative partnerships to enhance our mission -
FAMILY-LIKE SETTINGS TO CREATE A SENSE OF BELONGING
We believe youth derive their energy and sustenance from exposure to nurturing environments that provide:
• Inclusion in a loving community that meets youth where they are but sets high expectations
• A feeling of “being home,” with residential care as needed
• Strong and supportive developmental relationships with adult mentors and peers
• Stability, structure, and individualized guidance in small settings
• Modeling of positive values -
LONG-TERM AND COMPREHENSIVE COMMITMENT
We believe an enduring relationship with youth holds the most promise for attaining positive outcomes by:
• Intervening early to support scholars from adolescence through college graduation and beyond
• Offering a holistic spectrum of programming that evolves with the age and needs of youth
• Providing ample opportunities for youth to develop social and emotional learning skills -
FAITH-BASED VALUES
We believe that a loving God cares about the life of every individual and we manifest this belief by:
• Focusing on those most in need of our services
• Respecting, serving and engaging people from all faith traditions
• Fostering spirituality and an active faith life as essential elements of healthy personal development
• Helping youth develop a moral compass based on universal principles -
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPANT COMMITMENT
We believe in the motivational power of self-selection into the BHGH program because:
• Parents and Scholars share a vision for a better future
• Scholars elect to invest in themselves and are empowered to join
• Families value and trust in a working partnership with BHGH
• BHGH serves bright, capable young people who are motivated to overcome obstacles to reach their potential
Our Local Impact
BHGH of Cincinnati History
1977
BHGH Founded
Fr. Paul Sheridan started Boys Hope Girls Hope in St. Louis, Missouri.
1983
Opened First Home
Opened first boys’ home in Cincinnati. A group of house parents from St. Joseph Orphanage, prominent Cincinnati business leaders, and the president of St. Xavier High School partnered to provide nurturing homes and first class academic opportunities through college, for Cincinnati children in need.
1997
First College Graduate
Peter Le becomes the first college graduate from the Cincinnati program!
1998
Began Serving Girls
The first girls’ home opens in East Walnut Hills and we became Boys Hope Girls Hope.
2017
Today
BHGH of Cincinnati has 24 pre-collegian scholars and 18 collegian scholars. We are one of 15 affiliates in the United States. Our Alumni have become productive and contributing members of our communtity and give back to our scholars as men and women “for others”.
2017
Building Hope Initiative!
BHGH of Cincinnati broke ground on a new boys’ home on View Place Drive!
2017
BHGH Celebrates 40th Anniversary!
Happy 40th Boys Hope Girls Hope!
Leadership
The Boys Hope Girls Hope of Cincinnati Board of Directors and staff leadership collaborate to ensure mission fidelity, financial stewardship and transparency. This team of professionals is committed to continuous learning, effective programming and improvement through impact evaluation and innovation.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Steven Arnold, Chair
Carl Adkins
Julie Bristow
Patrick J. Burke
Mike Caudill, Development Chair
Mike Cinque
David W. Conway, Past Chair
Noreen Hayes
David Horn
Michelle Jones
Jean Margello, Program Chair
Laura Mueller
Bill Powell
Greg Scruggs
Kelvin Stroupe, Finance Chair
John Succo
Missy Hendon Deters
Executive Director
Boys Hope Girls Hope Cincinnati
Kristin Ostby de Barillas
President/CEO
Boys Hope Girls Hope International
The Need We Address
Prior to joining our program, our scholars’ circumstances include environmental barriers that make it difficult to concentrate on achieving their goals. The relationship between educational failure and poverty creates a vicious cycle that affects too many children in our communities and negatively impacts our entire society.
- Twenty-one percent of children in the US live in poverty (Census Bureau, 2014)
- Children born into poverty are six times more likely to drop out of school (Cities in Crisis, 2008).
- The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower their overall level of academic achievement (Guo and Harris, 2000).
- Children from families in the highest income quartile are 8 times as likely to earn a college degree that those from the lowest income quartile (Pell Institute and Penn Ahead, 2015).
- In 1980, college graduates earned 29% more than those without. By 2007, that gap grew to 66% (Baum & Ma, 2007).
- The costs to United States society are significant in terms of economic productivity, tax revenue, health care over-utilization, parental attention to children’s educational development, civic engagement, and volunteerism (Baum & Ma, 2007).
- According to CEOs for Cities, every one percentage point increase in adult four-year college degree attainment adds an additional $763 to per capita income per year (One Student at a Time, 2013).
- Cohen and Piquero (2009) monetized the cost to society over the course of a “negative outcome” child’s lifetime as follows: High School Dropout = $390,000 - $580,000, Plus Heavy Drug User = $846,000 – $1.1 Million, Plus Career Criminal = $3.2 - $5.8 Million.