Jacksonville Convoy of Hope meets needs and changes inner-city landscape`
Jacksonville, Fla. — By all counts, Jacksonville’s NFL-sanctioned Convoy of Hope outreach was a hit. Early on a beautiful, sunny north Florida Saturday, more than 3,000 volunteers gathered to serve more than 6,000 inner-city guests in a day of heartfelt compassion and promise for a better future.
Brentwood Park, site of the outreach, is considered one of the poorest areas of Jacksonville; it also has one of the only flat spaces large enough to hold the expansive event. In an effort to control the exceedingly high crime rate, a large housing complex was recently leveled — a growing trend among large cities.
The Convoy of Hope outreach wasn’t the only promise of better things to come for the blighted community’s residents. The NFL announced plans for a permanent $2 million youth center, Youth Education Town, on the outreach site. YET Centers are an after-school educational and recreational facility designed to enhance academics, physical fitness and job-related skills for disadvantaged youth. Established by the NFL in 1993, YET Centers remain in each Super Bowl city long after fans depart.
Four-time Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield, attended the Convoy of Hope and expressed his appreciation, “This is a wonderful event for Jacksonville!” Holyfield himself was touched, “I am especially impressed by the multiracial aspect; when we can get different races and cultures together, helping one another, God is pleased.”
The cross-denominational, citywide response brought 114 churches and 62 organizations together to help meet the immediate needs of Jacksonville’s poorest.
Convoy of Hope has committed to three such outreaches — the 2006 Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan and the 2007 Super Bowl XLI in Miami, Florida will follow Jacksonville.
For more information:
Michael Redmon, National Director, Convoy of Hope (417) 848-5065 mobile
Jeff Nene, Convoy of Hope™ Director of Media (417) 823-8998, (417) 860-2196 mobile
Convoy of Hope™ is a non-profit organization that provides resources to organizations and churches to meet physical and spiritual needs for the purpose of making the community a better place. This is accomplished through outreaches, supply lines, and disaster response domestically and internationally.