Dear Community Members and Supporters,

On July 1st, St HOPE Academy (SHA) celebrated its 36th anniversary of resilience, commitment and triumph in lifting up the Oak Park community and supporting those who benefit from more access and opportunities. SHA has grown from an after-school program into four solid and separate entities- SHA, St. HOPE Development Company (SHDC), St. HOPE Endowment and St. HOPE Public Schools (SHPS). Each of these entities address specific aspects of our mission to provide education, growth, sustainability and stability in the Oak Park community.  SHA and SHDC have been catalytic in the economic and physical revitalization of Oak Park through meaningful projects & development like Forty Acres, The Guild Theater, Underground Books, Business and Education Buildings, and 12 affordable housing units.  SHA has and continues to invest in new and growing businesses and in the people of Oak Park and surrounding communities by providing jobs, internships, reading programs, arts and culture as well as signature events like Let’s Read Oak Park, Oak Park Black Film festival, Oak Park Black Book Fair, Juneteenth, Free Matinee movies, author talks and Oak Park Speakers Series.

In addition, SHA partners with SHPS to provide operational support and to extend  exposure to its scholars, families and staff through access and opportunities. SHA provides month-long Black History and Hispanic Heritage programs, a Parents Village, free Bay Area and Southern CA college tours for Sac High seniors, internships, community service opportunities, trips to Celebration Arts, the UCD SAYS conference, other business & organizational partnerships, and, is looking forward to expanding this access and exposure through the upcoming HBCU tour in the fall.  Last year SHA successfully helped SHPS transition its operational systems & back office services and complete the PS7 Elementary School renovation project. We have been doing exactly what we said we would do.

St HOPE entities continue to help black, brown and disadvantaged people who remain marginalized in many ways. Despite this—or perhaps because of it—there are efforts to discredit our work and, particularly, my role in that work based on biased and misleading information and character assassination tactics. I am extremely disappointed by  these baseless attacks but also dismayed that no one who has expressed concern has spoken to me, visited our campuses, or sought to thoroughly and objectively understand our mission and operations. 

I stand on my record of over 40 years in public and nonprofit services with progressive leadership in the Sacramento region and across the country and have always operated with the utmost integrity and foundation in God. My entire career has been consistently focused on the underserved and those who have less access and opportunities—in housing, in community services, in opportunities, in life. To know me is to trust me AND to trust me is to know me. 

We need each of you now more than ever. Please continue to stand with the entire St HOPE family and with me in opening doors, expanding opportunities and exposure for our scholars and their families and all who do business, work, play and worship in the Oak Park community and beyond. Our work is not done and we need to be the change we want to see. 

Standing in Community and Partnership,

Cassandra

St. HOPE