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Community Corner

The Hope Center Raises Over $40,000 at Gala

A new name was also revealed by the project's executive director.

This past Saturday, the Hope Center hosted around 220 guests -- including community business leaders, church leaders, politicians, teachers and principals -- at a gala and auction.

They announced for the first time that they will change their name to the Path Project.

"We did a live auction," said Hollandsworth, "and some of the auction items were a four-night stay in Costa Rica with Las Ventanas del Mar, a round of golf at TPC Sugarloaf, handwritten lyrics of The Devil Went Down to Georgia autographed by Charlie Daniels, a photo shoot by Justin Wojtczak with 375 photography, a couple mountain vacations, and a couple paintings."

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Hollandsworth and his wife Melinda spoke at the gala, as well as Wayne Naugle, one of the pastors at First Baptist Loganville.  

Over $43,000 was raised over the course of the evening.

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“The auction was able to raise a lot of money for our programs in three trailer park communities in Gwinnett and Walton [county],” said executive director Jim Hollandsworth.

Project Path currently offers programs at the Gwinnett Estates and Bay Creek Mobile Home communities in Loganville. They began work at the Stone Mountain Mobile Home Community in Snellville this year.

The Path Project's goal is to “help kids find the right path for their lives,” according to their Facebook page. The majority of the park's residents are first and second generation Mexican immigrants.

The program strives to address the challenges these at-risk children face due to the absence of positive role models, lack of basic skills, and the hopelessness that leads to gang activity, teen pregnancy, and dropping out of high school, according to their website.

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