Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy White.
Hi Amy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Community of Hope Ministries
History and Mission
Just an Afterschool Program…….In 2003, the “School Success Profile” was created by the Jordan Institute of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to collect data from students and parents in the school setting to identify areas of high risk for families and children. The survey was distributed and completed by students and parents in 10 public schools in Garner, NC in the spring of 2003. The School Success Profile revealed that over 500 children and families served by the schools in Garner were at-risk for academic and/or social failure. The data suggested the strong need for, yet evident lack of programs offering academic intervention during non-school hours in the Garner area. The “School Success Profile” data was then used to articulate a “statement of need” for a 21st Century Community Learning Partners grant specifically aimed at faith-based organizations willing to host after school programs for students in the greater Garner area who were below grade level and also who qualified for free and reduced rate lunch. Multiple partners united to write the grant and the Wake County Health and Human Service department signed on as the fiscal agent for the federal funds. The grant writing team was notified in Summer of 2004 that it would be awarded a $1.4 million dollar grant. The team then began actively recruiting churches with adequate facilities for afterschool programming to become host sites for an after school program. The grant team met with a group of interested individuals from First Baptist Church of Garner who listened and prayed about all of the opportunities that God might put before the church with an on-site afterschool program. First Baptist Church of Garner became the only church within the Garner town limits which agreed to become a partner. Thoughtful planning and prayer led the group at First Baptist Church of Garner to create a separate 501 (C)(3) organization to receive the federal funds from the grant for the afterschool program and Community of Hope Ministries was born. The mission statement of Community of Hope Ministries is to eliminate the barriers to success in the home, at school, at work, and in the community for at risk families in southern Wake County.
God at Work: Community of Hope Ministries hosted its first cohort of students for its afterschool program in 2005 and was originally funded for four years by the 21st Century Community Learning Partners grant. Community of Hope Ministries launched its afterschool program aiming to break the cycle of poverty and increase student success in the classroom by offering free, academic tutoring in a safe, structured environment. Within a short time after the program opened, the leaders of Community of Hope recognized that children in need were simply representatives of families in need. In the years since Community of Hope started, God has grown and provided the resources for the addition of eight additional ministries under the Community of Hope umbrella. What began as a tiny food closet with a few boxes of spaghetti sauce, some peanut butter and a few cans of tuna has grown into the largest food relief agency in Garner. Community of Hope distributed over 178,000 meals to food insecure families in Southern Wake County in 2019. It now offers an 8-week Christian summer day camp providing scholarships for families who have no funds to provide a safe, fun environment during the summer months. It coordinates a crisis assistance program for families who are struggling to make payments for utilities and rent. It serves the elderly, widowed and physically
challenged in the community by offering free home repairs to those who cannot afford or who are unable to complete the work themselves. Community of Hope is a Southern Wake County site for Jobs for Life, a 16-week biblically based Job Skill readiness program designed to help unemployed and underemployed individuals attain the necessary skills to get back to work. It launched a financial literacy program to equip financially challenged families with the skills and knowledge to develop a strategy for managing living expenses on a limited income. The Garden of Hope is used to supply the COHM food pantry with fresh vegetables in the summer and also serves as a classroom in the summer to instruct young campers how to plant, sustain and harvest fresh vegetables.
With every program added, God has provided the people and the resources to operate Community of Hope. Every ministry is an opportunity for the Community of Hope team to build a relationship with a new family. Every relationship built is an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those families who do not know Him as Lord and Savior. By meeting the physical needs of the hurting, Community of Hope prayerfully seeks the privilege of addressing the spiritual needs of the family as well.
Since 2004, one program has exploded into ten different ministries, and COHM is now recognized in the corporate, civic, and faith community as a vibrant relief/development agency in the greater Garner area. In fact, Community of Hope has been highlighted as one of three Garner area programs demonstrating innovative community collaboration in the Town of Garner. It has won 5 prestigious community service awards from the Garner Chamber of Commerce. In January 2017 it was awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream in Action Award. Most recently, The work of Community of Hope has been featured in the News and Observer, Triangle East Magazine, and Wake Forest Magazine, a publication of Wake Forest University.
Looking for a way for you or your company to serve with a non-profit organization? We have nine different programs which always need help.
Go to www.cohmin.org or email [email protected] for more information.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Community of Hope was originally funded through a federal grant and all operational expenses were covered by that grant. As Community of Hope grew, the need for additional funding also grew. Our biggest challenges have been finding consistent, sustainable funding streams that allow us to continue to serve Garner’s most vulnerable population. When COVID 19 forced a shut down, Community of Hope remained open. We moved our food pantry outside and created a drive through for citizens in need. We created a day-long, safe learning environment for students whose parents needed to work during the day while school was closed and learning was only offered online. Covid 19 definitely was the most significant challenge we have faced in our 20 year history. Many of our donations come from the amazing small businesses in our town. When COVID hit and businesses were forced to close, our donations were significantly impacted even though our ministry did not close during that time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
A graduate of Garner Magnet High School and Wake Forest University, Amy Bannister White currently serves as the Executive Director of Community of Hope Ministries, a Christian, non-profit organization serving the at-risk population in Southern Wake County. Her passion for children and for families propelled her into the work of community service. She began her career in Winston Salem, NC teaching high school economics, legal and political systems and coaching girl’s basketball at North Forsyth High School. She was elected to represent District 2 on the Wake County School Board of Education from 2001 – 2005. Amy worked in economic development and membership recruitment for the Garner Chamber of Commerce from 2006 – 2010, where she is credited with launching the Chamber’s Women in Business Leadership Luncheon series. In 2010 she began working full time for the ministry that she founded, Community of Hope Ministries. Under Amy’s leadership the ministry has grown from one, federally funded after school tutoring program for at-risk elementary students to a self-sustaining non-profit, no longer dependent on federal funds operating nine different ministries including: a summer camp, a track out program for year round students, a food pantry, a Jobs for Life program, a Carpenter’s Hands ministry, a crisis assistance ministry, a financial literacy program, and the Garden of Hope.
She has served on the Board of Directors for the Garner Chamber of Commerce and is a past Chair of the Garner Educational Foundation. She has engaged and networked with county leaders while serving on the boards of the Wake Education Partnership, the Wake County DHHS Partnership for Educational Success, the Wake County Community Foundation and the YMCA Capital Steering Committee for the Poole Family YMCA.
In 2009, she was selected as one of several outstanding business women featured in Triangle East Magazine and was recognized as the October 14th, 2012 News and Observer “Tarheel of the Week”. Community of Hope Ministries was selected as the 2012 Garner Chamber of Commerce Summit Award winner for Non-Profit Achievement. In 2013 she was appointed to serve on the NC Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service. In Spring of 2014, 2015 and 2016 she chaired the committee responsible for coordinating the Governor’s Medallion Reception for Excellence in Community Service for the state of North Carolina. In June of 2016, Amy was appointed by Governor Pat McCrory to serve on the State Board of Education where she served a 7 year term and led the state’s Education, Innovation and Charter School Committee. In August 2018, Amy was honored with the James R. Stevens Distinguished Service Award in Garner, Garner’s most prestigious service award. In 2019, Community of Hope was recognized by the Garner Chamber of Commerce with two awards for Outstanding Non-profit Achievement and Steady Growth. In the spring of 2020, Amy was chosen by the US Department of Education to be a panelist at the President’s Opportunity Now Summit in Charlotte, NC. In 2025, Amy was one of 10 recipients of the Garner Chamber of Commerce’s “Impact Award” an honor bestowed on Garner area leaders making a remarkable contribution to the Town of Garner and its citizens.
She enjoys singing in the sanctuary choir at First Baptist Church of Garner and in local talent shows. She once had the privilege of singing the National Anthem for Elizabeth Dole. She is married to Kyle White, also a graduate of Wake Forest University who is a commercial real estate broker and developer. They have two sons, Tyler, a graduate of Clemson University and Bryson a graduate of East Carolina University. Amy recently celebrated the birth of her first grandchild, a boy, Cooper Alan White.
I am most proud of the the work that God has allowed me to do through Community of Hope Ministries in Garner. In 20 years, Community of Hope has changed the educational trajectory of thousands of students. We have interrupted the cycle of poverty for thousands of families. We have brought HOPE into the homes of many who were helpless.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Surround yourself with good mentors. Don’t make decisions out of fear. Stay positive. Don’t judge yourself against the work of others. Set your own goals. If you meet your goals, check them off the list. Make new goals. If you do not meet your own goals, don’t lower your standards. Try again and try harder.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.communityofhopeministries.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/CommofHope
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/CommofHope
