FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2008
Contact: Val Norton
President and Founder
S.W. Michigan House of Hope
Cell: 269.721.8785
vnorton@aol.com
www.swmihoh.org
SYMBOLIC RIBBON-CUTTING TO LAUNCH SOUTHWEST
MICHIGAN’S FIRST HOUSE OF HOPE
KALAMAZOO—On Thursday, July 24, 2008, at 4 p.m. a ribbon cutting at the offices of the Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce, 346 E. Michigan, will officially signal the launch of Southwest Michigan’s first House of Hope. The ribbon cutting by President and Founder, Val Norton of Battle Creek, will simultaneously kick off a fundraising campaign to buy a 100-acre site in Barry County as a permanent site for the House of Hope, only the second in Michigan. The event has attracted the attention of at least two state representatives, Jack Hoogendyke and Fulton Sheen, who are expected to attend the ceremony.
The Southwest Michigan House of Hope is the culmination of Val Norton’s dream to formalize what she and her husband, both former youth pastors, have been doing informally at their own expense for decades. During the last 30 years, Valerie and John Norton have devoted themselves to finding, nurturing and healing hurting teens. They have mentored scores of such teens and provided temporary sanctuary for dozens more.
During the course of this ministry, they have taken 18 young men and women into their home for periods of live-in counseling, nurturing and guidance lasting from a weekend to several years. Among Val’s most prized possessions are photos of the young people they have rescued and a folder full of heartfelt endorsements from grateful young people who found healing under the Nortons’ loving care.
“The National House of Hope organization will give us the strength and stability to extend this critical work even further, healing more and more kids along the way,” says Val. “As an affiliate of the National House of Hope in Orlando, FL, we are an official non-denominational, nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization established as a Christian residential program and boarding school for troubled teens from ages 13 to 18.”
The National House of Hope (www.nationalhouseofhope.org) was established by Sara Trollinger, a veteran of 25 years of public education, in 1985. Dignitaries, including Dr. James Dobson, President of Focus On the Family and Presidents Reagan, Carter and Bush, have endorsed the House of Hope organization and praised its success in providing real hope for troubled teens.