It started with a simple question: What can we do to help?

That was in 2004, at the start of grassroots effort by the people of a community seeking to make their neighborhoods, their streets and, more importantly, their young people, better by giving them a second chance at life. They found a way: with Project New Hope, a program that pulled in disparate entities, from churches and outreach centers, law enforcement and judicial officials, educators and business owners, all working toward a common goal hinging on those who’d been on the wrong side of the law, and came out with the will and determination to change their lives for good.

In a ceremony held Friday at First Presbyterian Church in Washington, 24 Project New Hope graduates received certificates attesting to that fact. The certificates came from the City of Washington, from Beaufort County, from N.C. Senator Bill Cook, along with a letter from U.S. Senator Richard Burr — each a gesture of support and appreciation for the newest graduates: Michael Andrews, Joseph Barrow, Kevin Brown, Alexander Chapman, Millecia Ebron, Tashon Foremon, Christopher Gilmore, Philomenia Guilford, Tyrone Logan Jr., Victoria Nelson, Perish McCuller, Michael Midgette, Damien Murphy, William Norfleet, Bruce Peartree, Luigi Phillps, Pernell Razor, Ricky Robinson, Rhonda Roundtreee, Kaliff Russell, Irvin Satterwaite, Torrence Satterwaite, Steven Whitfield and Arnold Whitney.

For a year, each committed to a path of study not found in local schools, guided by Bishop Samuel Jones Jr., his wife Mother Regina Jones, the staff of the Purpose of God Community Outreach Center and many volunteers throughout the community. GEDs, continuing education, job-seeking skills, vocational skills, anger-management and interpersonal skills are all a part of the program. But at its heart is faith, love and a sense of belonging.

Bath Elementary School Principal Pam Hodges spoke of it at the Project New Hope graduation ceremony. Hodges has hosted Project New Hope enrollees at Bath Elementary School during the summer months for the past four years, doing everything from landscaping to painting rooms, as well as invited several to speak at the school’s recent D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. At that event, she said one Project New Hope student’s words made an impact.

“…’When you don’t feel like anybody cares, it doesn’t matter if you do something good or do something bad,’” Hodges quoted.

“People need to know that they’re cared about,” she continued.

The goal of Project New Hope is not only to provide education, counseling and job skills to graduates, but to show them there is an entire community that cares, from business owners willing to give convicted felons employment, to local officials willing to lend a helping hand or encouraging word, to a network of people who volunteer to teach basic computer skills and how to interview for a job, among many other skills. Funding comes largely from the local United Way, in addition to some money from the City of Washington, and that money is often used for such necessities as appropriate work attire and obtaining drivers licenses.

The program pays off in that since last year, 24 graduates have been hired by local businesses: Pronamics, Golden Corral, River Trace Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center among them.

Cook, eastern representative for Sen. Burr, Betty Jo Shepheard, Washington City Councilman Bobby Roberson, Director of MidEast Regional Housing Authority Marc Recko and District Attorney Seth Edwards took turns at the microphone expressing their appreciation for Project New Hope and its most recent graduates — this is the 11^th graduation since its inception.

Recko was one of those who answered the call inherent in that first question posed in 2004: “What can we do to help?”

Recko, in turn, asked graduates Friday, “Who are your heroes?” and encouraged them to find them—not in the rich and famous, or even in the political arena, but in everyday people who all share one thing in common: the courage to change.