It’s no secret — 2023 was a big year for H.O.P.E. Inc! Through the contributions of our partners and the resilience of our participants, we were able to come alongside single parents and help them achieve financial stability as they pursued their higher education goals. This year, we were blown away by the impact we saw in our participants’ lives, and we have truly witnessed the transformation of families that will last for generations to come!

So what happened in 2023? Here some of our favorite stats from our recent annual report:

  • We have served 115 single parents and 233 children over the past 14 years. In 2023 alone, 28 single parents and 65 children received the support they needed.
  • Over 80% of our participants graduated, empowered to achieve their education goals! This year, 15 single parents graduated with their degrees.
  • 76 single parent incomes have soared from below the $20,000 mark to exceed $50,000.
  • From our recent survey of graduates (where 74% of our graduates responded):
    • 97% of graduates are currently working in their chosen career field and earning above minimum wage.
    • 46% are first-generation college graduates in their families, breaking the cycle of generational poverty.
    • 82% have experienced a significant increase in their yearly salary (roughly a $38,923 salary increase)!
    • 37% of our graduates had no savings when starting the program, but now 89% have established savings accounts with an average balance total that has increased 219%.
  • 100% of our program participants are on track to graduate on time, with an average GPA of 3.44. 100% of our participants have stated that their children’s school grades have also improved during the time they’ve worked on their degree.
  • 94% of our participants have improved their credit scores by at least 100 points since building the program.
  • To offset the rise of inflation over the past year, O.P.E. offered emergency assistance with the aid of $250 grocery cards and $100 gas cards to help with transportation and food insecurity.

What a year! We are so grateful for the remarkable success that we’ve seen in 2023. It is through the valued assistance of our exceptional partnerships, donors, and volunteers that we’ve been able to help our dedicated participants thrive, fostering financial resilience and self-sufficiency as they pursue their dreams!

If you’ve joined us in any way over the past year, THANK YOU! We are so excited to see what 2024 has in store for our families!

If you are new or just now learning about H.O.P.E.’s program, welcome! Learn more about what we do and how you can get involved today to create a better future for single parent households in Georgia!