Hope Center Blue Island meets the needs of the local community by offering classes, certificates and training in agriculture, technology, auto-mechanics and the arts, and serves as a satellite campus of Christian Life Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Center was founded in 2017 with a vision to inspire hope in Blue Island rooted in spiritual, intellectual, social and economic values.
Their community and hydroponic garden works to address the food insecurity in the neighborhood. The automotive garage teaches basic car maintenance skills to neighbors while also training young people for lucrative careers servicing cars. The technology department provides training, problem-solving resources and skill-building to help neighbors explore the limits of their creativity and imagination to make their own changes in their neighborhoods and culture. The Hope Center is rooted in the idea of not just giving people what they need but teaching them how to create their own solutions to improve their lives and the lives of others.