Remarkable Woman: Darlene Lewis, founder of The Hope Center
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — Southwest and Central Virginia are filled with remarkable women, and we're introducing you to some during March during Nexstar's Remarkable Women contest.
Roanoke's northwest side can often be overlooked, but one of our four contestants is committed to making that community shine with opportunity and hope. Darlene Lewis founded The Hope Center 10 years ago as a place of love to address the community's needs.
On 11th and Moorman in Roanoke, Virginia, you can find a bright spot of hope in a neighborhood that can sometimes be overlooked.
Remarkable Women: Meet Dr. Tonia Socha-Mower, making communities healthier through strategic fundraising
'This community has never been an easy one. It's, it's stricken with drugs, um, violence at times, uncertainty, um, a lack of access to resources,' said Briana Taylor, Hope Center Volunteer.
In the past 10 years, Darlene Lewis has filled that need with The Hope Center.
Remarkable Women: Meet Mary King, YOVASO Program Director
'She's magical in an otherwise abandoned area,' said Gregory Hunt, Hope Center Volunteer.
Mrs. Lewis is a woman of faith; she says that in 1994, she got the calling to be a mother to the community.
'I mean, these grown people are calling her mama,' said Hunt.
What she has created is a resiliency center.'
Briana Taylor, Hope Center Volunteer
Mrs. Lewis took a building filled with potential and hasn't looked back since.
'I got my first retirement check, and I paid the rent with it, and to me, it is a place of love,' Darlene Lewis, Founder of The Hope Center. 'When we first opened, we came in, we waited to see what the community needed.'
More 'Remarkable Women' stories on WFXRtv.com
Those needs include counseling, youth programs, a warming and cooling center, a clothing closet, a food pantry, and more. She's there to lend a helping hand.
Donations and volunteering help fuel the Hope Center. Mrs. Lewis is always in charge of ensuring the community gets the essentials.
'Tuesdays are food day; we give out food boxes, where we pick up the food, box it up, and then distribute it on Tuesdays. And then we do the same thing on Saturday,' said Lewis.
The Hope Center is open 7 days a week and is willing to embrace all who walk through its doors.
'I was homeless at one time,' said Charles Bratton, Hope Center recipient.
Remarkable Women: Meet Pamela Irvine, the woman behind Feeding Southwest Virginia
Charles shared that he was living in his car in 2023 when Mrs. Lewis found out, and she sprang into action.
'She helped me to get an apartment and someplace to stay,' said Bratton. Mrs. Lewis says it is her calling to help, no matter the need.
The only reason that I'm here is because of the people.'
Darlene Lewis, Founder of The Hope Center
The Hope Center is a non-profit shared by Mrs. Lewis, and everything is volunteer- and donation-based.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Evergy falcon eggs laid in Topeka may never hatch
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Bird watchers in Topeka may be disappointed this year to find a famous family of peregrine falcons are unlikely to raise any new chicks this year. 27 News reached out to Evergy this week regarding its resident family of peregrine falcons which nest on top of the energy company's offices in downtown Topeka. Courtney Lewis, a spokesperson for Evergy, said the eggs laid this year are not likely to hatch given how long it has been since they were first laid. The peregrine falcon couple currently nesting atop the Evergy offices have regularly returned to this site to raise their young since 2011. The first egg of the season arrived in April this year and was followed by two others. 'There are still two eggs currently in the nest,' Lewis said. 'One egg was either removed or consumed by the adults.' Topeka strip club owner indicted for machine gun possession Lewis said the falcon couple consists of the 16-year-old female, Nemaha, and her mate Boreas, which is 18-years-old. The age of the birds is one of the bigger factors that may explain why no eggs have hatched yet this year. 'We suspect that it is due to the age of the adults,' Lewis said. 'We are not aware of any environmental or weather-related factors that would have caused the eggs not to hatch this year.' Peregrine falcons usually lay their eggs in mid-March or early April each year with a new egg appearing every other day until the clutch is complete. The eggs take around 33-35 days to hatch with chicks eventually leaving the nest after about five weeks. Lewis said the other peregrine falcon families Evergy monitors in Missouri are faring better. Three chicks were banded at the Hawthorn Generating Station in Kansas City and a new breeding pair has taken up residence at Evergy's Iatan Generating Station. Evergy operates a live camera of the nest in Topeka on YouTube which you can tune into by clicking here. You can also learn more about Evergy's Avian Protection Program by clicking here. Topeka motel could disappear with $15 million project For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mini-Park Village opens as educational and career-focused space for kids
SOUTH FORK, Pa. (WTAJ) — A new Mini-Park Village that will educate children and help them explore careers is now open in South Fork. The South Fork Public Library, in partnership with the Forest Hills School District, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the opening. 'I'm just so excited to see it come alive again, because this park has sat here empty probably for 10 or 15 years, and it's such a beautiful location. And I told someone that the ironic part of this is that my father designed this park and was part of it being built in the 1970s,' Stacey Lewis, South Fork Library Treasurer, said. The Mini-Park Village is a dynamic educational and career-focused space that was made possible through the 'Building Opportunities Out-of-School Time' (BOOST) Grant awarded to both the School District and the town of South Fork. VA Medical Center celebrates women veterans with ceremony According to the library, the park offers hands-on learning experiences that promote career exploration, civic engagement, and real-world application of academic skills. 'I'm a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher, so I know the importance of dramatic play for children. That's how children learn and that's how they develop skills. So in each of the centers, there is a developmental skill, like maybe colors or shapes, and just hands-on activities for children to learn,' Lewis said. Educators, community leaders, and local government also supported this effort. 'So what this mini park is designed to do is really to start planting the seed in our youngest students that, you know, we can start thinking about our careers at a very young age, and there's boundless opportunities. And then in school, we learn what skills they need in order to develop the skills for those careers,' Robert Dill, Assistant Superintendent for Forest Hills School District said. In the winter, the toys and equipment will be moved, and the park will be flooded to create an ice skating rink. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
D-Day anniversary events remember the ‘Bedford Boys'
BEDFORD, Va. (WFXR) — The anniversary of D-Day is a particularly somber one for the Town of Bedford, which has been home to the National D-Day Memorial since 2001. The town lost 20 young men while they were storming the beaches of Normandy, giving Bedford, a town of just over 3,200 at the time, the highest per capita death toll from D-Day. Executive Director of the Bedford Boys Tribute Center Ken Parker says 19 of those men were killed within the first nine minutes, without ever having fired a shot. 'They gave up all their tomorrows for our today,' said Parker. 'They perpetually teach us that freedom is not free.' At the National D-Day Memorial, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin spoke in front of hundreds, including 10 of the few surviving World War II veterans. He called on listeners to remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives that day, many of whom, he pointed out, were barely old enough to graduate high school at the time. Clarence 'Bill' Wenzel was one of those men, just 17 at the time he joined the Navy during World War II. On Friday morning, he recalled the moment he was notified that he had been drafted. National D-Day memorial in Bedford commemorates 80th anniversary of D-Day 'I didn't like being drafted to go to war, because I was raised by a pastor,' said Wenzel. 'I was taught to love everybody and now here I'm being trained on how to kill another human being.' Later in the day, dozens gathered outside the Bedford County Courthouse for the annual wreath-laying ceremony for those 20 'Bedford Boys.' On the 10-year anniversary of D-Day, roughly 5,000 met at the courthouse for the dedication of a memorial stone shipped from France to honor the boys. Every year over the next four decades, two of the surviving 'Bedford Boys,' met at the stone to lay an ivy wreath at its base in honor of their fallen brothers. On the 81st anniversary, the town carried on that tradition, as relatives of those two men had the honor of placing the ivy wreath by the stone, while the descendants of the fallen 'Bedford Boys,' looked on. 'It's without a doubt the highlight of our entire year,' said Parker. 'To pay homage and respect to our beloved Bedford Boys.' Finally, at 6:44 p.m., a nod to June of 1944, all the church bells in town rang for one minute, while the bell atop the courthouse rang once for each of the 'Bedford Boys,' that laid down their lives in service of their country. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
