HOUSTON, TX — On Thursday, February 20, 2020, Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) will hold a celebration from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at The Harrell Family Opportunity Center (HFOC) to celebrate those whose generosity made the venue a reality.
Hors d’oeuvres from Catering to Your Tastebuds will be served, along with a wine reception. Les Cave, President/CEO of NAM; Jim Fryfogle, Chair, Board of Trustees; Mike Watford and Danny Rea, Past Chairs; and Mary Silbert, Director of the Learning and Training Center will take a moment to reflect on the impact the HFOC has made over the past few years and share plans for the future.
The HFOC is an expansion of NAM’s vocational training and job readiness programs through NAM’s Learning and Training Center. The Opportunity Center allows NAM clients to receive the education and skills they need to achieve financial, professional and emotional independence, while also providing local employers the chance to recruit the employees they need for positions that are difficult to fill.
Since its opening in June 2017, this building has offered various certification and training programs and hosted numerous events for NAM and other community partners, like career and wellness fairs, graduation ceremonies, conferences and large-scale events like NAM’s Jeans & Jewels Luncheon, which was held there in 2017. It is also home to NAM Resale.
The building is named in honor of Eddie and Sandra Harrell, who gave NAM a seven-figure gift to its Roots & Wings Campaign, which allowed the construction of the building to start in the summer of 2016. Its 32,000 square feet include the primary store and warehouse for NAM Resale, vocational training and classroom space for the Learning and Training Center, and the Joe and Linda Fowler Multi-Purpose Room, a state-of-the-art meeting facility.
“I am thankful to all of our supporters who made this dream a reality for NAM, especially the Harrell Family,” said Cave. “Along with the Harrells’ generosity and vision, hundreds of other outstanding supporters are the reason why this building stands here today—because they believed in investing in our community’s future. NAM continues to transform lives and this building has been a pivotal step in that achievement.”
With each student who gains skills for a new career, each group that gathers for significant conversations or celebrations, and each family that finds essential items at an affordable price, the HFOC is making an impact. It’s an impact that is opening doors of opportunity, all over our community.
Northwest Assistance Ministries is a non-profit, community-based social service agency that strives to meet basic human needs through Neighbors Helping Neighbors. NAM provides assistance in areas such as food, shelter, health, education and domestic violence awareness and intervention. During its last fiscal year, NAM touched the lives of more than 132,000 people through its many programs and services.
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