People of Hope, a traveling museum that amplifies the transformative impact of Christian service, will bring its message to the Elmira area next week as part of a nationwide tour.
“People of Hope: Faith Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors” will be at two locations in the Diocese of Rochester in May, including Horseheads. The other stop will be in Rochester.
The mobile museum will be at St. Mary Our Mother Church, 816 W. Broad St. in Horseheads, from 12:30-4:30 p.m. May 4.
The People of Hope Museum is free and open to the public.
Housed inside a customized 53-foot tractor trailer, the museum is an immersive experience featuring more than 40 professionally produced video stories of Catholic Charities staff and volunteers from across the country sharing meaningful encounters with individuals and families facing hardship.
“We want to celebrate hope. Every day people look at the news and too often it makes us feel hopeless or overwhelmed,” said Karen Dehais, president and diocesan director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester.
“The museum is an opportunity to celebrate hope and feel inspired,” Dehais said. “Stories of kindness and compassion are not always easy to find. This is a great opportunity to experience firsthand the stories we see every day.”
Most Rev. John Bonnici, bishop of Rochester, will be on hand to open the museum and welcome guests. The mobile museum offers visitors an opportunity to learn about needs in the local community, and to experience compelling stories about neighbors in need and Catholic Charities staff who help them.
One of the featured stories comes from Catholic Charities of Chemung & Schuyler. LaFrance Supervisor Lisa Appleby shares a local Elmira story as part of the museum experience.
In addition to the video storytelling gallery, visitors can participate in an interactive poverty simulation, visit a recording studio to share their own stories, explore an audio library featuring short excerpts from seminal works on poverty and community action, and review data that illustrates the scope of need and the role of social service organizations.
The People of Hope Museum launched its national tour in March and will travel the United States for two and a half years. The tour is funded by a 2024 grant of nearly $5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc., awarded through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life.
“It is almost impossible not to feel awed and inspired by these remarkable stories. They are so powerful and engaging,” Dehais said. “People appreciate Catholic Charities but may not understand what we do. The museum is a great opportunity to tell people Catholic Charities is hope in action in every community.”
For more information, go to peopleofhope.us. To learn more about local Catholic Charities programs, go to catholiccharitiescs.org.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Mobile museum offers inspiring glimpse at Catholic Charities programs
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
