Congratulations to our 2025 Graduates!💜❤️

As we close out our 2025 Economic Development and Empowerment Program, we want to take a moment to thank you so much for your steadfast support. Thanks to the opportunities you made possible for our girls, they are ready to go out and reach for success!

A Note From Our President

Well, finally we can say Happy Summer!

I am so excited for the beautiful weather and the break all of the students will have during the summer. Time to create memories with family and friends, while also hopefully reading a good book here and there.

We are excited for all 2025 graduates, but especially for the local high school graduates who completed our Economic Development & Empowerment Program in sixth grade six years ago. Congratulations ladies, may you continue to impact your community and the world!

Congratulations to the members of our 8th cohort from our Easton and St. Michaels sites, who presented their final project on June 4th and have officially completed the program. I am so proud of these amazing young ladies! Like I told them in my congratulatory speech, "Be Bold, Be Persistent, Be Kind and Be Encouragers to one another!"

To each of you reading our newsletter, thank you for joining us in our mission to raise future leaders. I am reminded of this quote from Virginia Rometty, Former CEO of IBM:

“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.”

This summer, go out and do something that you have never done before! If our girls can do it, so can you!

Love and Blessings!

Keasha Haythe, CEcD

Foundation of HOPE Founder and President

Congratulations 2025 Cohort!

We celebrated the 2025 cohort of our Economic Development and Empowerment Program on the evening of June 4th. This was our 8th cohort, and our largest to date, with 18 girls completing the program. We have partnered with Easton Middle School since our inception, and this year, we began a new partnership with St. Michaels Middle High School.

During the 16-week Economic Development and Empowerment Program, the girls learned about a variety of topics, including low self-esteem, bullying, social media, workforce development, economic and community development, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and more. At the end of the course, they were tasked with creating a vision board, detailing their goals for the future. We encouraged them to dream big. At the ceremony, each girl presented her vision board, completing her final project and receiving her certificate of completion.

At the end of the ceremony, founder Keasha Haythe sent the students off with these uplifting words:

“Girls, go out and have an amazing summer. Make memories with family and friends. Know that you have a purpose and destiny in this world. Always believe in yourself, because I will always believe in you. Go be great!”

Watch the video to see highlights from our Certificate Ceremony and hear from our girls about what they learned, thanks to YOU!

FOH Cohort Certificate Ceremony 6-4-2025

Click the button below to learn more about the Economic Development and Empowerment Program.

Learn More

Cohort 3 Graduates High School!

Congratulations to the graduates of our 3rd cohort, who recently graduated from high school! Every member of the class is entering college, trades training, or the workforce! We are so proud of these enterprising young women! Three members of this cohort were also named our 2025 Foundation of HOPE Scholars.

All of our program graduates are eligible to apply for our HOPE Scholarships as they prepare to graduate from high school. Congratulations to our 2025 recipients, Leilani Brooks, Sa’Mauria Ennals and Isabella Barerra!

Please help us give a special congratulations to Sa'Mauria Ennals. Along with graduating from North Caroline High School, Sa'Mauria also earned her Advanced Transfer Certificate and her Certified Nursing Assistant Certification from Chesapeake College! She has accomplished all of this at just 18 years old.

To say that we are proud of Sa'Mauria would be a great understatement. She chose a career goal and is working hard and with great determination to fulfill her dreams.

Click here to read an article about Sa'Mauria in the Caroline Review!

We also want to shine a spotlight on Maya Hawkins Bailey, from our very first cohort. Maya can now add College Graduate to her resume! In May, she received her Associates Degree from Chesapeake College, with plans to transfer to Bowie State University to complete her 4-year degree. We are unbelievably proud of Maya, and can't wait to continue watching her as she takes this world by storm!

HOPE Center Update!

Our HOPE Center is due to break ground soon, and is projected to be finished in the summer of 2026! Click below to learn more about how you can help build the future of the Foundation of HOPE!

HOPE Center

Thank You For Your Support!

We cannot thank you enough for the support you have shown to us and to our girls. Thanks to YOU, we are able to grow and help inspire more young women to become the leaders of tomorrow! Visit our website to learn more about our mission and how YOU can help!

FoundationOfHOPEMaryland.org