Winnie, the founder of Project H.O.P.E., grew up watching her mother and father make many sacrifices to provide for her and her siblings. However, there remained some areas where help was needed. Her entire life was spent serving or watching my parents care for others (family, friends, and foes).

She was prompted to start the program of Project H.O.P.E. (Helping Other Parents Endure) because of one young lady who was pregnant with her third child at a very young age. Her daughter is Godmother to all three. She asked if it was ok to start a program in her honor for other people in the same situation. She asked where I was when she had the first baby? I encouraged her we were looking forward.?? This was December 2012. Two years later she and others like her are now on the right path with a greater goal to help others become a better person, parent, and citizen.

The Scripture says, “…aged me ad women teach the young” – Titus 2:2-6

Today’s young ladies and gentlemen are facing many pressures and succumbing to pressures of parenting children independently. Many singles are rearing babies as early as 13 years of age. They face numerous problems, including but not limited to:

The goal of Winnie’s Project H.O.P.E. is to:

“To inspire single parents to make a difference in the lives of their children, community and family through encouragement from mentors while providing help where needed to become self-sufficient.”

Born in Jacksonville Florida, the youngest of eight children to the late Simmie and Louise Bowers, Sr. Winifred’s (Winnie) passion has always been children and helping others. As such she decided to major in elementary education at Stetson University. Later she received her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction at National Louis University. Currently she is pursuing her PhD in Leadership Policy and Change at Walden University.

She is married to Pastor Antonio Henry Sr., the mother of three adult children, Antonio, Jennifer (Robert Benjamin) and Jessica, and grandmother of one, Khaleel. She is a retired school teacher from Duval County. After 28 years teaching grades 2-5 meeting the needs of the students, she now sees how much more effective she can be assisting parents and helping families grow and become more mature and prosperous. She is the church clerk and announcer at True Holiness Deliverance Tabernacle which she has been a member of for over thirty years. She serves on the board of directors for UNESCO’s Florida Chapter, The TransAtlantic Slave Trade. And her ultimate goal in life is to share the importance of learning and loving who you are and to treasure those who paved the way for you.