Pat Jobe
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 12:34 pm
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Landen Proctor said Hopeworks is different from becoming part of other groups. "They come to you. They meet you more than halfway."
Proctor is part of the 15-25 high schoolers who gather at Blue Ridge Hope's Hopeworks on West Main in Forest City on Thursday afternoons. A middle school group meets on Wednesdays.
Help with homework? Life issues and problem solving? Hopeworks is on the job. Recent graduates have even come back to form a young adult group. John Miller, who runs the program with Josie Kay, said one young man had let them know he is now attending Isothermal, "Because of this group."
Each group meets at 3:30-5:30 Wednesdays and Thursdays and is open to any young folks who fall into either of the age groups. The young adult group meets last Thursday of each month 6-8pm.
While at first glance the program may look a little like any after school club, game room or homework lab, Miller and Kay make sure to offer the kids opportunities far beyond the walls of the building on West Main, between Davis Donuts and Sherwin Williams Paint. Isothermal Community College and Rutherford Outdoor Coalition are just two of the resources used by the kids to expand learning and adventures.
Jesse Kline said, "It's fun. Lots of friends and lots of support."
Those words will light up the heart of Blue Ridge Hope founder and executive director, Rev. Travis Smith.
"Resilience," is a word used by both Smith and Miller as they talked about the program. Today's youth face cultural and social pressures on many fronts and resilience in the face of all those pressures is a tool both of these leaders emphasized.
"Hopeworks has started its 5th year providing a space for middle and high school students to come and engage with one another. The program focuses on resiliency and making authentic connections in an often disconnected world," Smith said.
Miller stressed resiliency too.
And the resilience, creativity, joy and enthusiasm is on display everywhere. An entire bookshelf is loaded with creative projects built by the young folks. There are model cars built out of plastic bottles and even one sand sculpture that features an image of Miller, who also serves as the youth pastor at First Baptist in Rutherfordton.
Hopeworks is only part of the larger work of Blue Ridge Hope, a mental health resource that has two locations locally, one on West Main in Forest City and the other on Second Street in Rutherfordton next to the courthouse.
Of the larger organization, Smith said, "Blue Ridge Hope continues to meet a very important need in our county. Needless to say, pressures and concerns in society increase with every news cycle. People need safe spaces to explore their fears, hopes, and anxieties. Blue Ridge Hope believes that such a space should be available to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
Smith's wife, Allison, is also a key leader in the effort to meet the needs of so many here and now in Asheville where the couple lives and serves two churches.
For generations, leaders have expressed concern for the young, and these days are no exceptions. Worries over screen time and social media are compounded as young people feel so vulnerable. Hopeworks and the larger work of Blue Ridge Hope are qualified to fill many of those needs. Next door to the two large rooms where the young people meet are four offices for use by the therapists who work for Blue Ridge Hope. Appointments can be made through the website at blueridgehope.org or by calling 828-202-3075.
According to one testimony on the group's website, "Hopeworks is an AMAZING after school program for middle schoolers and high schoolers. We love them all."
One of the participants, Bailey Wiig said, "It's the friends, the people, the environment."