Join Leadership Pensacola, the Health & Hope Clinic and Ministry Village at Olive at the ribbon-cutting for the new pergola and garden on Tuesday, May 3. The ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 AM to 1 PM, with light refreshments and the ribbon-cutting at noon. The gazebo is located between the Ministry Village office and the Health & Hope Clinic. Parking is available in the parking lot in front of the Health & Hope Clinic.

Since 2014, the Health & Hope Clinic – a volunteer, donor-driven clinic established to meet the needs of the uninsured and medically underserved residents of Escambia County – has been a part of the Ministry Village at Olive campus. Ministry Village partners with Health & Hope to reach members of our community who need medical care, and together, our organizations minister to their physical, spiritual and emotional needs. During the covid pandemic, Health & Hope Executive Director Sally Bergosh was faced with a new dilemma – how to minister to clients while protecting them from potential community spread of the covid virus. Waiting rooms were closed. There was not enough space to allow for social distancing as patients waited inside the clinic. And many of the Health & Hope clients didn’t have a car where they could sit and wait.

After brainstorming with her colleagues for ideas to assist their clients, Sally learned about a grant opportunity through Leadership Pensacola (LEAP)– a program of the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce. The grant was designed to help complete a new or existing community project – something that would help a local non-profit better serve the needs of its clients. Sally contacted Ministry Village at Olive with her idea for a gazebo area – a place where clients for Health & Hope as well as Ministry Village could wait in a shaded, comfortable setting outside in the fresh air, until it was time for their appointments or for their rides to pick them up. Sally and her team got to work on writing the project application and submitted it to LEAP, competing with 70 other local non-profits for the grant dollars. As with so many other businesses and projects, covid slowed the project for a time, but in 2021, Sally and her team were able to present their idea to LEAP as a finalist in the grant process and they won!

“Between our two entities, clients are usually in need of a place to wait that is safe and clean,” explained Sally Bergosh, Executive Director of Health & Hope Clinic. “Our patients wait for their appointments or for rides (bus, Uber, etc.). Ministry Village clients wait for the food pantry to open, to pick up hygiene packs, to use the public showers, for an appointment to apply for utility assistance, or for their rides after an appointment. We also have wonderful volunteers that take breaks during the time they are on our campus serving. This space offers everyone an opportunity to get outside and take a breath! God has continued to bless these ministries, and having this project completed for us is certainly a blessing!”

Beautiful flowers and trees were incorporated into the design for the outdoor space, and many of the 500 square feet of red clay pavers will be engraved with the names of supporters and donors. There will be electrical outlets for cell-phone charging, and a shaded seating area. The gazebo will be a smoke-free space.

“The LEAP Class has done an amazing job of organizing, fundraising and implementing this project. We are so excited to watch it take shape and be put to great use by our clients!”

• The Ribbon Cutting will take place between the Ministry Village at Olive office and the Health & Hope Clinic (1716 E. Olive Road). The ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2 from 11:30 AM to 1 PM, with light refreshments, and the ribbon-cutting at noon. Parking is available in front of the Health and Hope Clinic.

• To learn more about the Health and Hope Clinic, visit their website at healthandhopeclinic.org or their Facebook page @healthandhopeclinic. Clinic hours are by appointment only. Call (850) 479-4456 during the following times to schedule a visit.Monday, Wednesday & Friday – 8:30am-12pm; Tuesday &Thursday – 5:00-8:00pm.

• The mission of Ministry Village at Olive is to put the words of Jesus into action throughout our community – “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)

• Tender Hearts Caring Hands is MVO’s benevolence program, which provides family food bags as well as financial assistance including rent and utilities to those who qualify. THCH is also a lifeline to a large number of homeless men and women in the area who depend greatly on the hygiene bags and ready-to-eat food items THCH provides.

• Tender Hearts Caring Hands accepts donations Monday through Friday, from 9AM to 2PM at the Ministry Village at Olive office (1716 E. Olive Road). Donations of nonperishable food items and travel-size hygiene items are accepted. Financial donations are appreciated and go toward purchasing the items THCH distributes each day. Supporters can also make purchases through Amazon and items can be shipped directly to the Ministry Village at Olive office.

• To learn more about Ministry Village at Olive, visit www.ministryvillage.org or their Facebook page @ministryvillage