OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) -- Hope for Opelousas is a non-profit organization that has built a reputation on bright colorful buildings, bright smiles on the faces of the children they teach, and the positive impact they aspire to make on their community.

Born and raised in Opelousas, Executive Director Loren Carriere says he and his team had the dream to make a difference in the lives of families in his hometown.

"Hope for Opelousas began with a small group of people asking the question 'Why are we going on mission trips to other places when we can start here?' the church and the Christian community needed to have more of an emphasis and focus on the needs of our community," said Carriere.

With that mission, 16 years ago they designed an after-school program that gives the organization a chance to mentor, tutor and put a focus on discipleship.

"We commit to our kids no matter what they're going through. They feel supported, they feel like they're part of a family, they know that they are loved," said Carriere.

Not only making an impact on families, hope for Opelousas has also impacted their neighborhood as the organization has grown over their 16 years. Starting with renovating a single house to build a classroom for 12 kids has now grown to 6 remodeled houses, teaching over 100 kids from in all grade levels. The joyful color palette can now be seen across the neighborhood.

"We didn't start off saying we wanted to buy a block of homes, but now we own a block of homes. It's kind of like god took a crayon box and just dumped it on our little neighborhood. And to watch it be contagious and watch families and folks fix up their homes around us."

And after years of success and impacting both families and homeowners, Carriere says hope for Opelousas will never leave the city and continue to live the mottos "Grow hope" and "Love changes everything".

"I think a true test is, if a ministry were gone tomorrow, would it be missed," Carriere said. "I'm proud to say that I believe we've made an impact."

Much like the garden set up right outside, Carriere says the goal for the future of the organization is to continue to grow and make a loving impact on families and children across Opelousas.

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