Spoiler: It involves $1.5 million and a whole lot of juice boxes.
It’s not every day that a gift comes along and changes everything. But this spring, that’s exactly what happened at Highlands Community Ministries.
Thanks to a remarkable $1.5 million investment from longtime Highlands neighbors Stephen Reily and Emily Bingham, HCM is beginning a new chapter—one rooted in deep gratitude and bold hope. This isn’t just the largest gift we’ve ever received. It’s a vote of confidence in what we’ve built together—and in what we’re dreaming of next.
A Place to Grow
Right now, our childcare centers are full, and there’s a growing waitlist of families hoping to join. Our youth recreation program—Highlands Youth Recreation—has outgrown borrowed gym space in local churches and schools. And while we’ve made creative use of repurposed buildings, we know our neighbors deserve something more: a space designed for them, from the ground up.
With this gift, we’ll begin the planning process for a new facility that combines a childcare center and a gymnasium — where little ones can safely play and learn, where older youth can train and compete, and where neighbors of all ages can come together.
Imagine a gym that hosts basketball games on the weekend and pickleball for seniors on a weeknight. Imagine a rainy-day soccer practice indoors, a community Zumba class, or a safe, accessible space for a child who uses a wheelchair to attend preschool for the first time.
This is the vision we’re stepping into—with care, and with community at the center.
A Partnership Rooted in Love of Place
Stephen and Emily’s gift came out of conversations about what makes the Highlands special—and how we preserve that spirit for future generations. While they’ll be building a private home on part of the land we once owned, their donation ensures that the rest of the property will remain a resource for the entire neighborhood.
“We wanted to recreate what we’ve always loved about the Highlands,” they shared. “A neighborhood where people of different ages and income levels come together.” We couldn’t agree more.
What Comes Next
As always, we’re moving forward in thoughtful steps. Our current childcare centers will remain open. And we’ll continue to listen—to families, to volunteers, to partners—about how this new space can best serve the people who call the Highlands home.
This gift is a powerful beginning. It gives us a foundation to dream bigger, to plan with purpose, and to build a space our neighbors deserve.
But the truth is—our everyday work still depends on everyday generosity.
While this incredible donation will help launch a new building, it doesn’t keep the doors of our food pantry open. It doesn’t cover rent or utility assistance for a neighbor in crisis. It doesn’t keep our senior programming going strong.
That’s where you come in.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your monthly donation, volunteer time, or food drive makes a difference—it does. We still need you. Because community isn’t built by big gifts alone. It’s built by neighbors showing up for each other, again and again.
One of the best ways to do that? Join our Friendly Neighbor Society—our circle of monthly givers who keep HCM’s heartbeat strong all year long.
Become a Friendly Neighbor today
From everyone at HCM: thank you for being part of this. Thank you for believing in the power of community. And thank you, Stephen and Emily, for helping us light the way.
Until next time—
Howdy, neighbor.
Many thanks to Stephen Reily and Emily Bingham for the start of an adventurous new chapter in the Highlands community!
Thank you Stephen Reily and Emily Bingham! This gift will help HCM’s neighborhood Grow, Heal and Play as we expand our facilities and the programs geared towards seniors and children. Good things are happening in our neighborhood and on Barret Avenue.