KOHOE Youth Center Opens at Chamberlain Square
By Robin Vinci at October 11, 2023 | 8:00 am | Print
In the summer of 2008, Michele Ruiz had a vision from God and didn’t really know what it meant at the time.
“My vision was so real and vivid I just couldn’t ignore it. In this dream, there were many rooms being built. Every night for about a week I had the same dream. I never experienced a dream like this before,” said Ruiz. “In these dreams, there was a very large youth group center with an amazing facility and activities for youth. I could see a theater room, a game room, a workout room, music, and a café. There was even a recording studio and musical instruments for the youth to learn how to play.”
On Saturday that vision started to become a reality as Ruiz opened The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (KOHOE) at Chamberlain Square, 600 East St.
To a group of about 50 people, Ruiz from Light of Hope Ministries, opened the center, offering tours of 12 rooms that will include a café, theater room, recreation room, classroom, a food pantry and more.
“We are not about religion,” said Ruiz, who is from New Britain, but moved to Windsor and did not expect to come back to this City. “We are faith based. We want to welcome everyone.”
The mission is to build a place for youth and women to come, learn and be treated with respect.
In order to make it into the place of Ruiz’ visions, several things are needed such as volunteers, sponsors and donations.
“We want our high school students to be involved as well as college students,” Ruiz said. “This is a place for our youth to gather and enjoy and learn to have a better life, peaceful and joyful in the midst of the madness that they go through.”
Ruiz presently leads a women’s fellowship group that holds hour-and-a-half meetings on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. Fridays.
“The goal is to bring the women who don’t have an education that are in shelters and are homeless to be wise and get a job,” said Ruiz. “We will have mentors and tutors or whatever they need.”
Jim Sanders, owner and manager of the Chamberlain Square Business Center at the former Chamberlain School building has allowed Ruiz to build her vision asking for only 50 cents on the dollar of its worth.
“They are going to renovate it and we are putting the heating system in,” said Sanders. “To me this is a good thing. Overall it is a good fit and I see that it will happen.”
When Sanders bought the property in 2008 it was borderline blighted property with graffiti on the walls. Sanders has been cleaning it up and renovating it.
Ruiz hopes to have KOHOE open for everyone by next summer.
Ruiz is looking for volunteers in the following areas:
Teachers/Mentors with the following skills: computer literacy training, resume creation, musical instrument instruction, vocal instruction, dance instruction, health/wellness, basic finance literacy, technical recording studio experience, technical theatrical and youth recreation.
Other areas and volunteer opportunities include building security volunteers, painters, food services for our food pantry and café, artistic mural painting, web-designers, draft designers, architect, calligraphy, youth recreation mentors and administrative assistance
Donations needed include clothing, computer hardware/software equipment, food pantry donations, desks and other furniture, flooring and lighting fixtures
If you have a skill, talent, and heart for the youth, or you have another area of interest and would like to be a part of this amazing vision, please contact Ruiz by sending an email to [email protected] or call Ruiz at 203-214-6682. The group is also looking for monetary donations of any amount as well as sponsors. To donate, go to www.LOHMinistriesNB.org.
