Since then, the growth has outpaced what anyone expected. In 2023, when Annie arrived at the newly finished center, she expected to see 80 to 100 children for its first Saturday Kids Fest program. Instead, she found 180 kids eagerly awaiting. Today Kids Fest provides three tracks: Little Stars for the youngest, Bright Lights for grade-schoolers, and Future Leaders for teens, drawing between 150 and 210 kids nearly every week for a hot meal, snacks, worship, and mentorship. By the center ' s own count, it has now reached more than 1,000 children across roughly 109 Saturday sessions.
Gideon ' s Mentorship gives older teens and young adults a deeper, weekly leadership track of their own. Two programs focus on the adults in the community, fulfilling a key part of Annie ' s original vision: Gracious Ladies, which trains women in vocational skills and small-business basics, and The Pillars, a men ' s fellowship built around emotional support and fatherhood. Once a month, the men gather for what the center calls its Goat Eating Gathering, a shared meal where, as Mwaniki ' s team puts it, walls come down and healing begins.
Pastor Martin Mwaniki presents Wonders of Hope to a local congregation during his visit this summer.
The program ' s success to date is a direct reflection of Mwaniki ' s leadership. In a place where fathers often carry their own trauma, and physical affection between men and boys is rare, Mwaniki has taken a different approach. Through connection and play, he teaches that real strength includes vulnerability, that a boy can cry and still grow into a man who protects and provides for his family. His wife, Grace, is the center ' s Community Outreach Coordinator. She visits families in their homes and keeps the organization ' s mission personal rather than just programmatic. The team has grown well past a two-person effort. After 19 years in education, Harriet Ruvaga now heads the center ' s sponsorship program, tracking every child ' s grades and needs term by term. Walela Amos manages the center daily and teaches piano to kids during school holidays who ' d otherwise have no access to music lessons.
Annie Fortino and Martin Mwaniki present Wonders of Hope at a private fundraiser event in Gilroy.
There is a ripple effect. In 2022, we shared the story of a boy from an abusive home who arrived at the school withdrawn and depressed. Today, that same boy is 17. He ' s fluent in English, studying to become an engineer, and mentors the center ' s first graders. Moved by the change they saw in their son, the boy ' s parents came to the center as well, receiving support and marriage counseling to help create a healthy home.
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