In 2014, Detroit Hope Ignites Scholars at our former Boys House shared with the newly appointed Program Director, Ms. Rebecca Limbaugh, that they felt culturally underrepresented in their schools. In addition, because most of the Scholars we serve in Detroit are African American, our Scholars felt that our Hope Ignites Detroit affiliate could make more of an effort to appreciate Black History Month. After a conversation between Ms. Rebecca and her colleague, Pastor William Love, they knew it was necessary to make a change. They hosted a small dinner in honor of Black History Month.

At the same time, Scholars also led an annual National Day of Service, where they selected a service project for the community. This was always so profound; the Scholars spoke up again and desired to do more.   So, in 2019, Hope Ignites Detroit truly embodied the spirit of culture and community. It combined the National Day of Service and the Black History Month Dinner to officially launch the “Festival of Hope.”