On Saturday, June 11th, 2022, Hope Academy hosted Hope Fest, a summertime celebration, at Schwitzer Park on the campus of the University of Indianapolis. And with perfect weather, rockin’ music and tasty food, the first-ever event was a crowd-pleaser.

Thanks to the event sponsors and individual donors, Hope Fest raised $17,817 to support Hope Academy’s mission of providing a safe, sober and challenging academic experience for Indy-area teens in recovery from substance use disorder.

Six Figures rocked the park with some classic hits that had attendees dancing on the basketball court, and when people needed to give their feet a rest, many headed over to the Colts in Motion interactive trailer to get an up-close look at some premier Indianapolis Colts memorabilia.

Scott Diggity Dogs food truck hit the spot with the ideal cookout staples and everyone stayed well-caffeinated with iced coffee and specialty drinks from Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee. In between all the action, guests heard from recent Hope Academy Graduate Riley Kim and her mom, Jenny Kim, who shared their personal experiences with the recovery high school. Riley was also recognized as Hope Academy’s newest staff member, who will be joining the team this year as a peer recovery coach.

Other speakers included Hope Fest Event Emcee Kathleen Gill, Hope Academy Teacher Sandy Austin, Hope Academy Executive Director Rachelle Gardner and Hope Academy Director of Development Mariann Williams, who retires later this month.

It was the perfect end of the school year celebration complete with music, community, food, games and all-around fun. Something tells us we’ll be back next year.

Check out all the photos in the Hope Fest Facebook Album.