In 2012 pastor Justin Unger challenged us to take Celebrate Recovery to the streets. To share that true freedom IS possible from all hurts, habits, and hang-ups.

Out of our deep love and passion for our community and our endless hope for change, the Hope Fest Team was born. We sought guidance, planned, and showed up to do this Hope Fest ‘thing’ once (so we thought). We could do anything once. Right? Now, we are diving into the 13th year.

At the end of 2023, Hope Serves Inc. (Hope Serves) emerged as an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization, with the Hope Fest event under its umbrella. Our mission is now a year round commitment to making a difference every day through referrals, collaborative networking, education, leadership training, and the use of strategic digital technology.

More than 238,000 people living in Yavapai County present a diverse set of needs, including 12.5% of households living at the poverty level. Hope Serves connects people to solutions in the
areas of education, financial literacy, housing, recovery, domestic violence, suicide prevention, emotional, social, behavioral and mental health, physical wellness care, family support, veteran and first responder family services, youth advocacy, adoption, foster and elder care, employment services, volunteering, and more.

Our annual one-day community service outreach, Hope Fest AZ, has served Prescott through the generosity and hard work of many individuals and organizations. In 2024 alone, we brought together 125 community partners and 120 volunteers to positively impact the lives of more than 8,000 attendees.

Throughout Hope Fest, we consistently remind our guests from the main stage to keep this caring community spirit alive until we gather again. In other words, let Hope Fest serve as the starting point for a year dedicated to community service, encouraging us all to reach out and support our friends and neighbors rather than treating it as a one-and-done event. It’s not just about saying, “I’ve volunteered today, so check for the year.” Instead, it should be about ongoing commitment and involvement.

The Hope Serves website is an initiative to create and
maintain a new and unique website that connects Yavapai County community resources with nonprofits serving underserved and vulnerable individuals and families in a new way.

This ongoing project provides a centralized resource to enhance and benefit each service provider’s involvement, expertise and reach, enabling more effective and efficient delivery of programs and services.

HopeServesAZ.org includes a centralized, one-stop network calendar for community events and business networking meetings, fundraising events, an online bulletin board, leadership and culture training, nonprofit training and support (marketing, grant writing, business essentials, board training etc.), financial literacy training and coaching, organizational highlights, volunteer opportunities, and a national and local speaker gallery.

We seek and cultivate collaborative relationships in the areas of women’s and family issues and the military. veteran, first responders, civic, and business partners.