Throughout 2024 we’ve made some great accomplishments to continue conversations about mental health in our communities. We’ve expanded our programming and reach to be able to spread hope to more folks, gone out into the community to meet people where they are, and let everyone along the way know that it’s ok not to be ok.

We couldn’t have done any of it without the people who make up Hope for the Day. Here are our staff’s favorite projects, biggest wins, and proudest moments from this year.

One of the ways we were able to reach new communities was through the launch of our Spanish program, Lo Que Callamos.

Maria Requena, Education Instructor

“I absolutely loved getting to translate our education into Spanish, and excited that the programming is growing with Coffee Talks! Loved the discussions we had around language and how this education might impact the Spanish speaking community.”

Maria Curiel, Bilingual Education Coordinator

“My biggest win was officially launching the Spanish program in September, because it is something that is needed for the Spanish speaking community. And it’s always a win when you meet people who are interested in any of the material.”

This year marked the end of the Illinois State Board of Education Community Partnerships Grant. Throughout the duration of this grant we were able to make an incredible impact in schools across Illinois.

Kira Berkoff, Education Project Specialist

“I would consider our biggest win this year to be the overwhelming love and support our school communities showed us. We've been booking at max capacity and have received wonderful feedback about the impact we're having on staff, students, and parents/guardians alike.”

Whether in Spanish or English, at a school, business, or community center, in total we educated over 9,000 people throughout the year.

Allison Herman, Director of Education

“I have an incredible team of educators who are creative, community driven, dynamic, and so passionate about accessible education and resources! I've loved seeing them grow in their jobs, but also as people living in a very complicated world. We've made such an impressive impact in 2024 and I can't wait to see what we accomplish in 2025!”

Part of this impact includes the over 48,000 resource cards distributed to school counselors, businesses’ front desks, folks who stop by our tent at events, and to the homes of people like you.

Rae’Jean Alford, Director of Marketing

“My favorite project I worked on this year was the Suicide Prevention Action Pack. One of the coolest things about our organization is that we promote proactive suicide prevention and this action put this mission into practice by providing people with the physical materials they needed to start the conversation in their communities.”

We helped start the conversation with over 40,000 people at over 50 different events this year. This includes tabling at school lunches, selling merch at music festivals, creating fun activities at conventions, and chatting with folks at street fairs. Through these events, we’ve met new people and built new relationships.

Bev Schwartz, Public Policy & Development Coordinator

“The biggest thing that I've been able to start working on that brings me a lot of joy is our partnership with Pilots Mental Health Campaign! I found them at AirVenture in July, and they are the first non-profit in the aviation industry that focuses solely on mental health in the aviation industry. Given my passion for aviation, I'm excited to grow this partnership starting with our Coffee Talks session during their virtual town hall.”

Thousands of people were able to talk over coffee at Sip of Hope. We celebrated the opening of Sip of Hope’s second location at UChicago Center for Care and Discovery in Hyde Park. Across both locations our amazing baristas served over 65,000 drinks to the people in the community.

Mary Grace Ritter, Multimedia Specialist

“I am proud of myself and our team for continuing to create work that we're proud of. There’s so much planning that goes into promoting the meaningful work we do — from launching our Spanish program to opening Sip of Hope’s second location, from navigating another successful festival & events season to building out campaigns & merch launches. It isn't always easy and it's not always going to be perfect, but nonetheless we do our best to put out the best quality of work that we can.”

Thank you to everyone on our staff who’s worked so hard this year to reach these goals! And thank you to everyone who’s supported us and cheered us on! We couldn’t do this without you, we’re in this together.

2024 Recap: Staff Highlights