HOPE 2025 Leaders Focus on Joy, Growth for 32nd Annual Event

HOPE at Colorado Academy, a student-run service club now in its 32nd year, took a hit after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of its signature in-person event for local families in 2020, this year’s club leaders readily acknowledge. Prior to the pandemic, HOPE annually had brought thousands of people to campus during the holiday season to receive free clothing, school supplies, toiletries, baby essentials, toys, food, medical care, and community services and enjoy a meal and fun activities organized by students. 

HOPE Co-Presidents Luke Allison, Layne Ballenger, and Caroline Hagen are eager to see those kinds of numbers return for 2025, and so far, all signs are pointing to the biggest December event in years. These three Senior leaders have already witnessed a healthy boost in one key indicator: More student volunteers, Associates, and Directors—130 in total—have already joined up than ever before. The early enthusiasm, they hope, will carry all the way through to December 13, the day of the big event.

“It is definitely a lot of cooks in the kitchen,” says Hagen, “but at the same time, it’s great to have so many people who are passionate about helping others.”

Adds Ballenger, “For me HOPE is such a special moment during the holiday season. I love that it’s a part of CA’s culture that everyone wants to participate in.”

CA’s largest student-led organization, HOPE has grown to become a philanthropic “known quantity” in the region over its three decades in existence, serving thousands of residents in the southwest Denver neighborhoods a short drive from campus. Yet, though the mission has remained the same across the years—to brighten the holiday season for families in need on one day in December—HOPE’s student leaders have always sought ways to evolve and adapt to serve those most at risk in Denver’s changing socio-economic landscape.

Busy during the opening weeks of the school year recruiting and onboarding their student volunteers, who manage everything from securing donations and the services of local doctors to creating cheerful holiday decorations and wrapping presents, this year’s HOPE Co-Presidents are laser-focused on boosting outreach to those who most need help in the region.

“We really want to make sure that as many people in the community as possible are able to access all the resources we’re going to be bringing in this year,” says Ballenger. Those include health screenings, voter registration, vaccinations, and other community services, in addition to HOPE mainstays such as gently-worn donated clothing, shoes, winter wear, and baby essentials.

According to Allison, “HOPE has always partnered with local organizations and schools to reach families in need, but this year, we’re adding many more school districts as well as working on getting coverage from television news and online outlets.” 

HOPE’s outreach team, led by Hagen, has ballooned to 11 members, and is being supported by CA’s Department of Marketing & Communications as well as by Jazmin Nieto, the school’s new Service Learning & Community Engagement Coordinator and REDI Lab Community Liaison. “As a first generation Latina and a proud southwest Denver native,” Nieto explains, “I experienced firsthand the power of community, resilience, and the opportunities that come from having people believe in you. Those roots have shaped my passion for service, community, and creating spaces where young people feel empowered to dream big and take action.”

Small connections; big impact

Along with Nieto, the three Co-Presidents have been imagining all the ways HOPE could support families beyond a single day in December. “We want to make sure we’re providing people with those resources they most need in the short term,” says Ballenger, “but we’re also working with nonprofits and other organizations to offer support options and community connections that could make a long-term impact for families.”

Part of their work, acknowledges Hagen, is focused on younger CA students, who will become the next generation of HOPE Directors—those volunteers who manage sections such as clothing, toiletries, or language interpretation. One of the leaders of CA’s Sustainability Club, she says, “If you can get a large number of students volunteering early, like we have this year, it sets them up to be involved in the future. Volunteering and taking action on issues like climate change and sustainability are such crucial things to be involved in, even when we’re adults.”

“Activism is such a cool part of life,” adds Ballenger. “No matter what issue is important to you, being active for causes in the community is a really valuable skill. You’re giving back, but you’re also getting so much from it.”

This year’s Senior Co-Presidents have long track records of giving back at CA: All first started volunteering with HOPE while still in Middle School, when they looked up to high school-age Directors and Co-Presidents as role models. 

“Ever since Ninth Grade, I’ve wanted to be in this role,” admits Hagen. “I’ve always been aware of the HOPE leaders, and the event has always been my favorite day and favorite tradition at CA. I love how it shows the entire CA community coming together.”

For her part, Ballenger is somewhat surprised to find herself one of this year’s leaders. A Director helping to manage vaccinations in 2024, she only started contemplating applying for a Co-President position after witnessing the overwhelmingly positive reception among guests who took advantage of vaccines and other health services offered. 

“It’s so important for the health and safety of families,” she observes, “and just seeing people having those conversations about vaccination was a really big deal for me. At first there was hesitation; people wondered, ‘Is it really free?’ But then a moment of trust seemed to happen, and word spread. Guests were so excited.”

Allison explains that seeing happy children and families at HOPE’s December event has always been his biggest motivation. Having served as a volunteer, Associate, and Director all through high school, he says, “Every single time that I see a kid who gets a toy or clothes—whatever they might need—the impact that we’re helping to create with HOPE sticks with you.”

“Those small connections are what really matter,” underscores Hagen, who uses the Spanish-language skills she’s built at CA to communicate with families at the event, many of whom speak only Spanish. “Seeing how much joy it brings when they get something that’s unexpected—it’s one of the best things that happens at our school.”

Says Ballenger, “Senior year can be a lot—with the stress about college, the high pressure about everything—and I feel like HOPE is a space where, rather than thinking about yourself, you can kind of step away from that and ask, ‘What can I do for others?’”