Student Leaders Plan for HOPE 2026—and Beyond

For the three Senior Co-Presidents of the 2026 edition of HOPE at Colorado Academy, the event and its months-long leadup are so much more than a 33-year, student-led tradition of outreach and service that has touched thousands.

“Since Kindergarten, HOPE has been a really big part of my life,” explains Co-President Georgia Roberts. “It’s by far my favorite part of the year.”

Adds fellow Co-President Alex Schulte, “I’ve seen HOPE since Pre-K, and just watching the whole school come together to provide comprehensive care for everyone in our community—it’s really something special and unique about CA.”

Describing himself as “an outlier,” Ben Bridich, the third HOPE Co-President for 2026, offers, “I came to CA in Ninth Grade, so I never knew about HOPE before that. But when I volunteered to help with setup the day before the event, the sheer size of the CA community that came out to support it made me ask, ‘How can I be as involved with this as humanly possible?’”

HOPE brings hundreds of local families to campus one Saturday in December to receive free clothing, school supplies, toiletries, baby essentials, toys, food, medical care, and community services, and to enjoy a meal and fun activities, all organized by students.

Of the long-running holiday-season event, Head of School Dr. Mike Davis says, “Year after year, I am proud to witness CA students helping to create moments of dignity, warmth, and belonging for others; seeing young people lead with compassion, humility, and purpose is deeply inspiring. In times that can feel overwhelming, they remind us that hope is not an abstract concept: It is nurtured through service, presence, and showing up for others.”

Planning for the future

Each year, while preserving the core of service and outreach that has made HOPE a winter staple for many residents of Southwest Denver, HOPE’s three Co-Presidents put their own stamp on the event. For 2026, the Senior leaders are thinking long-term: How can they ensure this tradition remains powerful and relevant—for both CA students and the school’s Denver neighbors—over the next 10, 20, or 30 years?

One strategy, according to Roberts, is finding ways for the hundreds of passionate students who want to participate each year become more involved from the start. Typically, roughly 60 or 70 HOPE Directors and Associates are selected to handle the planning and execution for the many areas of the event, from providing translation services to coordinating vaccines. But that leaves many more interested Upper Schoolers limited chances to help out on HOPE setup day, when they can join volunteers from the Middle School to sort and arrange thousands of pounds of donations in the CA Athletic Center.

With that in mind, this year the leadership team created a new role, “Associate in Training,” to bring more students into the fold. Explains Roberts, “We didn’t want to turn away all those younger students or first-time participants who submitted a volunteer application”—145 in total this fall—“so this new role gives them a chance to be part of the buildup and see everything that goes into hosting the event. It’s a great leadership and mentoring opportunity for those who are more experienced, and it sets the stage for new Associates and Directors to be ready to hit the ground running in future years.”

Roberts is in charge of the School Supplies, Vaccines and Health, and Holiday Cheer and Toys sections of this year’s event. Bridich, who is overseeing Community Outreach, Food, and Language and Logistics, wants to be sure that the thousand or so expected guests are able to take advantage of all the services, like the free flu and COVID-19 vaccinations Roberts is helping to organize, that are available to them on campus.

“A big focus for me has been new, multilingual signage, and ensuring people know where to go to get what they need,” he explains. Most of HOPE takes place in the Athletic Center, but families can find a hot holiday lunch in the Dining Hall, a winter-themed photobooth in the Schotters Music Center, and vaccinations and other health and social services throughout the Campus Center.

“In the past we haven’t been sure everyone’s taking advantage of everything we are working so hard to provide and organize, so we’re really thinking about the flow of the event, and how we can help the maximum number of people,” says Bridich.

Shulte, in charge of Personal Care, Clothing, and Games sections, emphasizes, “With everything we’re doing, we’re thinking of future Co-Presidents, Directors, and Associates, too—the ones who can reap the benefits five years from now.” That includes things like designing documents to outline timelines and project steps, creating high-quality, laminated event signage, and keeping detailed notes and contact information in digital “playbooks” that can be passed down from year to year.

“We’ve really enjoyed spending time putting our own stamp on HOPE, but you don’t want to have to re-invent the wheel every year,” observes Roberts. “It’s a huge operation.”

Rebuilding, with love

The three 2026 Co-Presidents started their work on HOPE earlier than ever, hosting a retreat for new Directors and kick-starting donation drives in the first month of school. Throughout the fall, they will hold regular meetings, post flyers, send weekly email reminders and invites, and collaborate with local agencies whose families HOPE serves. They will make sure Directors and their section teams of Associates are progressing steadily on their assignments, which include designing fun and games for kids, arranging decorations, carefully storing food and clothing items, and much more.

But this “huge operation” doesn’t necessarily feel like work: “Everything from sending emails to the nonprofits to standing by the Upper School circle to collect donation bags—it’s just pure fun, and I love it,” says Roberts. “Everyone who signs up is so passionate about HOPE; we come together and all try our hardest, and the work gets done.”

For Roberts and fellow team members, the event almost feels like an outlet for positive energy. 

“For me,” explains Schulte, “it’s about being a human being—leaving any preconceived notions outside the door and coming into HOPE with warm, welcoming arms and celebrating the holiday season.”

“Everyone needs food; everyone needs school supplies and clothes,” Bridich adds. “Understanding that not everyone is as privileged as we are, not everyone has all the things they need, is the only prerequisite to giving back.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, HOPE couldn’t be held in person, and in the years that followed, visitor numbers dropped. But last year, notes Bridich, attendance returned to pre-COVID numbers—around 1,000 guests—and this year the rebuilding will continue, as the organizers work to restore all the connections in the local community that bring those in need to campus each December.

“We’re so lucky—you can just see the love that people have for this event at CA,” says Schulte. “We worked really hard to be selected as Co-Presidents, but everyone who is involved cares just as much. We’re all here for a good reason and a good cause.”

It might sound like a cliché, admits Roberts, but it’s also true: “The CA community really does recognize that it takes a village; every single person who’s involved with HOPE—it wouldn’t happen without all of them.”