Festival of Hope returns to Goshen

Jul. 6—GOSHEN — The Festival of Hope is returning to Goshen from noon to 6 p.m. this Saturday in support of the Center for Healing and Hope.

The event is free to attend, but the goal is to raise $24,000 in 24 hours, which will come from sponsorships, individual or business donations. This year's presenting sponsor for the second year is Miller Poultry. Other sponsors include Oaklawn, Grand Design, Nuway Construction, ATC, Interra Credit Union, Goshen Brewing Company and the Elkhart County Visitors and Convention Bureau. There will also be donation jugs and QR codes for individuals interested in donating throughout the day.

The event in some ways replaced the Fiesta Feast, which the center held annually for donors. In 2020, the event was cancelled due to concerns for social distancing safety. In addition to that, the event didn't feel accessible to everyone due to the paid-to-attend aspect of the event.

"We just wanted a way that we could invite everyone, whether they could afford to go or not," said Daniel Tackett, director of marketing and development at CHH. "We wanted to invite everyone to an outdoor day of community fun and continue to raise money for the organization."

The Center for Healing & Hope's Festival of Hope will have a bounce house, disc golf putting green, corn hole, art activities, face painting and giant bubble-making. All other participating nonprofits are also expected to have an activity or game at their table.

"Obviously we want to get information out there about the clinic and our services, but we also want to bring the community together for an enjoyable day of a little bit of multicultural entertainment and food and fun."

Partnering with several other nonprofits, the Center for Healing & Hope aims to make participants aware of resources available throughout the area, on a site that also offers games, music and family-friendly fun.

"I think we're very cognizant in knowing we can't be everything to everyone and there are a lot of really great organizations in Elkhart County, a lot of great resources, and sometimes it's hard for people to find all of those resources — there's not really a compiled, collective list anywhere," Tackett continued, adding that the immigrant resource guide provided by CHH does offer a vast array of relevant resources and information which may not be all-inclusive and is regularly being updated.

Saturday's event takes place at Goshen Brewing Company, 315 W. Washington St., Goshen, near enough to the CHH clinic's location that visitors can also participate in a walk-in vaccination clinic at the Center for Healing & Hope or schedule a GRID registration appointment from noon to 4 p.m. Those interested can text 574-205-9425 to schedule an appointment. Cards will be printed onsite live during the appointment. Last year, the clinic ran out of vaccines due to the high demand for vaccinations and boosters.

There will be five bands performing at the Festival of Hope. Rachel Schrock, a multitalented artist, will play ukulele, keyboard and do comedy; two of the Lost Luggage jazz trio's members will perform; Ballet Foklorico Guadalupano of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church will perform their traditional Mexican ballet dances; Los Doble RR, a six-piece norteño and sierreña will perform again this year; and The Dean's List jazz quartet will also return this year.

Food options for the day include Saca Los Tacos, Diana's Dulces, Tropicana Ice Cream and Goshen Brewing Company. Goshen Brewing Company is also releasing a special beer with a portion of proceeds donated to the Center for Healing & Hope. "Bee Well," Tackett explained, is a saison made from a yeast derived from harvested honeycombs.

"We don't have a lot of branding aspects as a healthcare clinic to insert into the brewing process, but we have some beautiful lavender that grows on the south side of our building and so we wanted to incorporate lavender or bees," he added.

Merchandise bundles will be on sale for $75 with proceeds benefiting the Center for Healing & Hope. The bundles include one handmade CHH-branded mug made by local ceramic artist Sadie Misiuk, one insulated Goshen Brewing Company tote bag, one 2oz bar of "Bee Well" honey lavender soap from the Soapy Gnome, one 32oz Goshen Brewing Company glass growler, an at-home Covid-19 test kit and a package of Lysol wipes. There are only 50 bundles available.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.