Overture of Hope celebrates street workers
TORONTO, ON—A fledgling organization is getting a major lift from Winnipeg musician Steve Bell.
Bell will perform in the "Overture of Hope Concert" with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Massey Hall on December 3. The event will publicly unveil Hope Exchange and help to support street mission workers.
"It's an inspirational event tweaked to focus on the theme of Hope Exchange," says founder and executive director Tim Huff. The award-winning author and poverty activist will take part in the event, reading sections from his newest book Dancing with Dynamite: Celebrating Against the Odds. Also featured will be a special performance by Rebecca Beanyi of L'Arche's Spirit Movers.
The Hope Exchange, which opened its office in April, was born out of Huff's 25 years of working with the poor at ThereforeGO. It was there he found himself asking why, after decades of work and millions of dollars, has the poverty problem gotten worse?
"We know relationships are key to people that are homeless—a poverty of relationships rather than a poverty of resources," says Huff. "Many of my friends are there [on the streets] because they didn't have relationships to keep them healthy."
A turning point came when Huff realized relationships built between street workers and the poor start to fracture because the workers get burned out. He created the Hope Exchange to provide resources and support to those whom he calls "hope-givers." The centre connects these street workers with volunteers through work day projects. It provides motivational support with guest speakers, retreats and special events. And it develops in-school education programs aimed at nurturing an appreciation for the work of hope-givers and the needs of those they care for.
To show this project in action, 100 hope-givers from 25 different areas of work and ministry will be honored at the Overture of Hope concert. They will be treated to a pre-concert reception with a special performance by Steve Bell and be given the best seats in the house for the main event.
"We want them to be front and centre," says Huff. The highlight of the evening will be the awarding of the first Hope Giver Award for Lifetime Achievement.
"We don't want it to become an awards thing—just a simple thank you to someone who has been an inspiration," says Huff.
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