Night of Hope: Celebrating Champions of Hope in Our City and Beyond 

RSVP REQUIRED

Location: Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum

Join us as we joyfully celebrate the efforts, partnerships and collaborations of those across Nashville and beyond who exemplify what it means to be a Champion of Hope – one who personifies hope and illustrates how our faith can animate our steps toward action.

Night of Hope is an opportunity to highlight and recognize individuals and groups for their tremendous work in this space, as well as present the third annual Rick Byrd Character Award. Dinner provided; cocktail attire preferred.

Check In & Registration

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Connect Over Coffee

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Welcome to Day One of the Hope Summit, a gathering of change-makers, thinkers and leaders committed to shaping a more hopeful world. Today, we start with an exploration of the stories that matter most. Join us for pastries and coffee, student musicians and a welcome to the 2024 Hope Summit.

Equipping Agents of Hope

Location: Fisher Center Performing Arts Hall

Our opening session will feature a conversion with Dr. Henry Cloud, acclaimed leadership expert, psychologist and best-selling author and Dr. Greg Jones, Belmont President.

Sponsored by the AWC Family Foundation.

Featured Speaker

Dr. Henry Cloud

Dr. Henry Cloud is a clinical psychologist, pastor to pastors, and New York Timesbestselling author. His 46 books, including the iconic Boundaries, have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Throughout his storied career as a clinician, he started treatment centers, created breakthrough new models rooted in research, and has been a leading voice on issues of mental health and leadership on a global scale.Dr. Cloud lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Tori, and their two daughters, Olivia and Lucy.

Connect Over Coffee

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Enjoy casual student musicians, coffee and time for connection and networking.

Equipping Agents of Hope Workshops

RSVP Required.

Location: Fisher Center Performing Arts Hall

Our afternoon workshops are designed to empower you as an Agent of Hope. You can choose one of three interactive workshops that will deepen your understanding and skills. You can make a profound impact in your respective communities and beyond.

WORKSHOP 1, Discovering Where You Can Be An Agent of Hope: For those getting started or starting over on the journey

This session invites participants to “decelerate” and create space to consider those ideas, dreams, visions, and redemptive quests that have been idling in the background of their lives, calling them to a deeper and more purposeful work. Led by national leaders in the Faith and Work movement, this interactive workshop will provide the opportunity to bring these dreams to the surface and offer practices for how to continue cultivating them back home. Dare to listen to what’s beckoning you just below the surface of your life! 

 Facilitated by Dr. David Kim and Amilee Watkins, Goldenwood  

WORKSHOP 2, Moving From Serving to Solving Through Human Centered Design : For those wanting to grow their skillset 

This session invites participants to expand their imaginations for what it means to do good well in today’s world. Few things are needed more than shifting the paradigm from one only focused on serving people in acute need to one that includes solving the individual and systemic reasons why people are in those positions of need to begin with. Led by expert practitioners, this session will introduce participants to how they can shift to a solving mindset by applying human-centered and systems approaches to their work.  

Facilitated by Josie Mackenzie, JoyCorps 

WORKSHOP 3, So You Want to Make a Measurable Difference?: For those wanting to have an impact

Inspired by the words of Nelson Mandela that “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead,” this session will equip participants to understand how best to think about, measure, and manage the impact of their work. Led by one of the world’s leading experts in the field of Impact Measurement and Social Accounting, this workshop will enable you to hone your ability to articulate and validate the impact you want to see in the world.  

 Facilitated by Dr. Colin Habberton, Relativ Impact 

Optional Happy Hour

Connect Over Coffee

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Welcome to Day Two of the Hope Summit, a gathering of change-makers, thinkers and leaders committed to shaping a more hopeful world. Join us for pastries, coffee and performances by student musicians.

Discovering Hope Through Adversity: A Baseball Player’s Journey

Location: Fisher Center Performing Arts Hall

Featured Speaker

RA Dickey

R.A. Dickey is a former Major League Baseball baseball player who played professionally for 21 years culminating in the National League Cy Young Award as a member of the New York Mets in 2012, which honors the top pitcher in the Major Leagues. From 2011 – 2015, R.A. threw 1096 innings, averaging 219 innings per year, tops in the Major Leagues over that span.  Additionally, R.A. was a three time All-American at the University of Tennessee as well as a three time Academic All-American as an English Major. He represented the United States as an Olympian in 1996 as a pitcher on the bronze medal winning Olympic team. 

R.A.’s passions move well beyond baseball. He became a New York Times best selling author after the release of his autobiography, Wherever I Wind Up, My quest for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball. The book chronicles his tumultuous journey from an 8-year-old victim of sexual abuse to a can’t-miss first round draft pick for the Texas Rangers whose career was met with unrealized potential until his discovery of the Knuckleball, a pitch that is as unpredictable as life.

R.A. grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and attended Montgomery Bell Academy. His wife Anne and his four kids reside in Franklin Tennessee and enjoy life on a farm caring for their 3 horses, 1 donkey, 2 rabbits, 3 dogs, 3 ducks, 25 chickens, and their pig, Meatball.