Doug Hebebrand, Shannon Maxwell, Brenda Bell, Liz North, Shelley Dicken, Melissa Duda and Avery Schneider

Susie Mead, Anne Ames, Susie Austin and Karen Converse

The twelfth annual “Evening of Hope” took place during graduation season to celebrate the Boys Hope Girls Hope scholars who are completing high school and post-secondary programs.
The event began with a cocktail reception for 250 guests on Haslam athletic field. A seated dinner on the Campus of Hope was catered by Dante. The evening’s program included the presentation of the Pillar of Hope Award to Raylyn Trice. The Anne B. O’Donnell Heart of Service Award was given to Michael Boeschenstein, chairman of the Boys Hope Girls Hope (BHGH) board of directors.
The Pillar of Hope Award recognizes an individual who models the values that Boys Hope Girls Hope works to instill in the young people it serves. For the second consecutive year, the Pillar of Hope Award winner is a BHGH graduate. Raylyn Trice is an alumna who began her

Alice Armstrong, Stephanie Eisele, Jean Gokorsch, Cindy Ames Huffman and Ann King

BHGH journey as a member of the first Academy cohort in 2007.
Named in honor of former BHGH board member and executive director Anne B. O’Donnell, the Heart of Service Award recognizes an individual who has made remarkable contributions and possesses an unwavering commitment to the scholars of Boys Hope Girls Hope. Under the leadership of Anne O’Donnell, the organization’s program grew from a single home for boys in Cuyahoga Falls to a program that today serves more than 200 scholars in Northeast Ohio. This year, Michael Boeschenstein was honored for his 18 years of service as a friend, volunteer and for the past four years, leadership as board chair.
Boys Hope Girls Hope inspires, nurtures and challenges academically capable and motivated young people to reach their full potential through over a decade of programming and partnership. “Evening of Hope” raised more than $100,000 to support scholarship programs. STORY BY CYNTHIA SCHUSTER EAKIN/PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC EAKIN