This year’s Hope for Families Center annual dinner, A Midsummer Night’s Dream of Hope, was a magical evening that celebrated the optimism and transformation of homeless families. Guests at the Oak Harbor Club enjoyed cocktails and perused silent-auction items before heading in for dinner, followed by a live auction emceed by John Moore. “There’s nothing more important than helping folks find a good, safe and secure home,” said event chair Scott Cox, adding that event proceeds will help “families overcome obstacles, become sustainable and independent in order to find their own home.” The largest shelter program in the area, HFC provides homeless families with a safe, clean living space and a range of supportive services, including job placement assistance, financial literacy training, health and wellness programs, educational support for children, and assistance with finding permanent housing. “There are hundreds of families in our community that don’t have the resources on their own,” said Cox, noting an average of 100 families on the HFC waitlist every month. “I invite you to journey with me into a world of dreams, where hope dances underneath a moonlit sky and where the impossible becomes possible. Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is a tapestry woven with imagination transformation and the belief that even in chaos, harmony can emerge. It’s a story of magic, wonder, but most importantly, of hope, which is what we do,” said Marty Mercado, HFC executive director. “Hope is the light that guides us when darkness surrounds us. For families experiencing housing instability, life can feel like a never-ending night, filled with uncertainty, fear, and longing for stability. But just as the sun always rises after the darkest hours, we at the Hope for Family Center work to ensure that every family can awaken from their long night and step into the dawn of a brighter tomorrow,” Mercado added. Mercado noted the parallels between the play and their clients, saying that in both, lives become tangled in confusion and despair. “Every step forward is met with challenges, but like the guiding magic that Shakespeare’s play holds, the unwavering support of a compassionate community, which is who you are, has the power to untangle even the most complicated struggles.” She commented that each of us holds the power to transform someone’s darkest night into a dream of possibility by casting a spell of kindness, compassion and support, through donations, volunteerism or words of encouragement. Mercado gave an update on their expansion project, sharing that it is on track for completion this fall. She also announced the formation of the Women of Hope, an advocacy program comprised of empowered local females who champion families. HFC client Antasia Springer shared that as a child, she had spent much of her childhood living on the streets, in and out of shelters, and rarely attending school. Several years ago, she found herself in an abusive relationship, pregnant with two small children, and back on the streets. “Once I got the approval for the Hope for Family Center, it was like hope had been renewed and blossomed in me like a rose,” said Springer, who embraced the program wholeheartedly. “If you do what you’re supposed to do, and you follow the rules, and you do everything that is offered to you, then you can have some success. I took that, and I ran with it,” she added. Today, she has a job where she earns a sustainable wage, lives in her own apartment with her three children, and is working toward earning her high school diploma. For more information, visit hopeforfamiliescenter.org. <em>Photos by Joshua Kodis</em> [gallery ids="215171,215172,215173,215174,215175,215176,215177,215178,215179,215180,215181,215182,215183,215184,215185,215186,215187,215188,215189,215190,215191"]