Our theme for this year was “Creating Hope Through Action.” We had a great group of youth join us in the room and virtually. Looking out at them and hearing from them truly created hope and inspired us to action in our respective communities. 

Travianna Enoch was the youth speaker, and Kevin Hines was the keynote speaker. Travianna, a student at Fort Valley State University, shared her experience in high school with suicidal thoughts. She reached out and was provided the help she needed. She now wants to be that help for so many others. Travianna’s message can be viewed below. It starts at the 36 minute mark. 

If you haven’t heard Kevin Hines’ story, you definitely want to watch the video below (left video). His talk starts at the 56 minute  mark. Kevin shared his inspiring story of resilience after being placed in foster care and later attempting suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, an act that has taken the life of 99% of the people who have jumped from that bridge. Kevin’s story will make you think about how we can help people, even strangers, in the smallest moments of life. Kevin is an engaging storyteller, best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. 

For a short recap, click the video to the right.