Warm blue skies greeted over 16,000 guests filing into the Arizona's Ice Cats home on Saturday, October 27th. It wasn't a game day at the Tucson Convention Center, but the Operation Blessing Arizona center's Festival of Hope 2001. More than 3,800 volunteers from three states were inside preparing to make this a day unforgettable!

Imagine 140,000 square feet of space filled with free things to do including a temporary dental clinic, hair cut stations, pony rides, a climbing tower, jumping castles, and various hot food to eat. Feel just a little excited? Now you know how more than 16,000 men, women, and children felt when they entered the Tucson Convention Center on October 27th for Operation Blessing Arizona's fifth annual Festival of Hope.

More than 110 helping agencies, direct service providers and Christian servant ministries as well as volunteers representing 147 churches lent their time and services. Notable organizations included the American Diabetes Association, Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity. "This has been the largest and most comprehensive Festival of Hope yet," said event coordinators Jim and Sue Ann Wingate.

"All of these groups working together was a sight to behold," commented Dwight Lohrenz who set up the OBI donated medical supplies and provided dental clinic equipment. "Attending a food distribution like this always makes me more appreciative of what I have."

Invited through radio, television, bus and flyer advertisements, guests were primarily from Tucson and the surrounding communities' working poor and homeless populations. Throughout the day, 28 medical agencies participated in treating 2,238 patients seeking basic medical, chiropractic and dental services. Over 950 guests received a haircut. Children played various games, rode ponies and ate cotton candy and popcorn. For lunch, 14,000 hotdogs and countless pizzas disappeared. Guests could also choose to be served by one of seven businesses who provided a total of 2,400 sit down meals.

When departing, each adult guest received bags filled with forty pounds of potatoes, onions, drinks, cereal, snack bars, canned peaches, canned tomatoes, fruit cups and yogurt.

Volunteeers offered encouragement to each guest, resulting in one woman's decision not to take her own life. Medical volunteers were also able to catch life threatening heart problems in two individuals. They were sent to a local emergency room for further treatment.

In addition to Saturday's event, Festival of Hope had invited Tucson's homeless veterans in on Friday for free dental services.

"In the case of the Festival of Hope, Operation Blessing came alongside Tucson as well as the local church," commented Richard Kohl, OBI's Director of Disaster and Medical Relief. "It has been a privilege to watch this event grow in two ways over the years. First in the number of people being helped and the ways they are helped. Second, community involvement has grown into making this a city-wide event. Operation Blessing looks forward to this each year and anticipates an ever-growing partnership with all involved."

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of OBI's ongoing medical relief efforts by making an online contribution to help those suffering from extreme poverty and sickness.

 

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