A message from President & CEO, Kristin Ostby de Barillas

This is an exciting and historic moment for Boys Hope Girls Hope as we embark upon a bold vision for expanding hope and reaching more young people across our Network. Such a pivotal time requires not only decisive action, but also reflection on our identity, our distinctive qualities, and the profound impact we aspire to make in the years ahead. With all of this in mind, roughly one year ago, we started to explore a new name for our organization. We wanted this to be an organic process in which the name would emerge from a deep engagement with individuals from across our organization: scholars, collegians, alumni, teammates, and board members. We selected Bottomline Marketing, based in San Diego, to lead this work based on their experience and philosophy of stakeholder engagement. More than 300 people were either interviewed one-on-one or in small groups or completed a survey to share their thoughts on what makes our work distinctive and important.  

As our journey into the name change progressed, it became increasingly evident just how profoundly significant hope is to our community. Both current scholars and alumni enthusiastically contributed their opinions, affirming that our program has been a beacon of hope in their lives.

What also shined through is that we are an organization filled with passionate, caring people who are in it for the long journey. Our depth, breadth, and longevity make us unique and drive our impact. Hope ignites us to build a stronger, more connected and vibrant organization.  

Hope ignites us to think boldly about the future and, frankly, to do more. Hope ignites us every day to do the hard work of changing lives – our own and the lives around us!  

Recognizing the importance of hope to our legacy and impact, we have maintained this word in our name. With the support of the law firm Vinson & Elkins, we have filed an Intent to Use Application to make “Hope Ignites” the official name of our organization. This is not an overnight process, and we anticipate it will take 12 to 18 months for us to have the trademark in hand. With that in mind, we are eager to introduce our new name and start familiarizing others with it, while also laying the groundwork for widespread adoption.  

We are pleased to announce that Hope Ignites will be the theme for how we describe our work and our impact for the next year. This name change reflects who we are. Some of our scholars said it best.  

“Hope Ignites feels like a spark. It’s a feeling I can’t quite describe.”

“Hope Ignites gives a perspective into the life of being a scholar here. It shows the drive that scholars have and how they can give hope back into their community.”

“Hope Ignites gives the purpose of Boys Hope Girls Hope in one smooth go. It sounds like we are here for a reason and truly inspire hope in scholars.”

As we move into this exciting next stage of our organizational life – with a commitment to serving more young people with the same high impact we’ve had for nearly 50 years – may hope ignite all of us. May hope ignite every scholar to find their voice, purpose, and a loving community. May hope ignite every team member and volunteer to channel their talent, passion, and concern for young people into this mission and making an impact. May hope ignite the world to learn more about us and help to fuel our transformative work, creating a ripple effect that touches the lives of scholars, families, and communities.