Photo courtesy of Child Advocates of Montgomery CountyNews
Child Advocates of Montgomery County launches HOPE Collaborative, Hosts 2026 HOPE Summit
Child Advocates of Montgomery County hosted the 2026 HOPE Summit on November 5 at Margaritaville Lake Resort, drawing about 170 professionals, educators, nonprofit leaders, health care providers, volunteer advocates and community members from across the state.
The event, presented by Premiere Events, closed a week that began with the launch of the Montgomery County HOPE Collaborative, a 14-month partnership between 11 county organizations, including Child Advocates of Montgomery County (see full list below) and Dr. Chan Hellman, one of the world’s leading hope scholars and co-author of “Hope Rising: How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life.”
Hellman’s research, backed by more than 2,500 published studies, shows hope is among the strongest predictors of well-being for children, families and adults. Hellman, who directs the Hope Research Center at the University of Oklahoma, defines hope as the belief that the future will be better and that people have the power to make it so. The science rests on a framework of goals, pathways and willpower, and Hellman’s center says it can be taught, measured and strengthened.
The HOPE Collaborative is designed to bring that research inside organizations that serve Montgomery County residents daily, building what organizers call a hope-centered county.
The work began Nov. 2 with a six-hour executive leadership training, where two representatives from each participating organization built a shared vision for hope as a core value. On Nov. 3 and 4, at least two staff members from each organization completed 12 hours of Hope Navigator training and now serve as internal champions leading implementation. Hellman and Dr. Angela Pharris led all three days.
Over the next 14 months, the collaborative continues with three additional components: Staff Hope Awareness Training, a two-hour live virtual session open to unlimited staff and offered across multiple dates so every team member can attend; a Hope Navigator Community of Practice, six monthly virtual sessions from January through December 2027 pairing each organization’s two Navigators with peers from the other 10 organizations for facilitated problem-solving; and quarterly consulting with Hellman, four virtual sessions in 2027 open to any organization representative for group consulting on real challenges as they arise.
Organizations in the inaugural collaborative, in addition to Child Advocates, are Angel Reach, Conroe ISD, Interfaith of The Woodlands, Junior League of The Woodlands, Meals on Wheels Montgomery County, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, Montgomery County Juvenile Detention, Mosaics of Mercy, New Caney ISD and Yes to Youth: Montgomery County Youth Services.
“Building a hope-centered Montgomery County requires courage, collaboration and a belief that better outcomes are possible for every resident,” said Ann Marie Ronsman, president and CEO of Child Advocates of Montgomery County. “Today, we recognize and thank the 10 organizations joining us in the Hope Collaborative for leading this movement. Together, we are creating a community where hope drives action, partnerships create impact, and every individual has the opportunity to flourish.”
The Summit, grounded in the science of hope and resilience, covered strategies for strengthening individuals, organizations and communities, including building protective factors for children, supporting families through adversity and leading systems-level change.
Keynote speaker Hellman was joined by Pharris, an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma who directs the Child Welfare Impact Institute and serves as a senior researcher at the Hope Research Center; Amanda Purvis, a Trust-Based Relational Intervention practitioner and vice president of global impact at All God’s Children International; and Troy McPeak, a TBRI practitioner and training and consultation specialist at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University. Purvis and McPeak wove TBRI principles, a trauma-informed model for caring for children who have experienced trauma and adversity, throughout the program.
Sponsors of the 2026 HOPE Summit included presenting sponsor Premiere Events; lunch sponsor Yes to Youth: Montgomery County Youth Services; TBRI Tools sponsor The Sherwood Academy; Wi-Fi sponsor HealthConnect Texas; table sponsors Meals on Wheels Montgomery County and Texans Together; and supporting sponsors Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and Judge Scharlene Valdez of Montgomery County Court at Law No. 6.
For more information about Child Advocates of Montgomery County, visit the website at https://ChildAdvocatesTexas.org or call (936) 441-5437.
Source: Child Advocates of Montgomery County
