Together For Hope · 25th Anniversary
2026 Annual Meeting: Event Details
October 21–23, 2026, in Fondren, Jackson, Mississippi. Everything you need for the week in one place: the schedule, speakers, venues, and the 25th Anniversary Gala.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Welcome reception, 5:30–7:00 p.m., TFH headquarters
Thursday, Oct. 22
Workshops 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. · Rising Hope 1:30 p.m. · Gala 5:45 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 23
Main stage 9:00 a.m. · Closing keynote lunch 11:30 a.m. · Closing remarks 1:00 p.m.
Schedule
The week at a glance
Thursday workshops run twice, morning and afternoon, so you can attend up to four. The pastor and church leader track has one session in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Wednesday October 21
Welcome reception
Light appetizers with coalition members, staff, and guests. Plan on dinner afterward.
TFH headquarters, 2906 N State St, Ste 300
Thursday October 22
Registration
Fondren Church
Opening general session
Monica Shepherd, Natalie Aho, and Jason Coker
Steeple Hall
Morning workshops, round 1
Transportation Innovations: Rural Models for Transit with Kelly Ast, New Growth Transit (Social Hall/Breezeway)
AI in Rural America: How AI Is Changing Nonprofits with Chris Ewald, TFH Senior Advisor for AI (Duling Corner)
Pastor track: Reframing Missions and Mission Trips with Kristy Bay, TFH Appalachia (Room 100)
Morning workshops, round 2
Affordable Housing Models in Rural Spaces with Harold Tessendorf, TFH Senior Advisor on Housing and Social Enterprise (Social Hall/Breezeway)
Interns and Academics: Engaging Higher Ed in Rural Nonprofits with Adrienne Jones, Washington and Lee University (Duling Corner)
Lunch keynote: Conversations on Rural Food Models
Grace Norman (Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty) and Alicia Powers (Hunger Solutions Institute, Auburn University)
Steeple Hall
Rising Hope film screening
See details below.
The Capri, 3023 N State St
Afternoon workshops, round 1
Transportation Innovations with Kelly Ast (Social Hall/Breezeway)
AI in Rural America with Chris Ewald (Duling Corner)
Afternoon workshops, round 2
Affordable Housing Models with Harold Tessendorf (Social Hall/Breezeway)
Interns and Academics with Adrienne Jones (Duling Corner)
Pastor track: Congregational Asset Mapping with Breana Patterson, TFH Delta (Room 1)
25th Anniversary Gala
See details below.
The Westin Jackson, 407 S Congress St
Friday October 23
Registration
Fondren Church
Stage setting
Jason Coker
Sanctuary
Rural Maternal Health: Challenges and Models
Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, Children’s Defense Fund Southern Regional Office
Sanctuary
What Does Rural Advocacy Look Like?
Sherrell Byrd (Georgia Rising), Ranada Robinson (Georgia Alliance), Ashley Robinson (Progress Georgia), and Alex Camardelle-Floyd (Kindred Futures)
Sanctuary
Closing keynote lunch: Philanthropy in Rural Places
Rhea Williams-Bishop (W.K. Kellogg Foundation) and Matthew Gardner (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Steeple Hall
Delta immersion experience (by invitation only)
A guided bus tour of the Mississippi Delta with dinner in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Thursday, October 22 · The Westin Jackson
25th Anniversary Gala
Celebrate 25 years of Together For Hope with dinner, music, and an evening hosted by Jackson’s own Rita Brent. Cocktail attire. The Gala is open to everyone, whether or not you attend the meeting.
Cocktail reception
Live music from the New Bourbon Street Jazz Band and passed hors d’oeuvres
Dinner and program
Welcome from host Rita Brent, dinner, comedy, and anniversary presentations from the Together For Hope team
25th Anniversary dance party
DJ, dancing, and celebration
Shuttles: Shuttles run between Homewood Suites and the Westin before the Gala, and back between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.
Parking: Self-parking is not available for Gala guests at the Westin, so plan on the shuttle or a ride.
Thursday, October 22 · 1:30 p.m. · The Capri
Rising Hope film screening
See the documentary directed by Theo Avgerinos on the big screen, telling the story of persistent rural poverty and the leaders working to end it. Tickets are $20. The Capri is at 3023 N State St, a short walk from Fondren Church.
Venues and travel
Where everything happens
Fondren Church
3327 Old Canton Rd, Jackson, MS 39216
Thursday workshops and Friday sessions
The Westin Jackson
407 S Congress St, Jackson, MS 39201
25th Anniversary Gala
The Capri
3023 N State St, Jackson, MS 39216
Rising Hope screening
TFH headquarters
2906 N State St, Ste 300, Jackson, MS 39216
Wednesday welcome reception
Fly into Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN), about 20 minutes from Fondren.
Tickets
How to join us
Meeting, workshops, and everything else
Online registration has closed. To add a registration or a ticket for anything else this week, contact Natalie Aho, Chief Development Officer, at natalie@tfhope.org.
Partners in Hope
Thank you to our sponsors
Thank you to Gail and Steve Brookshire, and to countless unnamed donors, whose contributions have provided travel assistance to our coalition members.
Questions about the week? Contact Natalie Aho, Chief Development Officer, at natalie@tfhope.org.