The Hike for Hope was a Great Success!

For the first time since 2019, the Family Promise Hike for Hope was held in-person on Sunday, May 7th in Ridgewood. We could not have asked for a more beautiful spring day, or a better turnout for the 30th anniversary of this event! An all-time high of 222 participants and 26 teams joined us at Van Neste Square for a three-mile walk to bring awareness to family homelessness and to raise funds for our shelter, support, and meal programs. We are in awe of the overwhelming generosity of our incredible hikers, supporters, and friends—thanks to their hard work and dedication, we raised more than $52,600 for our programs, surpassing our goal!

Longtime Hike for Hope DJ, Scott Reddin, returned for this year’s event, supplying the soundtrack for the afternoon and hosting contests for kids and adults alike. Melody Garcia, Family Promise volunteer and owner of Above & Beyond Events, led our hikers in a series of fun warm-ups and stretches to get everyone ready to begin their trek through town. Participants enjoyed various activities located throughout the park, and refueled with food and refreshments courtesy of Stop & Shop (Ridgewood), Kilroy’s Wonder Market, Ridgewood Hot Bagels, Goldberg Bagels, Trader Joes, Costco, and more.

This year, our first place Top Fundraising Team was Team Adam/St. Marks Godspeed (associated with St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Teaneck), led by Steven and Beverly Rosignolo in memory of their son, Adam. Team Fleisher and GBGB tied for second place. For Top Individual Fundraisers, Richard Chun came in first place, followed by Harry Ferguson in second. Evan Stoecklein was our hiker who earned the most activity points through online challenges on our event microsite.

Thank you to our 2023 Hike for Hope sponsors for their generous support: Bogota Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, Cross River, Freedom Bank, and Visions Federal Credit Union. We’d also like to extend a very special thank you to the following people, clubs, and businesses for helping make the day so special: Family Promise Youth Council, Bergen Tech Sunrise Club, BCA Key Club, Debbie Terrace, The Albano Family, The Ungaro Family, Ben & Jerry’s of Ridgewood, Kilwins, Haagen-Dazs, Rita’s Italian Ice, Whole Foods Market (Ridgewood), and the New York Red Bulls.

We are so grateful to all of those who registered, donated, fundraised, walked, and shared the event with family and friends. Thank you for making our first in-person “hike” in three years a great success. We are already excited for next spring—see you in 2024!

Want to relive the fun of this year’s Hike for Hope, or see what you missed? Check out our event album here.