Hope Fest basketball tournament and community event took place at Joe Brown Park
Hope Fest basketball tournament and community event took place at Joe Brown Park
CHANCES OF RAIN AND STORMS FOR NEXT WEEK. OUR RACHEL, A BIG INITIATIVE THAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN OUR CITY FOR DECADES. LAVAR IS ACTUALLY HERE TO TALK ABOUT HOPE FEST AND TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS WEEKEND’S EVENT. OH YEAH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME THIS WEEKEND. WE HAD JOE BROWN, SO I NORMALLY DO IT UPTOWN IN THE KELLIE. I’VE BEEN UP THERE FOR LIKE 12 YEARS, SO IT’S NOW WE’RE TAKING IT ON THE ROAD AND GOING BUILD COMMUNITY IN THE EAST. SO WE PARTNERED UP WITH THE NEW ORLEANS EAST MATTERS FOUNDATION AND PUT THE HOPE FEST IN THE EAST. JOE BROWN, DEFINITELY. AND YOU’VE BEEN DOING THIS EVENT FOR FOR YEARS. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW IT GOES, BECAUSE I KNOW IT’S ALSO A BASKETBALL GAME, RIGHT? YEAH. SO IT’S CENTERED AROUND A BASKETBALL GAME BECAUSE THE ENTERTAINMENT AND WE KNOW SPORTS IS SOMETHING WE ALL COME TOGETHER AND AGREE ON. SO ALONG WITH THE SPORTS, WE GOT A CAREER FAIR HEALTH FAIR. WE DO A LOT OF RESOURCES THAT THE COMMUNITY NEED. DEFINITELY TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE RESOURCES BECAUSE I KNOW SOME MONTHS AGO YOU PULLED OFF ANOTHER EVENT, ANOTHER HOPE FEST. TALK ABOUT THOSE RESOURCES THAT’S AVAILABLE FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO THE RESOURCE WE DO, A HEALTH FAIR, WE DO HIV SCREENING, WE DO DIABETES SCREENING. BLOOD BANKS COME OUT THERE, WE DO A DENTAL UNIT COME OUT FOR THE CAREER SIDE. WE DO GI ONE CAFE, RECONCILE. LIKE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT AND THEY DON’T KNOW EMPLOYMENT OUT THERE. SO WE MAKE SURE THEY GET PROPER JOB TRAINING BEFORE JUST BEING PLACED ON A JOB. SO WE JUST MAKE SURE THE PEOPLE WITH THE RESOURCES COULD GET TO THE PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE THAT NEED THE RESOURCES TO GET TO RESOURCES. YOU DIG? HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD YOU SAY NORMALLY SHOW UP FOR THESE TYPES OF EVENTS? OH, IT’S HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. IT’S HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COME TOGETHER BECAUSE WE BUILD COMMUNITY, WE FOUNDATION IN THE COMMUNITY. SO THE WHOLE COMMUNITY COME OUT. DEFINITELY. AND ONE MORE QUESTION. JUST THE IMPORTANCE OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I KNOW THAT WE’VE DONE SEVERAL INTERVIEWS ON DIFFERENT HOPE FESTIVALS. JUST TALK ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS IN THE NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY. IT’S A SIGNIFICANCE BECAUSE THEY GOT PEOPLE OUT THERE DOING THE WORK, AND THEY JUST CAN’T GET TO THE PEOPLE, AND THEY GOT PEOPLE THAT’S LOOKING FOR THE RESOURCES, BUT THEY DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY AT. SO BY ME BEING A CONNECTOR OF PEOPLE AND I JUST MAKE IT FUN FOR EVERYBODY. SO WE JUST COME OUT FOR A DAY OF RELIEF. DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY TELL ME WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO, WHAT TIME IT STARTS AND WHY YOU FEEL LIKE PEOPLE SHOULD COME OUT. WELL, IT’S A WHOLE FAMILY EVENT. FROM THE LITTLE KID TO GRANDMA. YOU FEEL ME? WE IN NEW ORLEANS EAST, IT START AT 10:00 TO 7:00 IS THE FESTIVAL SIDE, BUT THE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FROM 1 TO 6 P.M., WE HAD TO EXTEND THE TIME. WE GOT TOO MANY TEAMS THAT SIGNED UP. DEFINITELY. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
Hope Fest basketball tournament and community event took place at Joe Brown Park
Hope Fest basketball tournament and community event took place at Joe Brown Park
Updated: 9:49 PM CDT Sep 23, 2025
The Hope Festival took place Saturday at Joe Brown Park in New Orleans East. Coaches, community activists and some of the best basketball players in the area came together for the 10th annual Hope Festival. The 3 vs. 3 tournaments boasted a $1,500 check.Organizers said the real prize is getting the youth together in an effort to end violence in the community. Lavar Elzy, the organizer also known as Calliope Var, said, “Year after year, the Hope Fest got bigger. I started off doing it in my community for relief. We want to put hope to the whole city, not just one contained spot.”Right outside that gym, people packed the park for the NOLA East Festival. This year’s theme is about building bridges to a better future.
The Hope Festival took place Saturday at Joe Brown Park in New Orleans East.
Coaches, community activists and some of the best basketball players in the area came together for the 10th annual Hope Festival. The 3 vs. 3 tournaments boasted a $1,500 check.
Organizers said the real prize is getting the youth together in an effort to end violence in the community.
Lavar Elzy, the organizer also known as Calliope Var, said, “Year after year, the Hope Fest got bigger. I started off doing it in my community for relief. We want to put hope to the whole city, not just one contained spot.”
Right outside that gym, people packed the park for the NOLA East Festival. This year’s theme is about building bridges to a better future.