With over 400 sponsors, partners, and supporters in attendance Hope Services raised over $379,000 at its inaugural In Concert With Hope benefit – featuring GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Booker T. Jones, and two-time GRAMMY nominee Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers – on Thursday, May 30 on the grounds of Villa Montalvo. Proceeds will support Hope’s mission to improve the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health needs.

The concert capped a day which included a visit to the Hope’s Parkmoor activity center where Mindi Abair and Randy Jacobs from The Boneshakers visited with Hope clients, and later jammed with the New Hope Band — comprised of singers/musicians who are Hope clients – during a preconcert reception at the historic Villa while guests mingled, and enjoyed delectable appetizers and libations. Attendees filled the Garden Theatre where they enjoyed an energizing performance by Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers that prompted the audience to get up and dance at their seats.

A highpoint was the premiere of the Hope client video which featured three Hope client stories – Emery’s, a toddler; Mitchell’s, a young working adult; and Larry and Twilla’s, a senior married couple – reflecting how Hope serves people at every stage of life. The evening was topped with a performance by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Booker T. Jones who extended his set in response to delighted guests who did not want the show to end.