The Hope Commission recommends a Campaign of Hope for Wilmington that would be a multimedia
public awareness and action campaign to instill a spirit of hope throughout the city and to
mobilize people and businesses to embark on individual personal acts of hope that will
cumulatively generate a momentum of positive change for Wilmington. The Campaign of Hope
would be designed to replace pessimism with a spirit of hope and confidence, while still facing
the realities of the challenges that will have to be met along the way.

We recommend that this Campaign of Hope, be a multi-tiered communications campaign that
packages key components of this report in ways that resonate with community members,
community organization leaders, business leaders, policy makers, funders, and other stakeholders
and moves them to action. We recommend partnering with the business community on
collaborative sponsorships of the Campaign of Hope, including financial support for launching
and sustaining this Campaign within the city and/or state.

From this report must come a groundswell of popular belief in positive changes for the City. In
order to prompt people to take action, they need to understand that their individual actions and
attitudes will make a difference. We hope to set in motion a new determination to overcome
economic, cultural, and societal obstacles that have stifled individual and collective efforts to
reduce violence and build community character. We want to mobilize members of the
community with a common resolve to action.