New murals unveiled for International Day of Hope

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Community leaders will be unveiled four new murals in honor of the first International Day of Hope.

It’s an effort that started when Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve declared the first Monday of May as the Day of Hope in April.

In 2019, Reno became the first ever Hopeful City. The Day of Hope is a continued effort to bring hope to our area.

There are four different murals, each showcasing the different aspects of hope. Sunflowers are the theme.

The goal with the mural and the Day of Hope is to celebrate hope all over the world and to share the science of hope and activate it in your life.

“Hope is really a vision for something in your future,” said Kathryn Goetzke, founder of iFred and Hopeful Cities. “It can be big or small and it’s fueled by positive feelings and inspired actions. So hope is not just a wish. Hope takes feeling good and also taking action towards hope.”

Goetzke says hopelessness is the single consistent predictor of suicide and predictive of violence and crime. She also says we aren’t really taught how to deal with it. Goetzke says she hopes these events help the community activate hope.

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