Festival of HOPE Returns to Westfield Trumbull on April 30

The popular Festival of HOPE community event returns to the grounds of Westfield Trumbull on Saturday, April 30 for the first time since 2019 to benefit the programs and services of The Center for Family Justice in Bridgeport. The event will take place in the parking area between Panera Bread , L.A. Fitness and the Green Parking Garage

The festival, which opens at 11 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m., will include a kids’ Touch-a-Truck, food trucks, a variety of vendors, crafts, face painting as well as children’s fingerprinting offered by officers of the Trumbull Police Department.

A group of community volunteers is organizing the festival to support the Bridgeport-based nonprofit, which provides crisis and supportive services to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse in six local communities, including Trumbull.

While admission is free, attendees are encouraged to make an optional donation to CFJ at the festival’s entrance.

CFJ Board member Sofia De Carvalho of Trumbull is chairperson of the event, which was first held in 2019. While the festival’s inaugural year was popular and well attended, it was paused for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Since joining CFJ as a volunteer and board member, I have done lots of small events for CFJ, but always wanted to do something to truly benefit my hometown of Trumbull,” said De Carvalho. “The event started three years ago as a small idea, but once the Trumbull Police and Westfield Trumbull got involved, we decided to go for it and it turned out to be a huge success. Now that we can safely bring it back for the public to enjoy, we’re hoping Trumbull residents, as well as families from surrounding towns, will come out to join in a great day for a great cause.”

Debra A. Greenwood, President & CEO of The Center for Family Justice said the Festival of HOPE is especially meaningful to CFJ because it takes place during both Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Awareness months.

“The Festival of HOPE highlights all the excellent work we do in the community to keep kids safe and protected from abuse,” she said. “While the festival is lots of fun for families, there’s a serious element of our work that’s reflected in offering parents the peace of mind of helping keep their children safe with this fingerprinting service.”

“Westfield Trumbull is proud to host the 2022 Festival of HOPE, a great family event that we know all members of the community will really enjoy,” said Patrick Madden, Vice President of Shopping Center Management at Westfield Trumbull. “It’s always a thrill for kids to see the fire trucks, police cruisers and EMS vehicles up-close, and it’s also a fantastic opportunity for us to say, “Thank You” to our first responders who work so tirelessly to help to keep the community safe, especially so these last couple of years. We are also proud to support The Center for Family Justice, an organization who we’ve had an on-going partnership with for several years. CFJ does amazing, vital work in our community and we strongly believe in their mission.