Thursday, September 24, 2026 | 7:00 PM CT

Hope in Motion
A FAN in-person keynote address by Arshay Cooper

Evanston Township High School Auditorium, 1600 Dodge Ave., Door 6, Evanston, IL 60201

No registration required. 

Book Giveaway: FAN is giving away copies of Let Me Be Real with You at the event, while supplies last.

Hope is more than something we feel. It is something we put into motion. In “Hope in Motion,” a powerful, story-driven keynote, bestselling author and rower Arshay Cooper explores how courage, resilience, connection, and a sense of belonging can carry us through uncertainty, fear, and life’s most difficult moments.

Cooper knows that terrain firsthand. As captain of America’s first all-Black high school rowing team, at Manley High School on Chicago’s West Side, he learned early what it takes to keep going when the odds are long and the water is unfamiliar. Here he invites audiences to think differently about what it means to “do it afraid,” to tend to their own mental and emotional wellbeing, and to recognize the strength that comes from knowing they are seen, supported, and not alone.

At the heart of the talk is a simple idea: hope grows when we give it to one another. Through lessons about trust, service, empathy, and showing up for others, Cooper shows how each of us can lift someone higher, within our families, our relationships, and our communities. Audiences leave inspired to face challenges with courage, to strengthen the connections that matter most, and to turn hope into action in everyday life, because the hope we receive has the power to become the hope we give.

Cooper is a #1 national bestselling author, international motivational speaker, and the protagonist of the award-winning documentary A Most Beautiful Thing. He has devoted his life to empowering young people through athletics. His memoir became the documentary of the same name, and his second book, Let Me Be Real with You, hit #1 on the USA Today bestseller list. He has spoken to more than a quarter million young people worldwide and founded the A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund, which partners with rowing programs across the country, including at Evanston Township High School.

This event is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. It will be recorded but not live streamed and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.

Sponsored by FAN, in partnership with The Alliance for Early Childhood, The Ancona School, The Avery Coonley School, Avoca D37, Baker Demonstration School, Barrington D220, Beacon Academy, Bennett Day School, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, Brickton Montessori School, British International School of Chicago, Catherine Cook School, Compass Health Center, Connections Health, Countryside Day School, Evanston Scholars, Evanston Township HS D202, The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Family Service Center, Foundation 65, The Frances Xavier Warde School, Francis W. Parker School, Glenbrook HS D225, Glenview Public Library, Gorton Center, Hyde Park Day School, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, Josephinum Academy, Kenilworth D38, Lake Bluff D65, Latin School of Chicago, Leo Catholic High School, Lycée Français de Chicago, Near North Montessori School, North Shore Country Day, Northwestern University Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations, Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, Oakton College, Pope John XXIII School, Regina Dominican High School, Rogers Park Montessori School, Sacred Heart Schools, Santa Clara University School of Law, Science & Arts Academy, The Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School, Stevenson HS D125, Township High School D113, Township High School D214, Wilmette Public Library, Wintrust Bank, Wolcott College Prep, Woodlands Academy, Youth & Opportunity United.