Celebrating 20 Years of Global Impact

Two hundred volunteers, donors, and community partners gathered September

17, 2026, at the Denver Jewish Community Center to celebrate the 20th

anniversary of the Center for Health and Hope as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and to

recognize the people who have helped advance its mission of responding to HIV and AIDS around the world.

Founded by Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer as a compassionate response to the HIV and

AIDS epidemic, the Center has spent two decades supporting programs of

education, nutrition, prevention, treatment, care, and advocacy. Since its

incorporation in 2006, the Center has granted nearly $4 million to projects in

Kenya, India, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, and the United States.

The Center is on pace to distribute more than $300,000 in grants in 2026, the first year in its history that annual giving will surpass that threshold.

“Reaching 20 years is an important milestone, but what matters most is the difference that has been made in the lives of people along the way,” said Justin Levy, Executive Director of the Center for Health and Hope. “Our anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate that history while looking ahead to the work that remains.”

Honoring the Center's Founders

The anniversary celebration honored Dr. Messer and his wife, Dr. Bonnie Messer, with the Center's Global Impact Award for their many years of service and leadership.

Dr. Messer's commitment to global HIV and AIDS work extends well beyond the Center. He also co-founded the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund and Committee, which has awarded more than $4 million to humanitarian projects around the world.

Retired Bishop Karen Oliveto reflected on Dr. Messer's career, describing how his “life shows what becomes possible when one lives with a heart as wide as the plains and a mind as expansive as the prairie sky.”

The quotation reflects the theme of Dr. Messer's recently released memoir, Making a Difference: From Prairie Roots to Global Outreach, published in August 2026, and available on Amazon.

A Continuing Commitment to HIV and AIDS

The Center's work today spans multiple countries and communities. In Kenya, its Gift of H.O.P.E. program supports 330 children orphaned by AIDS with education, nutrition, and health care. Other programs provide post-secondary scholarships, psychosocial support, housing assistance, and income generating projects for vulnerable families and communities.

Locally, the Center helps to co-organize Denver's annual World AIDS Day observance at Park Hill United Methodist Church. The inclusive, interfaith program has grown to include multiple faith communities, nonprofits, and LGBTQ+ organizations.

That collaboration expanded in 2026 into a series of workshops at Park Hill United Methodist Church sponsored by the United Methodist Church's Church & Society. The September 23 workshop featured people living with HIV sharing their experiences alongside health professionals from the community. An October 21 workshop will focus on LGBTQ+ history and includes acclaimed LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist, Cleve Jones. A November 18 workshop will examine stigma and discrimination.

Looking Toward the Future

The anniversary celebration also highlighted the Center's continuing evolution and its plans for the future.

Levy, who has served as Executive Director for two years after previously serving on the Center's board, is working to strengthen the organization's longstanding Methodist roots while building relationships with a diverse network of faith communities, service organizations, and nonprofit partners. Current Methodist partners include Longs Peak United Methodist Church, Central United Methodist Church, Hope United Methodist Church, Estes Park United Methodist Church, University Park United Methodist Church, and others.

The anniversary celebration reflected that combination of history, partnership, and global connection. The evening included cultural dance performances by Mudra Dance Studio and Logi Ligi, musical performances by Chin Tan, Spirit of Grace, and Minister Daryl J. Walker of Park Hill United Methodist Church, and an invocation by Rev. Dr. Valerie Jackson of Park Hill United Methodist Church.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Catherine Mutua of Meru, Kenya, who has partnered with the Center for 17 years. Dr. Mutua is the Founder and Executive Director of the Methodist Treatment Centre and the first female Bishop of the Kenyan Methodist Church. Through its partnership with the Center, the Methodist Treatment Centre helps conduct medical camps, build homes for vulnerable families, and provide inpatient and outpatient services for people struggling with substance use.

The Center's 20th anniversary comes at a time when long-term nonprofit sustainability is itself a significant achievement. Data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics indicate that approximately 55% of public charities in a 1994 cohort were still considered active roughly 20 years later. For the Center for Health and Hope, the milestone represents not only two decades as a 501(c)(3), but more than three decades of work responding to HIV and AIDS and standing in solidarity with vulnerable communities.

“Our work is rooted in hope,” Levy said. “Twenty years of the Center as a nonprofit gives us an opportunity to celebrate what has been accomplished, express gratitude to the people who have made it possible, and recommit ourselves to the work ahead.”

To learn more about the Center for Health and Hope's current programs and projects, visit centerforhealthandhope.org. The Center's Gift of H.O.P.E. program, which provides 330 children orphaned by AIDS with education, nutrition, and health care, is also included in United Methodist Global Ministries (Advance #3022289).