Dear Friends of Hospitality House Youth Development,
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Hospitality House Youth Development (HHYD), I want to announce the retirement of our Executive Director Rev. Johnny Hunter effective December 31st, 2023. Rev. Hunter has served at HHYD for over 17 years and looks forward to the next season of family focus and ongoing ministry.
Rev. Hunter attended HHYD as a youth beginning in 1967 and has always said that HHYD changed his life forever. He credits the staff’s genuine care and constant availability for drawing him back to HHYD and the North Minneapolis community.
Rev. Hunter started as a volunteer in HHYD’s gang intervention program called Midnight Basketball and ended up running the program for two years. He joined the Board in 2007 and served as our interim Executive Director until becoming our full-time Executive Director about a year later. While taking on these leadership responsibilities, Rev. Hunter also continued to work directly with our youth. Their spiritual development has always been his top priority and the impact can be seen in the faces of those returning to HHYD after graduation to catch up with Rev. Hunter and sometimes to join our staff.
Hospitality House has been blessed with Rev. Hunter’s leadership. Program participation grew from 30 in 2008 to over 1,700 in 2022, and our renewed teen program enjoys more than 120 participants. The new family program that Rev. Hunter established strengthens the families and community of our youth. HHYD’s donations have tripled, all of our debt has been retired, and we currently have healthy cash reserves.
We believe there is still much to do on the Northside. The Board and staff recently completed our five-year plan which brought renewed focus on the spiritual, academic and athletic needs of our youth. Our solid base of programs, staff, donors and partners position us well for continued growth. Our Board has begun its search for a gifted candidate who is called into the ministry and we would appreciate your continued prayers, encouragement and trust as we find HHYD’s new leader.
We are all truly excited for Rev. Hunter as he enters into a new chapter in life and we will be celebrating his service in many ways during the months to come. He has made many friends during his time of service and I know he will appreciate the opportunity to thank each of you for your support over the years.
Please join me in thanking Rev. Hunter for his leadership, and do take the time to congratulate him on his accomplishments and to celebrate his upcoming retirement.
Blessings,
Greg Serviss
Chair, Board of Directors
Hospitality House Youth Development