This issue of LIFT is jam-packed with stories about so many good things happening at Wings of Hope! As I was thinking about what ties all these stories together, it came to me: Every single one of our efforts requires partners.
We link arms with partners in all 11 of our international field sites. In-country partners are invaluable to us because they have “boots on the ground” and an intimate knowledge of the people we serve. Our Global Programs and Partnerships Director Jess Watson recently returned from India, where she met with our partner there and learned more about a new effort we are supporting to keep girls in school. (See Page 2.)
Philanthropic partners provide mission-critical funding to support our programming all over the globe. In June, one of these philanthropic partners, Gateway Buick GMC, dedicated a percentage of all car sales to Wings of Hope. Anyone who bought a ticket in our last airplane raffle or made a donation on Give STL Day is also our philanthropic partner. Even your non-monetary donations make a difference. When you donate a treasured piece of art or power tools that you no longer use, we can sell those and use the money to support programming. (See page 3.)
We couldn’t accomplish anything without the partnership of our volunteers. Every year, we honor one Volunteer of the Year at our volunteer luncheon. This is always a difficult choice as we have so many wonderful volunteers who selflessly donate their time and talents. So this year, we honored three: Mike Calcagno, Bill Hoffman and Bev Wrobel. You can read more about all three honorees on our website: www.wingsofhope.ngo/discover-more/newsletter.
Finally, it’s hard to put a value on this last kind of partner. I call them our ambassadors. In early June, we hosted our annual Ladies Luncheon to acknowledge the powerful support of women in advancing our mission. We shared conversation and talked about giving back, and my hope is that every guest left knowing a little bit more about Wings of Hope. Whenever one of those guests shares what she learned, with a friend or a neighbor, she is our ambassador. So when you are saying good things about Wings of Hope in the community, you are our ambassador, too! (See page 4.)
I thank you for your partnership — in whatever form that takes. Whether it’s volunteering your time, including us in your charitable donations, or simply telling a friend about the good work that we do … Thank you!
Laura Helling,
Interim President