August 2004 Newsletter
Second Annual Summer Event
an Incredible Success!
Thanks for putting us over the top!
Dear Friend,
Thanks to the generosity and involvement of faithful donors, staff, and volunteers, our annual fundraiser, held on Tuesday, July 27, 2004, far surpassed our anticipated goal of $150,000…with the tally at the end of evening coming in at $210,000. I am both grateful and thrilled with the scope of what these funds can mean to thousands of physically disabled people in developing countries.
This kind of success could not have
been achieved without the dozens of retailers and service businesses
who donated merchandise, services,
and
gift certificates…
and others who provided crafts, art, and gift baskets for the live
and silent auction. By the time our energetic auctioneer took center
stage,
he had a grand array of items that included something of interest
for everyone—including
a yellow Labrador puppy, which was one of the major hits of the
party.
I was honored to share some of our history and a few stories about some of our wheelchair recipients. It was a special honor to introduce our very special guest speaker for the evening, His Majesty, King Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panin, of Ghana. He made a passionate plea for the disabled, speaking about his mission to bring aid to his country and improve the lives of his people. His love of others was evident as he shared his deep spiritual belief that we are all called to be servants to each other in Christ’s name. He challenged everyone to step forward and get involved in providing the transforming gift of mobility to the physically disabled.
When a member of the King’s party graciously offered a unique strand of beads for the auction, a rapid-fire bidding war began, and the simple but beautiful strand of beads brought almost $5,800. This amount will provide 141 wheelchairs—a powerful gift for people who cannot walk.
Picture this in your mind: Distributing 5,000 wheelchairs from this event alone, the procession of recipients would stretch almost 4 miles, with each chair a couple of feet apart. Take a moment to visualize yourself standing along the procession route, witnessing the life-changing miracle of mobility for 5,000 people. Reflect on the joy, gratitude, and thoughts of the recipients.
The impact of our Second Annual Fundraising Event continues to unfold. The generosity of caring people like you continues to empower and motivate us more than ever as we stretch to reach our goals.
We have delivered wheelchairs to 37 countries, and with your help, we hope to continue and expand our reach. We would like to impact another 3,000 lives in the month of September and continue on to reach our goal of providing 75,000 wheelchairs for the year 2004. It is a challenging goal, but a goal that we feel God has called us to fulfill.
Thanks again for all you have done…and for all you plan to do to help us fulfill the mission God has given us. We can do great things together.
God Bless,
Don Schoendorfer