Hope Shines has many good days…but today was a banner one. To recap all that occurred, because it's almost unbelievable, a list must be created. This list is in no preferential order, for EVERY SINGLE donation is extremely meaningful!

*At the Damsels In Design Holiday Party, a raffle was held to benefit Hope Shines: $131 was raised! I am taking this money to Rwanda Dec 25th and will use it to buy gifts and supplies for our kids!

*Checked our mailbox today and there was $575 in checks for Hope Shines waiting right there!

*Received a note from a foundation, to which we applied for a grant, (to pay for our shipping/extra baggage fees to Rwanda!)…WE GOT IT!!!!

*A friend of mine donated a new, unused Chanel (yes, real Chanel!) handbag for us to auction in our upcoming online event! (Coming this Spring!)

*A work colleague of mine, after a very brief email exchange, donated $100!

*Two kind people from the UK, donated $250 to Children's Support Center (CSC), which I will hand-carry to CSC on Dec 25th!

All of this happened today… Pretty amazing day!!

This type of day takes away some of the crushing stress of worrying how we will make ends meet to keep our promises to children. It helps to free up my time that I usually have to spend fundraising, in order to concentrate on building capacity and programming. I.E. making Hope Shines better for our kids. When I started Hope Shines in 2007, I never could have conceived of a day like this.

Thank you to all of our supporters, near and far, for not only a wonderful day but an amazing year! Can't wait to push Hope Shines even further in 2012.

With a heart filled with gratitude,

April Riegler

Executive Director and Founder