What a year for Macdonald Family Charity!It's always exciting to look back over the past year and see growth. More maturity, new friends, and a bigger program are some of the best things Macdonald Family Charity has gained in 2010. We're so glad to have you as part of that growth! Let's take a moment and celebrate these exciting accomplishments!
The biggest and best part of what we do is make kids' dreams come true. In the past 12 short months we have made 20 dreams become reality, with two more to come before the end of the week! That's amazing, considering the first year we were around we granted 3, then 13 in 2009. The 22 dreams for 2010 have all been outstanding! One that sticks out in particular is Connor and his swing. Here he is with his new, fun toy.
Connor has an unusual syndrome that doctor's can't pinpoint, so they call it the "Connor Cannon Syndrome" after this sweet little boy. Connor is usually confined to a wheelchair and rarely leaves his hospital-like bedroom. Doing things a "normal" kid can do, even simple things like going to the park to swing on the swings, is not a possibility for Connor. His heavy wheelchair sinks into the sand, and once they have maneuvered him into the swing, he has to get home quickly and can't enjoy time just being a kid. In July we fixed part of that by giving Connor a swing of his very own, right outside his back door. His wheelchair can pull right up to the swing, mom puts him in, and away he goes! The first thing he said when he saw it was, "Higher, higher, faster, faster!" Luckily he has two siblings who will happily push him as long as he wants!
Another great accomplishment this year was raising $100,000 to fulfill our mission! We have also set up reserves of money to prepare for uncertain futures, as learned from the unstable economy. Thanks to the $100,000 raised, we feel confident going into 2011 prepared to increase funding, and in turn, increase the number of dreams fulfilled.
The new year will bring changes for Macdonald Family Charity, and we are excited to be rolling those out the first of the year. That being said, we feel that one of our biggest challenges going into the new year will be increasing our funding to fulfill the increased need in our community. Did you know that roughly 7,500 children in Larimer County alone live in poverty? Every single one of those kids would fit our low income requirement and could potentially receive their dream. With the economy slowly turning around, we hope to see that number drop, however we don't anticipate that dropping very quickly.
Luckily, we are here to provide those children with hope for their futures. Things won't always be that difficult, and we want to be the organization that steps in and gives them a reprieve from the suffering. Your gifts help us do just that. Without you, the 22 children we served in 2010 would have not idea that there are people in the community who care about them and want to see them succeed.
There are ways you can continue to support Macdonald Family Charity. Here's a list of some of them!
- Give an individual donation. Donations can be processed, free of charge for the charity, here.
- Volunteer! We have openings on our Dream Team (selection) and Event Committee (fundraising). Call or email me to get connected.
- In-kind donations of office supplies, goods or services that we may auction off at events or use on a dream.
- Share our story. There are many people in northern Colorado who have yet to hear about Macdonald Family Charity. Help us get the word out by inviting one of our board members or myself to present to your service club, book club, Bunko group, golf buddies, or other non-profit that works with similar kids!
Each of these things helps us further our mission and help more kids than the year before. Our hope is that 2011 will continue to demonstrate the incredible growth we have seen since our inception. Thank you for the role you have played in making all of these dreams a reality!
Sincerely,
Katie
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