Dear friends,
What do you say when “thank you” seems inadequate? What words truly express our appreciation for your prayers, volunteer hours, and financial support? Because the truth is, without you, Jericho Partnership’s ministry to Danbury’s at-risk community wouldn’t exist. So, it’s with deep gratitude that we thank you for locking arms with us as we answer God’s call to serve.
Jericho’s fiscal year ends on August 31, 2018, and what a year we’ve had! We’ve experienced a significant leadership transition and laid the groundwork for what we believe will be an exciting time of growth for our ministry.
Through it all, we’ve been good stewards of the resources God has brought to us, but today, with just a few weeks left, we’re asking for your help to close a gap. We need to raise approximately $150,000 by fiscal year-end to keep moving forward today, and to build on our firm foundation for all God has called us to tomorrow.
Please take a moment to read Kolby’s story (below), testimony to how God is using Jericho to transform lives. We’re encouraged every day by stories like this; at the same time, we sense God calling us to invest even more of ourselves into our at-risk youth. It’s our hearts’ desire to match 100 boys and girls with one-to-one mentors, tutor another 300 students through our programs, and show hundreds more the hope of Christ through our ministry!
We’ve already done so much, but we yearn to do so much more. Our dreams are big; YOU can breathe life into them.
Your support was so vital this past year. In 2017-18; we:
- Engaged with 4,000 children and adults, offering practical, material, and spiritual resources
- Expanded of our Reading Buddy program into our second public school, Great Plain Elementary
- Distributed 57,000+ meals, held 1,600+ clinic appointments, mentored 45 and tutored 175+ students
- Received of a grant to increase our case management services to Danbury’s aging population
- Established of the “Building on a Legacy Fund,” honoring retired Founder Bill & Kathie Beattie; donations are reserved for the most strategic ways to increase Jericho’s impact
- Reassessed Ministry Partners, refocusing some to best meet the spiritual, social, educational and material needs of clients, and setting the stage for greater life-transformation
Imagine, for a moment, if Jericho DIDN’T exist. Imagine if God didn’t equip us to serve the poor and needy. Or combat the epidemic of fatherlessness. Or feed the hungry. Imagine if children couldn’t receive health care. Or if homeless people didn’t have a way to improve their lives. Imagine if boys and girls weren’t mentored. Imagine if peoples’ circumstances didn’t undercut their potential.
Thanks to you, though, Jericho Partnership DOES exist and we ARE transforming a city, one life at a time. Today, we’re humbly asking you to support our mission to serve even MORE people … to replicate the life-change we see in Kolby, and to foster a hope for the future we see in our clients every day.
More great news: there’s a group of generous Gift Partners, including members of the Jericho Board of Directors, ready to match the first $100,000 in contributions we receive. Make your gift today to double its impact! Giving is simple: Click HERE; then click on any gold box, and follow the prompts.
We can’t do what we do without you. Your gift means the world to us, and a world of opportunities to students like Kolby.
With every blessing,
Carrie L. Amos, President
KOLBY's STORY
Kolby Sinclair, 17
2018 Danbury High School Graduate, GPA: 3.34
Will attend Quinnipiac College, International Business Major
“At one point in my life, I was a loud-mouth, always getting in trouble. My S.A.Y. Yes! tutor and my mentor helped me realize that acting out wasn’t cool, that I wasn’t going to anywhere in life with that attitude. He taught me the importance of knowledge. If I didn’t have a mentor, I wouldn’t be doing as well in school, and going to college. Instead of studying for tests, I’d probably be out partying. My mentor definitely changed the direction of my life.”
Kolby’s story is representative of the nearly 50 at-risk boys and girls whose lives are being transformed through Jericho’s one-to-one mentoring programs; our vision is to have 100 as we grow.