To the editor:
The board, staff and students of HOPE feel a special connection to our community after the support shown for our garage-sale fundraiser on April 18.
Our garage sale was a rousing success! Thanks go to all those who donated items to sell, volunteered their time and purchased items. Based on past years, we had set a goal of $1,500 in sales and we actually raised $2,369! Special thanks go to the American Legion who so graciously hosted the event and advertised it on their reader board, and the Langley Chamber of Commerce and ProBuild, who also posted the event on their reader boards. We also want to thank the South Whidbey Record and the Whidbey Daily who put out media releases, Gail Pearce for highlighting our event in her Coldwell Banker Real Estate flyer, as well as our HOPE apprentices from the Langley Middle School who made beautiful signs for us to display on the highway.
HOPE Therapeutic Equestrian Program has the support of so many folks who actively make a difference in the lives of so many that we thought we should also start early this year giving recognition to the overwhelming generosity of our community in 2009.
Special thanks to Carolyn and Jerry Gravo and Donna Mitchell for the use of their covered arenas for our Oak Harbor lessons, and the Island County Fairgrounds for use of their arena and barns for our Langley lessons. Thanks to Craig Justus for building a new mounting ramp for us as part of his Eagle Scout project, to Mary Jane Aurdal for her invaluable professional help with the newsletter, and to Lynn Smith for her prompt, dedicated and thorough job of getting our publicity to newspapers and reader boards. In addition, thanks to our horse sponsors, who donate $100 or more a month to support their chosen HOPE horse or pony.
Our Heroes: $10,000-plus; no one yet this year! Could it be you? Olympic Champions: $5,000-$9,999; Arise Charitable Trust and PayLess Foods. World Champions: $1,000-$4,999; Island Thrift and Whidbey Western Gaming Association. National Champions: $500-$999; Soroptimist International of Oak Harbor. State Champions: $100-$499; John and M. Kathryn Babcock, Diana Bublitz, Edward Butorac, Joanne Keefe, Rotary Club of South Whidbey, Debbie Shirey/A Special Touch Pet Grooming, South Whidbey Kiwanis. Local Champions: Up to $99; Sharon Embleton, Delcy Morrison, Sammye Newman, Sandra Hoffelt Olson, the Riley Family.
In-kind donations: Saddle pads, horse boots, horse medications, board for HOPE horses, adjustments for HOPE horses, lumber for our new mounting ramp, discount on rental/servicing of ADA compliant portable toilets, horse nutritional supplements, horse tack: Marta Berry, Emily Brink, Miriam Burk, Diamond Rentals, Equine N Harmony/Jennifer Odle, Hanson’s Lumber Co., Vicki Howard, Paula Pugh.
We sincerely apologize if we have omitted anyone.
For more information about contributing to HOPE by becoming a volunteer, donating, sponsoring a horse or student, serving on the HOPE board or registering a student for the summer session, call 221-7656, hope@whidbey.com, www.hope-whidbey.org.
Lynn Smith
HOPE
