Friends of Hope,
In this season of love and light, we wanted to add some of our particular HOPE into the mix. Over this past year, something quite beautiful and student-generated has been emerging from Hope International.
The students and alumni started sharing images on social media of life on campus, photos from sporting events, achievements, losses, celebrations, graduations, student elections, you know, all the stuff that makes a school community. The students began tagging their photos with #WeAreHope.
Each time it is posted the statement is so profound. Yes, they are students at Hope International School, a school that began and continues with a deep dose of Hope. But the additional meaning, that these students, in all that they are doing, are the literal Hope of Liberia.
That alone is a beautiful holiday message. But wait, there is more.
You who are reading this. If we could share a photo of each of you and tag it with “WeAreHope”, we would. While life in the U.S. does not mimic the struggle of our Liberian friends, that does not mean there is no hardship.
These last few years have been, and continue to be, a time of struggle individually and as a nation. We have faced deep health and economic challenges, educational and employment interruptions, disconnection and decreasing mental health. Through all of that, our country continued to share what they had, even while certainty decreased.
On a national level in 2021, people gave 5.1% more money than the year before. You, friends of The Hope Project gave 29% more.
Some of this was for scholarships, or large gifts to build the new building, or COVID relief, or to keep the teachers paid…all of it, each and every penny in support of Liberia’s students who know that they are Hope personified…and so are you.
As economic uncertainty continues to permeate our news cycle and, for some, our reality, the needs of those we have partnered with continue even more profoundly. The only change may be that we feel as though we are not giving out of our extra or surplus but choose to give anyway. Some would suggest that this is the very best kind of generosity. We give up something in order for another to suffer less. How beautiful is that?
Each year, we depend on holiday generosity to provide $20,000 towards our school operations.
Can you join us in meeting this hope-filled need with a holiday gift?
Ways to Give:
Venmo under Charities: @hopeproject_liberia
Check: The Hope Project | P.O. Box 1095 Leavenworth, WA 98826
Questions? Contact us at (509) 699-6307
Wishing you a season that is filled with hope, comfort, and shared purpose.
Together, #WeAreHope.
Jackie Frazier