Looking Forward to 2023!
Before we start our look ahead to 2023 (I do realize we are a month into 2023), there are a couple of housekeeping issues to discuss:
- I accidentally sent out all of the tax receipts from 2022 before we were ready to send them out! I thought I was sending myself a test email and it turns out I sent out receipts to our entire email list...twice. The real ones will be sent out soon, and sorry for the inconvenience.
- Our fundraiser is coming up on Saturday March 4! That is only 1 month away, and we need to people there! You can purchase tickets for $75/each by clicking here, Purchase an 8-person table to fill with your friends and family by clicking here, or be one of the sponsors for our event for $1,000 which includes an 8-person table and advertising for your business by clicking here.
As you know, our annual fundraiser is a big part of our giving each year, and we are so thankful for everyone who is a part of it. When we look forward to 2023 for All Things New, however, we are looking forward more in terms of what is next for our kids and our organization.
The first thing is that we are praying, and we need you to join us. There is so much happening in the country, and so far it has stayed largely away from our kids and our employees. They have stayed safe. However, as things continue to get worse in Haiti, we continue to pray harder for our kids. Please join us in praying for safety and protection as we also try to ensure our kids move forward in school and in life.
We are also trying to speak encouragement to our kids. Imagine living in a country where gangs have taken over, commerce is almost nonexistent, and people that you know and care about cannot find money to go to school or even to eat. That is the world that our kids are in right now, and the discouragement that comes from that is very difficult to overcome.
With Yolmenda and Herbison close to graduation and the majority of our kids in 9th grade or higher, the prospects for their future do not look great. Many of the initiatives that we were starting 3 and 4 years ago have been placed on hold until the country is safe enough to visit.
Our hope for 2023 is that our kids continue to be hopeful for their futures. That we can step in and support them in new and creative ways and that we can help them figure out what their lives will look like as they transition into life outside of ATN and beyond.
I remember when I was about to graduate high school and go to Georgia Tech. My future was bright. I felt like if I really wanted to do something, I could do it. That type of future has been taken away from so many people.
In 2023, whatever this might look like, our goal is to make sure our kids have that type of hope and that type of future. The belief that they can accomplish anything. Join us this year in figuring out how to make this happen for every single one of our kids and our employees!