June 2014 President’s Report
Those who are happiest are those
who do the most for others.
Booker
T. Washington
Thank you.
Thank You. Thank you.
Dear Donors
and friends: I can’t thank you enough for your tremendous
support of the Host Program during these brief four years. So far, you have
donated over $56,000 to help hard-working students in difficult financial
circumstances to help them graduate high school.
This year, the
Host Program gave out 15 full $1,000 awards and a $500 award to a student who
joined us in February. We supported students in 11 local high schools.
As you have
learned from reading my previous reports, The Board of Directors and I are very
careful about committing funds without a reasonable expectation of donor
support. Luckily, our financial
conservatism has always been exceeded by your generosity. In my presentation to the Board last August,
I projected revenues of about $11,000 for this year. Since we had a good reserve on hand, it
agreed to give out 15 awards. As we
finish our fiscal year, our revenues this year surpassed $20,000! As a result, we are going to take a
calculated risk and give out 22 awards
next year. We are adding seven new
schools, bringing the total to 18. We hope that you will continue to support the
Host Program and that we will be able to grow our base
of supporters.
One very important source of financial support is our
participating schools. Many Parent Councils have provided donations and many of
our schools have undertaken fundraising events in support of the Host
Program. In this Report, I want to
recognize the incredible support offered by St. Matthew High School. One of the two founding schools in the Host
Program, both former Principal Christopher Mes and
current Principal Sylvio Rigucci
have been instrumental in promoting the Host Program within their school
community. Examples:
·
Annual
donations from the Parent Council;
·
The students’ Me
to We program has raised over $3,000 in two years;
·
This year’s graduating
class donated half of its fundraising to the Host Program as a Legacy Project;
·
The English
Department staff donates each Christmas in lieu of exchanging gifts;
·
The Principal
sent an information email to all parents;
·
I was invited
to give a presentation to the staff and to set up an information booth during a
Parent-Teacher Interview night and at their Fashion Show.
An
amazing example of charity at work.
Thank you St. Matts!
As usual, I
have attached a financial statement and excerpts from many of the letters that
I received from our recipients. You can
read every previous President’s Report and excerpts from every letter on
our web site, www.host-program.org.
Please continue
to support the Host Program. Tell your
family, friends, neighbours and colleagues about us. The online donation system on our web site is
a very easy way for donors to make instant or monthly donations. You can also download our Donor Form and mail
your donation directly to us. If you are able to make a payroll deduction
through the federal United Way campaign, select the "Help Our Students
Program" (CRA registration number 81447-4730-RR0001).
Remember: 100%
of your donations go directly to students; your donations are never used for
administration.
I wish you a great
summer (now that it’s finally here.)
Richard Lussier
President
(613) 830-3633