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Today’s the BIG day! Thousands of people will come together for 24 hours of online giving during Nevada’s Big Give. You don’t have to live in Nevada to participate and doing so is as easy as point, click, give! While we know you have many charities to choose from, we humbly ask that you choose to support Hope for Hearts’ mission to lift children from poverty to prosperity by providing a hand up through education.

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Looking for a reason to donate? We’ve got 10!

10. We depend 100% on private donations. Every donation, large or small, supports our mission to educate up from poverty to prosperity. Here are just a few examples of where your money goes!

• $25 provides two children a month of meals
• $120 purchases a sewing machine
• $240 one child, one year of education
• $625 feeds 50 for a month
• $1,200 sponsors five children for the entire year

9. We get results! 90% of children in our program achieve their dream of living a self-sufficient life

8. This profile of prosperity. Ategeka Margarat “Maggie’s” parents died of HIV/AIDS. A young girl with no family, she was led into a life of prostitution. Maggie flourished in Hope for Hearts Hospitality in Training program and is now self-sufficient, working in housekeeping at a resort in Lake Country.

7. Helping children in Uganda lift themselves from poverty to prosperity through education is a step towards world peace! Read how your donation can help break the cycle of poverty and terror in Uganda in this blog. https://hope4hearts.org/2015/04/03/on-ending-the-cycle-of-poverty-and-terror/

6. Najjuuko Resty “Kalisizo’s” transition from poverty to prosperity. After her mother died of AIDS and her father spent his time drinking in bars, Kalisizo was forced to work for free as a maid and lived on the streets of Kampala, begging by day and prostituting by night. Through the skills she learned in our Seamstress in Training program, Kalisizo is now self-employed living in St. Balikuddembe.

5. You can make your dollar go further by helping us win some extra prizes! This year, Nevada’s Big Give has monetary prizes for charities that raise the most dollars and/or have the most unique donors. Please spread the word to your friends!

4. This girl who sought an education for a chance at a better life. Nassonoko Kirabo Annet lost her father at an early age and was raised in poverty in a slum called Ndeeba. Her family could not afford to pay for school and she was forced to abandon her education. Annet wanted to learn so she went to St. Elizabeth’s Girls’ Academy looking to better her life. She received counseling and entered the catering vocation. Annet passed her final exams and is now working as a waitress and caterer in Best Hotel Busega.

3. This year St. Elizabeth Girls Academy, the school that inspired the creation of Hope for Hearts and provides a hand up for more than 300 children every year, celebrated it’s 18^thAnniversary. Help us celebrate by donating $18 or more!

2. Not only do we support children in our schools, we also support local Ugandan women in the communities around them. Each handmade Kambulago, or necklace, we sell to support our schools was handmade and purchased from a woman in Uganda.

1. Here’s the number one reason you should donate – actually, we’ll give you 2. That’s the number of schools we’re currently providing for in Uganda!

With Gratitude,
Cristen

February marks the 18^th Anniversary of St. Elizabeth Girls Academy (SEGA) – one of the schools supported by Hope for Hearts. In fact, SEGA is the reason Hope for Hearts exists. In 2007 I met Father Muggaga Lule while he was serving as the vocation director at my church. He shared with me his important work in raising thousands of dollars for the education of SEGA’s residents in his hometown of Kampala, Uganda. When I heard about these young orphaned girls barely surviving on the streets, my children and I set out to help.

What started out as church donut sales and proceeds from my children’s lemonade stand blossomed into the non-profit we are today. Through your support, we have been able to provide amazing support. Take a look at some of the highlights!

• New roof
• Rainwater filtration system
• Basic necessities monthly
• Additional sewing machines
• Vocational programs that generate revenue to help offset expenses
• Increase the number of children receiving an education – a second school was added in 2015

But most important, your support provides these children with a hand-up to education. Whether these children are attending school or placed in a training program, they eagerly want to learn and better their lives.

SEGA has been serving orphaned children in Uganda for 18 years, and with no solution in sight to the systemic problems affecting education and poverty in Uganda – there’s more work to do. Like many organizations focusing on Uganda, we provide an excellent stopgap until a solution is created.

In celebration of SEGA’s 18^th anniversary, I’m asking that you join me in making a donation to help us continue to provide these important services to children in conflicted areas like Uganda.

With Gratitude,
Cristen

This February love is truly in the air. Not only will couples celebrate their love for one and other on Valentine’s Day, but many will make the ultimate commitment and say “I Do” during National Wedding Month. This year, the month of love gets a little something extra as it’s a leap year. While Valentine’s Day is typically the busiest day in February for weddings, on leap year Feb. 29 gets added to this list. Perhaps couples choose leap day so it’s harder to forget their wedding date, economically they don’t have to pay for anniversaries each year, or perhaps they just want to make their special day a little more special.

In the spirit of love and weddings, here are a few fun facts:

• The average engagement ring costs $4,411.
• The average American engagement lasts 16 months.
• Las Vegas is the top wedding destination with 100,000 weddings taking place every year. Hawaii comes in second with 25,000 weddings per year.
• The average wedding has 5 bridesmaids and 5 groomsmen.
• The average cost of a wedding is roughly $26,000.

Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, a wedding, or both – we have the perfect option for gift giving during the month of love.

When you buy a necklace, or “kambulago”, from Hope for Hearts, you’re not just getting a piece of jewelry, you’re providing hope for an orphaned child in Uganda. A Hope for Hearts necklace is the gift that gives twice. The recipient receives a beautiful, handmade necklace and an orphaned child in Uganda receives an opportunity to turn her life around. Talk about girl power!

Kambulagos make a fun, affordable gift for bridesmaids, significant others, children, teachers, etc. Additionally, when given to/from children for Valentine’s Day, parents can also use it as a lesson to show how love comes in many different forms and the ability to spread that love even farther through charitable gifting (buying gifts that also support non-profit causes).

These eco-friendly necklaces are handmade from recycled paper and come in a variety of colors, ensuring that each necklace is truly one-of-a-kind (as a bonus, you can match the color to your wedding theme). Available in 16”, 19”, 24” and 36” single or triple strands (approximate length when beads are placed around the neck) each necklace costs $15-30 plus shipping. There’s even a heart-shaped one that is perfect for Valentine’s Day!

This February, whether you’re getting ready to say “I do” or say “I Love You”, don’t forget to share that love and hope with those in need.

With Love,
Cristen

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