Fundraiser of the Month

Valerie has been great from the start! She's very consistent, easy-going, and has her heart set exactly in the right place to do this work. She needed a little uplifting and light-hearted gig to balance her daily 9 to 5, and helping the kiddos has filled that void.

I can't believe it took us THIS long to give this award to our Leslie. We think of her as our very own office grandmother with a surprising kick of unexpectedly spicy humor. I don't even think she hits five foot, but her personality and enthusiasm make her giant! Leslie has been through everything with us since the beginning, and has not only helped us fund-raise but has worked in the office helping with operations as well. She's the thoughtful sort that sends e-cards for every occasion and genuinely checks up on us to see how we're doing. We love her to death and she's nothing short of family.

Every once in a while we have a fundraising opportunity that requires a very special type of person. One we know will be agreeable and friendly and has no chance of rubbing anyone the wrong way- fund-raising (no matter how good the cause) can be precarious out there sometimes! Susan has always been one of our go-to's. She does an amazing job, no matter the circumstance, with a wonderful attitude and people just love her!

Jackie is the definition of a "go-getter". If she sees an opportunity, she seizes it and attacks it until she's accomplished what she set out to do. When we asked for her help with more fundraising opportunities she pounced on the challenge and knocked it out of the park. This isn't her first time being recognized for her exceptional effort, and with good reason. Thanks for all your hard work Jackie!

Lori Ann is just, the nicest. That's the conclusion we came to while trying to think of which fundraiser would best represent the Foster Hope, and the decision was unanimous. She came in kicking butt from day one, and you never think twice about where her motives lie- she's got a strong, confident passion for what she does and you know she's in it for the kids. Lori Ann's diligence and reliability are peppered, with a little unexpected spunk that takes you by surprise - in a GREAT way. The gist of the matter is that Lori Ann is phenomenal, and we are so SO proud to have her represent our foundation.

When your mission is to help as many kids as possible, you need all hands on deck . Even at her first interview, Christina made a strong impression and began spit-balling ideas with us on new fundraising ideas, utilizing her experience and connections. In only a few months, she has been a driving force behind several of our successful events and fundraisers, with even more in the works! Her passion and the initiative she takes are inspiring and motivating and our team is so much stronger with her as a part of it!

Dianna is a little ray of sunshine- she brightens up the room, and your day, when she comes in. One of the (many) things I love about her is her unstoppable attitude; regardless of the hurdles she faces she remains humble, determined, and positive and keeps chugging along until obstacle after obstacle has been overcome. She cranked it up a notch recently by hitting our Top 10 list for the first time a few weeks ago, and actually made it back to back two weeks in a row! It's been amazing to see her quick growth over the short period of time she's been with us. Great job Dianna!

Bobbo's personality is larger than life and he's definitely a main character here at Foster Hope. I don't think we'd really be "us" if he wasn't around. You see, Bobbo is the sort of guy that just wants to make people smile. He greets every room he enters exclaiming, "It's the Bobbo!" and exits only after a round of his customary hugs. He works year-round fund raising for us door to door on his bicycle- and if you've ever endured a summer in the land of cactus, you know that riding around in our climate isn't a task for the faint of heart. But that's what Bobbo does every week without complaint, all the while focusing on how he can positively impact the lives of those around him. It's way past due, but we are so grateful for him and honored to name THE BOBBO as our Fundraiser of the Month!

In the 14 months Jay has been with Foster Hope, he has come a LONG way. Relationships are one of our number one priorities at the charity and we're fortunate in that our small size allows us to develop relationships with our fundraisers and truly get to know the people who represent Foster Hope on a personal level. Jay was always dedicated, but he absolutely blossomed after our Spring Refresher course. It's been incredible to see the transformation that has transpired since he had the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by some of our veteran fundraisers. Team work really does make the dream work, and Jay is a prime example of how a little extra attention and inspiration can sling-shot you into success.

If you've ever met Dewey at one of our tables, or anywhere else, you realize very quickly that his positive outlook is unwavering. He is a man with a subtle tenacity, who leaves bravado and ego behind, and shows up to life every day with a "no body bags today, it's a good day" attitude regardless of the hurdles or mountains life throws his way. His resilient spirit is remarkable and his authentic passion for helping the kids is undeniable. We are SO proud and honored to have him represent our foundation, and more so, to have the privilege of calling him our friend. Thank you Dewey, for being such an amazing example of optimism and for sharing your unbreakable spirit, you truly are an inspiration.

The beauty of working for this charity is not only having the opportunity to impact the lives of children, but also to get to know the sort of people who make it their life’s work to do so. Good hearts come in every variation you can think of; Nicole is someone who has a cool, laid-back, artsy vibe and a smart, intuitive, humorous disposition whom we find ourselves shootin’ the breeze with at every check in. We started a little company wide challenge to freshen things up a bit for our fundraisers, and Nicole took it upon herself to start and run her very own supply drive for Foster Hope. . She’s easy (and FUN) to work with and reliable; when someone who is consistently awesome on a daily basis steps up to do even more, well that sort of phenomenon is hard to ignore.

Rhonda started blazing trails the instant she joined our team just about two years ago and continues to be one of the most determined and motivated family members we have (and I truly mean family). Right out the gate we knew she was a firecracker. See, Rhonda is a classy lady with a whole lot of bang and more drive and gumption than you would believe. Her talents are numerous (the woman has an impressive set of pipes- we saw a video of her singing in a Sedona church once and we near about cried) and we just got lucky that she was looking for a side gig and a way to help her community. She's done door to do, tables, location acquirement, and even set up a donation box system with local businesses - she puts her nose to the grindstone and refuses to relent until she's successful. You don't always create a personal bond with the people you work with, but "family" definitely applies in this case; we've developed a sister and a friend over the years (laughing, crying, fighting and growing just like any other flock) and we are so proud and overjoyed to recognize her dedicated work and inspiring successes.

George Sweet joined Foster Hope with a (nearly audible) BANG! When you meet George you know he’s a natural born leader, and it’s easy to see why people are so receptive to his “gentle-giant” manner. In his first weekend he blew away our highest donation records and has continued to be a record setter ever since-in turn allowing us to expand our sights and help even more kiddos. He has been an excellent team player, offering help to everyone who asks him by providing his insight and advice and we couldn’t be happier to have him on board!

Michelle has spent the past 7 years (at LEAST) fundraising for various charitable causes, generally revolving around helping children or animals. She is absolutely what you would call a “giver”, and sports one of the biggest hearts and most humble attitudes of anyone around (we think she apprenticed with the benevolent and revered MT-there’s no solid proof BUT the signs point to “yes”). Her modesty becomes evident at our weekly check ins, when her consistently impressive donations are always met with her own criticism and insistence that she should do better (WE insist she’s doing amazing of course, but a perfectionist is a perfectionist). Michelle is the type that could solve world hunger AND figure out world peace and turn around to insist she hasn’t done a good enough job. In our humble opinions there aren’t enough people in the world like our beloved Miss Michelle (if there were, the great doers of the world would have shifted focus from peace and hunger to solving the mystery of D.B. Cooper’s lost fortune or maybe the Bermuda Triangle) and we are SO grateful to have her on our team, and more importantly as part of our family!

Anyone who has met Vanessa is familiar with the positive, bubbly energy she brings to a room-which is probably why she does so well fundraising for our kiddos! Vanessa likes to put her own cheerful spin on things. This applies across the board from her bright personality and fun self-expression (whether that’s some funky holiday earrings, or colorful eyeshadow) right down to the details of her fundraising table- which is notoriously festive and fun. What we’re trying to say is Vanessa goes all out- getting her own locations, dressing her table up for every occasion, and most importantly her vibrant personality. We’re lucky to have her with us and we’re overjoyed to announce her as our Fundraiser of the Month for November!

Zack came to us as a recommendation from another (phenomenal) fundraiser, so of course we brought him in and welcomed him to the team. (We’re fortunate to work with some outstanding folks, and friends of theirs are friends of ours). It’s only been a couple months, but Zack quickly earned himself a spot in the family. Fundraising is the gig of course and Zack has always done well with that aspect (he’s easily a very likeable dude- super nice and always has some entertaining story about his kiddos). Right off the bat he inquired about more ways to help and set himself apart with his eagerness to contribute more. He’s donated numerous hours of his graphic design skills to help us improve different marketing materials of his own volition. Foster Hope has evolved immensely in the brief year we’ve been around, and it’s a direct result of the collaborative effort of our family (people like Zack!) and the extra elbow grease and ingenuity they offer.

One of the best things about Jason is his easygoing amiable personality. You can always count on him to come into the office after a weekend of kicking butt with his ego in check and his good mood hat on. He’s got that laid back, no frills way about him where he does what he needs to do (exceptionally well might I add) and doesn’t make a fuss about anything one way or another. Conversations with him are engaging and funny; overall, he’s a seriously like-able dude and we imagine that’s why the community responds so well to him out in the field!

Malik has been an absolute rock star since he joined our team! He consistently brings in the highest donations and has a positive personality (and amazing smile!) that's famous throughout our company. He's our own sort of Foster Hope legend and we are overjoyed to name him as our Volunteer of the Month!

Since joining our team in April, Jackie has been absolutely invaluable- relentlessly working for the kids and collecting BIG donations to make a BIG difference. If her dedication to fund raising for the kids wasn't enough, then the impressive initiative she's shown to expand our table program definitely puts her over the top.