WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE ARE GOING
Leadership Update
After decades of faithful service, our founders Curt and Helen Braun have stepped down from the Board. Curt poured his heart into building personal relationships with so many of you from the very beginning. His legacy remains the foundation we continue to build on today. The remainder of the original Board remains intact, including Shelley DeVault, Dale Lommasson, Peter Khoo, Xiou Xiou.
In June 2024, the Board entrusted the role of Chair to Wendi Akers, who brings a deep commitment to our mission and a clear vision for the future. We know that for some, change can feel bittersweet, and we are deeply grateful for your continued trust as we walk forward together.
From Poland to Zaporizhzhia: How Your Coats Reached Children in Need
In just eight weeks, your generosity has traveled a long road. Three hundred forty (340) winter coats were purchased from three different suppliers in Poland—children’s sizes from one supplier, teen and adult sizes from two others. Lana, our Volunteer & Program Coordinator at Grace & Hope for Children, orchestrated all these orders to arrive at one location near Warsaw. From there, a minibus driver carried the coats across the Polish–Ukrainian border to his hometown in western Ukraine, and then on to a courier service that ferried them the rest of the way to Zaporizhzhia.
The photos tell the story better than words: jackets stacked high in a Polish warehouse, then being unloaded in Ukraine, lined up in a simple hall, and finally zipped around the shoulders of children. It took several days to distribute everything—checking sizes, matching colors, making sure each child received a coat that truly fit. What began as online orders and tracking numbers became something tangible and warm in the hands of local caregivers and church partners.
By the time the last coats were handed out, fatigue was setting in. Our partners wrote that everyone had been under a heavy load all week. People worked their regular jobs and then ran to help dress the children. One volunteer is currently in active treatment and comes to help after her IV infusions; another is still in recovery after cancer. Yet they keep showing up. That’s the kind of quiet courage your gifts are supporting. Thank you for making it possible for us to stand alongside them—and please continue with us as we help Ukrainian children and caregivers face this winter together.
