This month we are celebrating 15 years of restoring hope! On May 1, 2001, our significantly smaller staff peered through the blinds of the office as our first child arrived on our campus. They all rushed out to greet a little girl, no older than five. This little girl carried with her a small bag of her few prized possessions. Thus began our journey of rescuing children and youth from unimaginable situations to provide them with hope and healing and a loving environment.

It is truly fitting that this month we celebrate 15 years of serving the foster children and youth in our community, as May is National Foster Care month. In the last 15 years we have been blessed to serve nearly 10,000 lives. Today we care for over 265 foster children and youth on a daily basis! This is only made possible through the gracious provision of the Lord and the generosity and compassion of our faithful supporters.

We are blessed with amazing supporters who have done remarkable things over the years to help us spread awareness and raise funds! We have had men climb to the top of a mountain; others have run marathons; businesses have hosted “Sip and Shops” in their stores; a nine year old donated his birthday money and a couple had their wedding guests donate to Place of Hope in lieu of gifts! This month we would like to do something awesome to celebrate not only our birthday, but all of the amazing people who have rallied around our mission.

In the month of May we are asking you to #dosomethingawesome! We are asking you to partner with us, think outside of the box and work together as a team to make a difference in the lives of the youth we serve. Every act is significant and can make a huge impact! The coolest part is that every dollar raised is matched through our One Life Matching Fund.

The possibilities are endless. So whether you organize a “Denim Day” at your office or host a dance-off with your friends, you can be a part of our #dosomethingawesome challenge.  If you take us up on the challenge, please be sure to let us know! You can post a picture on social media with our hashtag: #dosomethingawesome. Thank you in advance for helping us celebrate a monumental birthday!