Annual Report - VINE Faith in Action

Dear friends,
For the most part, this past year was a wonderful one
for VINE. As you review the charts and information
included in the pages of our 2008 Annual Report, you’ll
clearly see that much good was accomplished through
the efforts of our fine volunteers, committed staff and
faithful donors. A record number of people received
a helping hand from our staff and volunteers, and
we’ve included several stories about the impact on our
service.
In May of 2008, we received the unfortunate
news that a long-funded grant for services to help
seniors remain living in their homes ($239,000 or 24%
of our proposed FY 2009 budget) was not funded.
Community members immediately opened their
hearts and checkbooks to VINE, providing us with
emergency funding—and a year of grace—to re-vision
VINE without the hard-earned state grant that we’d
depended on for eleven years.
Under the capable direction of VINE’s board
of directors, we are choosing to remain focused on
the basics upon which the organization was founded.
VINE’s primary calling is to coordinate volunteers and
services to help people with “long-term health needs
or difficult life circumstances.”
Those of us who love VINE and believe in the
importance of neighbors helping neighbors are working
very hard to preserve the organization. We are writing
grants, meeting with potential funders and exploring
every possible means to safeguard the infrastructure
that has been built since 1995. Please continue to
help us now to assure that VINE’s important work can
continue—and pray for VINE that the resources needed
to fulfill our mission will be provided.
Faithfully,
Pam Determan
1
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR’S
LETTER
Pam Determan