Dear Shepherd's Hope Friend:

The numbers are in; the results have been tallied and all I can say is, "Shepherd's Hope is indeed blessed!"

I know you will join me in marveling at the numbers and statistics from 2011. I never lose sight these accomplishments are not even a possibility without the generous donations of time and talents of our dedicated volunteers or the unparalleled generosity of our community partners or the conscientious giving of our faithful donors.

Whether you've supported Shepherd's Hope patients by your presence, gifts, abilities, volunteer hours or prayers, you have done so in abundance and we are ever so grateful.

Now, on to the accomplishments of 2011!

• Our community partners have provided astonishing services to our patients. With diagnostic tests to enable our practitioners to determine or rule out diagnoses, and with additional medical care they have provided, the dollar value has exceeded (are you ready for this?!) more than $12 million! Add in the values of our incredible volunteers and the donated spaces we are blessed to share, and it measures at nearly $16 million of in-kind donations in 2011! Is that not amazing? It's also another way to say that for every dollar donated, it is matched by almost $16 in-kind.

• The Dr. Donald N. Diebel, Jr. Shepherd's Hope Health Center moved last year to new accommodations at Faith Assembly Church of God. In addition, Walker Middle School underwent extensive construction. Since the safety of our volunteers and patients is paramount, that Shepherd's Hope health center location was closed for 10 weeks. Nonetheless, 17,522 patient visits were provided in 2011, and we have no doubt this number will grow in 2012.

• If these numbers don't have you thrilled, consider that our latest audited figures (2010), indicate that for every $1 donated to Shepherd's Hope, 88 cents is directly attributable to patient care, or, in other words, only 12% is for administrative costs, a very enviable ratio.

• We netted more dollars at our special events in 2011 than the past five years, a testament to our sponsors, participants and remarkable committee members! Mark your calendars for our 2012 dates: July 12-13 for our 12th Annual Doc Rivers Celebrity Golf Invitational and our 13th Annual Famous Faces Masquerade Ball on October 20. We want to break more records!

Looking ahead to the balance of 2012, we're executing plans of action to reduce the number of patients turned away, increase our number of practitioners, enhance our efficiency with new technologies, expand our Longwood Health Center, renovate our Central Administrative Office space, and continue to explore opportunities to build our capacity and grow our resources.

Our challenges in this year, and no doubt beyond, include meeting the ever-increasing medical need of uninsured men, women and children in Central Florida. Shepherd's Hope is committed to helping them.

Now that you have read through these 2011 accomplishments and caught a glimpse of our 2012 expectations, accept with heartfelt thanks your role in making it all possible--you are a Face of Hope!

With sincere gratitude,

Cathy Benson

President