December 2009
Dear ,
The first question I am always asked as I travel around the state is, "How is Girls Inc. of New Hampshire doing in these difficult times?" My answer may surprise you - we are flooded with requests for help. Since July we have awarded $192,076 in financial aid, which is $54,372 more than last year at this time. Our dinner club program, which provides free meals to all family members, is currently serving 50 to 60 meals per night. Our buses, which bring the girls from the schools to our Centers, are filled to capacity. In addition to the increased need for help we, like most New Hampshire non-profits, are working hard to reduce the effects of the state budget cuts. We are predicting that we will need to provide $382,000 in financial aid by year end, IF we continue our 35 year tradition of never turning a girl away due to her inability to pay.
Turning a girl away is unacceptable to us. The Girls Inc. of New Hampshire Board of Directors and Management team have taken some very creative steps to generate income through fee for service programs such as catering, corporate partnerships, facility rentals and school prevention programs. During our last fiscal year, ending June 30, 2009, thirty six per cent of our budget, or $592,561, came from these initiatives. In spite of this great success, it is not enough to cover our operations and our current requests for help.
If the numbers alone do not inspire you to be as generous as you possibly can, I am asking you to consider the story of one little girl. Tammy seemed to have overwhelming needs for a nine year old, but she found hope when she walked through our doors. Hope that someone would notice her and someone would care.
Tammy came to Girls Inc. on a summer camp scholarship. Our drivers picked her up each morning and drove her home each night. She was polite, kind and very appreciative of everything we did with her. She would often hug staff without saying a word. It was not long before we noticed things that caused concern for her well being.
Tammy was always sitting alone on the curb of a busy street when we came to pick her up. She began to hide food in her pockets and always took her dinner home instead of eating with the other girls. We soon discovered that her mother was taking her food. We made sure she ate her meal at the center and also gave her food to take home to her mother and brother. We gave her clothes because she wore the same dress for a week. She told us they did not have soap to wash her clothes or her hair. After careful consideration, we reported our concerns to the state. Tammy and her little brother were removed from their home and placed in a wonderful foster care home. When she packed her things to move, her only possessions were her favorite pillow and three cans of food that she had hidden in her bed. She said she would have eaten it cold if she could have opened it.
The amazing thing about Tammy is that, in spite of how little she had, she always thought of her younger brother first. On the last day of camp the foster care mom brought her brother to see us at Girls Inc. Tammy was sitting and eating her ice cream with the other girls when they walked in and, when she saw her brother, she immediately jumped up and offered it to him. Tammy was given all the ice cream she could eat that day!
If we can all learn to be as selfless as Tammy, I am sure that - together - we will be able to answer all of the requests for help - despite the challenging economic times. And, I can guarantee you that your gift will be an investment that reaps many rewards. With the help of our donors, kind and generous people like you - we have provided families with food and heating oil for an entire year, served 3,985 free meals at our dinner program, provided warm clothing for numerous families, furniture for a family whose home was infected with bed bugs, a hearing aid for a single mom, prevention and empowerment programs to 8,500 girls, quality after school care to 625 girls, and summer camp to over 800.
The list goes on and on, but the most important accomplishments cannot be measured in numbers. They are the occurrences that show us we are doing the right things and that we are helping girls achieve their personal best. They are the testimonies of our families, such as the unemployed dad who thanked us for not only feeding his family but also helping him keep his dignity and the respect of his four children; seeing our girls return after they successfully graduate from college - most, the first in their family to ever attend or a moment when one of our girls, who had very little herself, turned to her friend and handed her own holiday gift to her.
I wish you could personally witness these moments in our centers, but since you cannot, it is my hope that you will trust my answer to the question "How is Girls Inc. doing?" My response is that Girls Inc. of New Hampshire and the girls who attend our programs are THRIVING. I invite you to join in this success and keep it going by providing your financial support. As you consider your year-end giving, please take a moment to consider a gift to our Annual Fund which is dedicated exclusively to providing financial aid to those who need it most.
Sincerely,
Cathy Duffy Cullity
Catherine Duffy Cullity, CEO
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2009 Annual Appeal 
