Dear Friends, 2007 was again a very busy year for Caring Hearts, Inc but it was also another wonderful year of people coming together to help one another. There is so much goodness in this world and so many people who care, and we had the great pleasure of working with hundreds of them as they stepped out to help their fellowman in time of need and crisis. So, from the private individual who did and gave what they could, to the private and large businesses that supported us in our efforts to help and encourage those in need, THANK YOU! Our mission again this year was to reach out and encourage people who were going through very difficult and emotional times in their lives. Your support helped us to continue on that mission, here in the United States and around the world. NEW OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS IN 2007 *Extension of our partnership with Isaiah 6:8 to bring aid and encouragement to children who are imprisoned or poor. *"Kelly's Upside Down Ball" is an organization we partner with to reach out to families who have a child with Down Syndrome and cancer. *"The Little Missionaries" a group of 4-7 year old children we partner with who go into the hospitals, nursing homes and special events to reach out and encourage people who are going through difficult times in their lives. *Distributed tens of thousands of new items that CHI had acquired to other non-profit organizations in the local area to help further their ministries and out reaches, (groups included: Isaiah 6:8, the Salvation Army, St. Marys Nursing Home, the Humane Society, several local church youth groups, vacation Bible schools and summer camps). *Partnership with a church group reaching out to the poor in their community *re-organization and extension of our Disaster relief program so that it will run more effectively allowing our respond time to a disaster zone to be faster. *Increased local food outreach and began feeding program in one of our overseas mission areas. *Increased local assistance as funds were available for those needing financial help due to illness or disaster. *Partnered with a program called Soldiers Angels sending to Germany hundreds of items for our wounded American soldiers in the hospitals over there *Partnered with Abbas Place, an inner city mission in Jacksonville Florida, helping to provide hygiene products, food and Bibles to the poor and homeless. Highlights in 2007 People are always asking to hear the highlights of what we do. We work with thousands of people who are suffering and need our help. Daily we look into the eyes of despair and our job is to let them look into the eyes of hope. For some it may be comfort they seek, others emotional or physical support but in almost all cases they are seeking to know that God has not forgotten them. When we are able to share that message and the person knows that the Lord loves them, that moment becomes the highlight as that person gains a peace they have not had . We had thousands of those kinds of highlights this year. Holding a dying child in your arms before they die can never be considered a highlight but a statistic. But holding a dying child who is afraid that they did something so terrible that God is punishing them and does not love them, and being able to help them understand that just the opposite is true, and to see the relief and peace come across that child's face, that is the highlight. Filling a hungry child's stomach and their parents and letting them know God loves them and they believe, that is the highlight. To be able to bring light in to the darkness of peoples lives, that is the highlight. To bring hope where there is none, that is the highlight. To share love with the loveless, that is the highlight. And to watch all the volunteers and those who support the mission come forward to help others in need, that is the highlight. So if you are looking for highlights for 2007, know that tens of thousands of people were encouraged for the Lord this year, whether they were held or hugged before dying, during an illness, clothed when they were naked, fed when they were hungry, comforted in their hour of despair or assisted in their hour of need. But if you are looking for statistics we will provide you with some of those below. SICK AND DYING OUTREACH MINISTRY(2001-2007) *Ministered to over 30,000 families who have seriously ill and dying children. Organizations requesting our assistance, over the past years, include but are not limited to, Children's Hospital, Uniting Tube Fed Children, Spina Bifida, Downs Syndrome Foundation, Children With Any Disability, Camp Angel and Camp Teen Angel, Kelly's Upside Down Ball *Ministered to over 9,400 sick and dying patients and their families during weekly visits to S.E. Georgia Regional Medical Center Camden Campus *Participated in in-home visitation to families with sick members and provided medical supplies to hard hit low income families who were unable to afford such things as: ensure, feeding bags for g-tubes, wheelchairs, depends,shower-chairs, bedside toilets, etc *At local families request, we have traveled throughout the southeast for patient visitations *Worked with local and overseas missions in touching lives of countless thousands in the USA, Philippines, Africa, Russia, China, Mexico, Trinidad, Canada, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, and Turkey DISASTER RELIEF/FIRST RESPONDERS(2004-2007) In 2007 we re-organized our relief program to ensure it runs smoothly and to speed up our response time. During the spring/summer fires in S.E. Georgia and N. Florida we were able to assemble and provide 1,000 hygiene bags (by request) to the firemen as they came off the field, thanks to the hard work of the volunteers. The other items that were preassembled for disaster relief and were not used this year, were distributed out to the poor and needy during the fall and Christmas season. Thank you to all the volunteers who work to ensure we would be ready to respond when needed. Past Years statistics: Caring Hearts, Inc. volunteers made 24 disaster relief trips in support of hurricane victims along the Gulf Coast and Florida. During which they: *Distributed over 260,000 relief items(Meals-In-a-Bag, Food, Baby Needs, Bottled Water, Personal Hygiene Items, First Aid Supplies, Bibles, Little Yellow Guys, and cleaning supplies, Etc.) *Organized and distributed 1600 Christmas Candy Gift Bags to students and staff in Coastal Mississippi *2006 provided thousands of items to disaster victims in the Philippines PEOPLE IN NEED OUTREACH(2001-2007) *Fed over 1900 Homeless in Southeast Georgia and North Florida, in addition to supporting area Homeless Shelters *Collected, sorted, and distributed out over 40,000 items of clothing to the homeless, poor and victims of disaster *Provided 1000's of food items to families with a medical or crisis situation *Provided 1000's of food, candy and gift items during the Holiday Seasons to children and adults who had a true hardship that made it financially impossible to buy those kinds of things for themselves and/or the children *In 2007 we increased the amount we were able to help financially with bills due to medical issues and emergency housing FUNDRAISING *This year we held our first annual Chili dinner and auction. Magnolia Manor and Don the chef; Tom the auctioneer; the businesses in town and a few from out of area, as far away as Wisconsin,who donated the items for auction; and all those who came and bought; helped to make it a big success. Thank you to everyone who participate in this event we look forward to the next one scheduled for March 2008 *Georgia Theatre Company again held "Film and Food for a Cause" donating to us 50% of everything they took in that day. Thank you for your support and hard work and generosity. *Ospry Cove Women's Group held their annual fundraiser in support of our organization this year. Thank you to all the people who participated in that and for all the women who have volunteered through that group and have worked to gather needed supplies and anything else we have needed. You all have been a wonderful partner. *United Way & the CFC Campaign have also worked hard to bring in much needed funding for our organization and we thank you to all who have participated and donated to us through these groups. Though fundraising is a vital necessity to our organization, it is the monthly contributers that give foundational support from month to month. So from all those who have provided much needed emergency funding through special fundraisers, to businesses who have chosen to be sponsors, to the churches who have picked us up as a ministry, to the individual who supports monthly, we thank you.Your contributions and support are greatly appreciated. For each one of you has helped in their own very important way to keep the doors open to help thousands of people in need, whatever the need might be. As a Christian organization striving to do God’s work and share His love, we will continue to stand and help those in need. So again, all of us at Caring Hearts, Inc. thank you for your past support and ask you to seek God’s will in continuing to support us in the up coming year. If you also were one of the countless volunteers who helped in any of our events, we greatly appreciate the help, and if you are one of our faithful prayer warriors we thank you and ask that you continue to keep us lifted in prayer. Thank you and God bless, Eve Gonzales, CEO and Founder