Dear Hope Springs Community,
As a part of Hope Springs Institute’s 25th Anniversary, we have been asking our friends and supporters to write to us and share their memories of Hope Springs. Hopefully you have been following some of these stories on our website and Facebook page. If you would like to share your own 25 for 25 story, please send your story to Victoria via victoria@hopespringsinstitute.org.
Today, I write to you with a twist on this idea. I want to share with you events and the emotions around, not the last 25 years, but the last 40 days. It was 40 days ago today that the Hope Springs Board of Trustees made the decision to close Hope Springs as a place of community due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the very moment we made this decision, the board and our new Executive Director, Victoria Brown, sprang into action and created a plan for how to sustain Hope Springs during this unprecedented time. I can honestly say, as the President of this Board, I could not be more proud of the efforts of this group and of the extraordinary generosity of time, talent, and treasure from our community as we worked toward the goal of Hope Springs sticking around for the next 25 years.
Our vision at that moment was clear, and it remains the same today, just a short 40 days later:
We will raise enough money via grants, donations, reduced expenses, and new revenue sources to keep Hope Springs open so we can continue to be a place that supports peace and healing on the planet. This is something we need now and will definitely need in the post Covid-19 months.
We developed and are implementing a set of strategies to meet this vision:
1. We will explore all ways to raise money including new internet-based revenue streams, applying for any and all grants and loans we are eligible for, and reaching out to our very generous donor community to ask for help in this time of need.
2. We will take care of our amazing staff during this financial hardship.
3. We will maintain the land of Hope Springs as we move through this unprecedented time.
4. We will look for ways to contribute to our community in safe ways.
5. We will seek alternative ways to create wealth for Hope Springs.
Given all that we did not know at the time, we believed we would need between $50,000 and $80,000 to keep Hope Springs Institute viable through the summer and potentially into the fall. Through the generosity of many of you, our beloved community members, we have raised nearly $30,000 of this goal to sustain our operations. This is amazing! It will, however, not be enough to continue to be open if we do not get substantial Small Business Loans and PPP loans for which we have applied.
Today, on this 40th day of our closure, I want you to consider that it takes about $10,000 per month just to keep the doors open without programs and retreats coming in. We have been blessed to have many donors pledge in big and in small ways. We have, not surprisingly, had some programs and retreats cancel on the anticipation of what may happen with this pandemic. As you can imagine, we are also working to reduce expenses in every way we can. Yet, it is nearly impossible to project how much and for how long we will need to support Hope Springs so she can serve so many of us now and in the future.
So, here is the ask… would you consider giving of your treasure to Hope Springs at this moment?
Realizing we all have many financial issues to consider, donations big and small make all the difference in the world!
Perhaps you might honor our 25th anniversary by giving a donation of $25,000 (wouldn’t that be amazing), $2500, $250, or $25. Or please consider giving whatever amount you can. If you are like me, consider a monthly donation of a manageable amount that is sustainable for you and helps Hope Springs tremendously! If what you can give right now is your energy towards Hope Springs being here in the future, send that energy in whatever way you do!
As I write this letter, I do realize that we are all going through such incredulous times. More than anything else, I hope that you are safe, you are well, and you are finding your peace during this time. We will all make it through this moment and I look forward to that wonderful day in the not so distant future when we can come together and celebrate Hope Springs’ 25th Anniversary. I look forward to us being in physical community together once again.
Sending love and peace to all,
Cindy
Cindy Bass
President, Hope Springs Board of Trustees