Top 10 Highlights of 2009

    by Spark Ventures Jan 7, 2010

    2009 was another great year for Spark Ventures and our partner in Zambia as, with your support, we were able to complete the construction of a school, hire 3 new teachers, finish a new orphanage house and provide 45,000 meals all to help vulnerable children in Zambia achieve their potential. Those are just  a few of the highlights from 2009. We narrowed 2009 down to our top 10 and you can watch our "Top 10 Highlights of 2009" video on our blog or below. Here's the full list of our Top 10 Highlights of 2009:

    10.

    New Teachers

    3 new teachers were hired at Hope Community School to continue to increase the quality of education being provided.

    9.

    Sponsorship Growth

    52 children were sponsored in 09 providing connection as well as access to education, meals and medical care.

    8.

    Hope House

    16 kids (and 2 house mothers) are now in a new building on the same property as the new Shelby Goldstein Schoolhouse.

    7.

    Spark Blue

    275 people attended Spark's fall event at the Chicago Cultural Center and $6,000 was raised from the silent auction alone!

    6.

    Water Well Project

    Thanks to a generous investment, Spark was able Spark was able to dig a water well and build a water tank for Hope Ministries, which will give them year round access to clean water.

    5.

    5 Visits to Zambia

    3 Transformation Trips and 2 staff/board visits to Zambia provided critical support in areas from medical care to leadership and management training, all in an effort to strengthen our partner and their work with the children.

    4.

    45,000 Meals Served

    The year round meal program through Hope Community School continues to grow, improve and be one of the most effective efforts to strengthen and improve the health of the children we serve.

    3.

    Successful Campaign

    Over $300,000 was raised in last year's Igniting Hope/Building a Future campaign which led to #2...

    2.

    Building of School

    The Shelby Goldstein Schoolhouse was completed in December and opened in January to provide a better educational experience to more than 300 children in the Twapia (Zambia) community.

    1.

    You!

    All of our highlights and accomplishments are only possible because of the valuable support we receive from you. So on behalf of our partner in Zambia and the children we serve together, Thank You!