Caring Gifts of Hope for the Holidays! 
Dear Friends and Supporters:
HOPE. Used as a noun, hope is defined as “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” When used as a verb, hope means “to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.”
Your support makes hope possible. Your support makes it possible for Volunteers of America Chesapeake to lead individuals and families in need to lives full of self reliance, dignity and hope through our ministry of service every day. With this letter is a story of the hope your support has brought about at a Volunteers of America Chesapeake program near you. This is just one example of how your support is changing the lives of the families and individuals in our 26 programs across Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia.
At no other time in the last 80 years has the demand for our services to the homeless, mentally ill, intellectually disabled, aging, those in need of affordable housing and community corrections increased so dramatically as it has in the two past years. Since joining this team in January, barely a day has passed that a new story of hope - like the one you are about to read - was brought to my attention. In 2008, with the help of more than 2,100 volunteers, through our then 21 programs we were able to impact the lives of 8,200 children, adults and seniors throughout the region. For 2009 we anticipate we will have served at least 10,000 people. Ten thousand people served……at a time when the economy has depressed our revenue base while the demand for our services increases daily. We have managed to continue providing for those in our charge, by living out our mission and practicing our core values - CARING, RESPECT, FAITH, QUALITY, and TRUST – in each of our programs daily and managing a very effective business. Now, more than ever before, your participation on the Volunteers of America Chesapeake team as a donor to our annual “Caring Gifts” campaign, will bring those in need the one thing that no one can live without - HOPE.
As you celebrate the joy of the holidays with your loved ones, remember those whose greatest joy this holiday season will be found in the HOPE supplied by a stranger.
During this season of giving, remember the couple, who while expecting their first child, was evicted from their home in Florida and moved to Northern Virginia to live with family. Once in Virginia, they raced to successfully find jobs and just as they welcomed their baby girl into the world, discovered a closed door with their landlord forcing them back into homelessness. Imagine being homeless with their 4-day-old baby girl to watch over. HOPE and faith kept this couple positive – feeling that events will turn out for the best. Their hope and prayers were answered through the Volunteers of America Chesapeake Emergency Shelter which offered them refuge.
Will you provide HOPE through an act of giving this Holiday Season? You can help a family, child or individual in need by sending your tax-exempt donation using the enclosed giving envelope.
Many blessings,
Russell K. Snyder
President and CEO