The first phase of a two stage process has been completed at both Pole Green Park and Poor Farm Park. It has been a community coming together to reach out to others. If you haven't been to one of the parks, you're missing something - this truly exemplifies "people caring about people".

 

Help from Across the Country

Our friend and supporter Kipp Klupacs of Denver, CO, put his endurance to the test for Operation Hope by turning his 2009 Denver Marathon run into a 26.2 mile-long fundraiser.

While raising donations for the MS150 bike ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society two years in a row, Kipp found that many people he spoke with had either a friend, relative or colleague affected by MS. His own business customer, Dana Nelson, shared his experiences with MS and how that led to the founding of Operation Hope.

In turn, Kipp set out to raise funds for our playgrounds by asking friends to sponsor his marathon run. In addition to his own donation, he challenged his sponsors to pay $1 if he finished the race, $5 if he finished under 4:59:59, $10 if under 4:49:59 and $15 if he ran his best marathon time ever – under 4:40:00.

Kipp blew his initial goal of raising $300 for Operation Hope out of the water with more than $1,000 in donations – and a great marathon finish at 4:52:16.

Congratulations on the great finish – And thanks to you and your sponsors for the long-distance support!

 

Cool Spring Elementary School Makes a Difference

This past school year Cool Spring Elementary School chose Operation Hope as a community project to which they would raise money to make the all accessible playgrounds a reality. In March they held a sale and auction of student art work. Each class made an item, they ranged from decorated frames to ceramic bird houses. The crowd of over 600, attending for dinner and the sale, was brought into fierce competitive bidding by parent auctioneer Charles Hines. This sale raised over $6,400.00. Skip Rowland, Herald Progress photographer, covered the event for his recognized and appreciated "In Our Backyard - a weekly look at life in Hanover County". Mr. Rowland has won two 1st place and two 2nd place awards in the Virginia Press Association competition this past year. In reflection on how he could give back, he feels that of all the programs he has covered that Operation Hope has struck him the most. Mr. Rowland will be donating money from his sales of reprints and calendars to Operation Hope.

Visit Skip Rowland at www.skippix.biz/IOB.

Cool Spring Elementary School has raised over $8,000.00 this year. The faculty, students, and their parents are truly reaching out to touch the lives of others and they have inspired others to make a difference in Hanover County.

View photos from the sale and auction.