As 2008 winds to its close and the Christmas Season approaches, it is an important time for us at Enterprise Mentors International to express gratitude for blessings received and to reflect on our accomplishments of the year.
I am grateful in every sense for the numerous families, businesses, and individuals who have invested sacred funds and valuable time for this amazing cause. I am energized by the enthusiasm and commitment of so many people. Thank you for reaching out to families across the world who have known the despair of poverty and have now been lifted to self sufficiency with your help.
Mentors has been working on alleviating poverty for 18 years. This year alone we have been able to lift more than 31,000 families from poverty with a hand up and not a hand out. Additionally, we hosted our most successful gala ever in November and celebrated our efforts with many of you, our dearest friends. We have also been working on laying a foundation for future growth this year, which has included the installation of sophisticated management information software in some of our partner organizations. We plan to complete installation of this system in all our partners in the coming year.
Because of some of these efforts we are seeing significant efficiencies in our partners. These economies are spurring new growth and savings. For instance, we have increased repayment of our loans this year to 96-percent. Moreover, many of our partners have experienced impressive growth in the numbers of clients served. Our partner in Manila, Philippines has grown from serving 12,000 clients in January 08 to nearly 20,000 clients in December. This growth will set the stage for us to serve tens of thousands of new clients in the near future.
It is our hope in the years ahead to enter new countries, expand our services to the poor, and to grow exponentially. With your continued support we can do it! Again, for those of you who have contributed this year – thank you! If you have not yet taken an opportunity to contribute, we urge you to do so. It will be the best gift you could give yourself as well as a family less fortunate.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
In deep gratitude,
Mark L. Petersen
President and CEO
I am grateful in every sense for the numerous families, businesses, and individuals who have invested sacred funds and valuable time for this amazing cause. I am energized by the enthusiasm and commitment of so many people. Thank you for reaching out to families across the world who have known the despair of poverty and have now been lifted to self sufficiency with your help.
Mentors has been working on alleviating poverty for 18 years. This year alone we have been able to lift more than 31,000 families from poverty with a hand up and not a hand out. Additionally, we hosted our most successful gala ever in November and celebrated our efforts with many of you, our dearest friends. We have also been working on laying a foundation for future growth this year, which has included the installation of sophisticated management information software in some of our partner organizations. We plan to complete installation of this system in all our partners in the coming year.
Because of some of these efforts we are seeing significant efficiencies in our partners. These economies are spurring new growth and savings. For instance, we have increased repayment of our loans this year to 96-percent. Moreover, many of our partners have experienced impressive growth in the numbers of clients served. Our partner in Manila, Philippines has grown from serving 12,000 clients in January 08 to nearly 20,000 clients in December. This growth will set the stage for us to serve tens of thousands of new clients in the near future.
It is our hope in the years ahead to enter new countries, expand our services to the poor, and to grow exponentially. With your continued support we can do it! Again, for those of you who have contributed this year – thank you! If you have not yet taken an opportunity to contribute, we urge you to do so. It will be the best gift you could give yourself as well as a family less fortunate.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
In deep gratitude,
Mark L. Petersen
President and CEO
