Try to stay healthy and enjoy life.
Those are the resolutions for the new year and the wish for everyone else from Rich Ribando, president of the Help Them To Hope campaign, which closes another year.
The annual HTTH holiday fundraiser ends with a total of $32,083.
That amount will be disbursed this year to local agencies chosen by the board based on how well they meet the needs of those who seek assistance — be it the homeless, underprivileged families or children.
Ribando, a former News-Sun publisher who retired in 2006, said the HTTH Board of Directors never sets a goal, for they recognize it’s the residents of Lake County who know what and when they can give.
While this year was tough, he said, being in recovery mode from the impact of the pandemic, inflation, gas prices and more, still people made donations.
“American people are pretty resilient, and they never forget charity,” Ribando said.
“Gratitude and pride” is what the HTTH team feels at the start of 2023. Gratitude toward the donors who thought of others. And pride for going 63 years without ever using a penny from those donations for the costs of the organization.
One of the chosen agencies to receive HTTH donations in 2022 was Catholic Charities-Lake County. Throughout the years, it has been the benefactor of other HTTH campaigns.
“It truly takes a village,” said Catholic Charities spokesman Phil Zepeda. “We’re so grateful to the donors and to HTTH. It’s notable they’ve been doing this work for decades.
Another organization that wishes to thank the campaign and the donors is the Mothers Trust Foundation, which in 2022 served 2,500 children with more than $5,000 in grants for new clothing, summer camp, school fees and other educational expenses, as well as baby items, according to executive director Paula Turelli.
“Our funding partners, like Help Them to Hope, have made it possible for Mothers Trust Foundation to be a trusted resource in Lake County for 25 years,” Turelli said. “MTF celebrates our 25th anniversary this year, and this campaign helps us begin this milestone year strong.”
Since HTTH went public in 1959, more than $2.6 million has been raised and awarded to established Lake County agencies.
The campaign runs all year with donations highlighted daily in the newspaper during the HTTH season, from the weekend after Thanksgiving through early January. Contributions made during the course of the year are published in the first HTTH listings after Thanksgiving.
Donations can be made through the www.helpthemtohope.com website’s PayPal option.
