We extend to you our deep appreciation for your interest and involvement in the wonderful work that ASCEND does—changing lives for the better. Because of the participation, volunteer service, and ongoing financial support that each of you give as donors, interns, friends, and expedition participants, ASCEND is able to continue to provide life-changing assistance to the people we serve in developing countries around the world. We hope and trust that your life will be changed for the better as well, and that you will feel a real sense of fulfillment and accomplishment as you continue to assist us in our mission to empower those in need to save their children and ascend out of poverty. With 25 years of experience behind us, we are more excited about the possibilities and opportunities ahead of us than ever before.

The work ASCEND does is complex, challenging, and global in its scope. With operations on three continents in seven countries, four different languages, local customs, differing legal systems, and multiple monetary currencies, the work we do is certainly not easy. But even though our scope and efforts are far-reaching, the difference we make happens one individual, one family, and one village at a time. It is a story of global cooperation and international development, but it is more importantly a story of individuals—the mother whose child remains healthy because of access to clean water, the father who is able to provide for his family because of our business skills mentoring, the young woman who happily rushes home to show her mother that she can read because of the school we helped construct, and the family whose constantly stinging eyes and scratchy throats are eased because our volunteers have helped them build a stove that keeps the cooking smoke out of their small home. Our real work is making lives better—one at a time.

Individuals are not only the focus of our effort, they are the compelling key to our success—individual volunteers who help with program coordination and office responsibilities, individual expedition participants and longer-term interns who sacrifice time and resources to serve in the countries we work, and individual donors who contribute generously to help us sustain this important work. To each of you, we express our gratitude for your tremendous capacity, understanding, and love. There is no question that this work changes lives both at home and abroad.

Sincerely,

ASCEND Executive Committee

http://ascendalliance.org/index.php

http://uplej.com/ascend

http://uplej.com/leepadron