Are You a "Guardian of Hope?" You are if you help preserve and share God's love in the world - one way you can be a Guardian is to help with our mission here at Sanctuary of Hope. Please review this material and consider your role in our major fund-raising effort, the Guardians of Hope Capital Campaign. When you know where we're going, we believe you will want to join us -- to help us be of even greater service to our community. Make no mistake, this campaign is a vital to Sanctuary of Hope's future. Those of us who work at Sanctuary of Hope on a regular basis know and feel the love and awareness of God's presence that can be found here -- and the value to the spiritual health of all those who come here. Thank you for giving thoughtful consideration to the campaign. If you have additional questions, please contact us personally at 913-321-4673 (321-HOPE). 

Sincerely, 
Rev. Dennis Wait, President, Spiritual Director 

We're sure you have some questions....

Q Why does Sanctuary of Hope need to raise funds? 
Short answer: to repair, replace and add to portions of the 100+ year-old facilities that are at or past their useable life expectancy. 

While the facility and grounds have made amazing advances and improvements since we began or renovation efforts in 1996, there are still a number of repairs needed to keep the facility operational, safe and secure.

Q Why are you seeking to make improvements to Sanctuary of Hope? 
In order to meet the needs of individuals and groups who come to use our facilities, especially those here in Kansas City who cannot afford to make a retreat locally or out-of-town, we need to keep our facilities safe, secure and affordable. There are several improvements needed to secure the facility from the effects of weather and wear and tear of 100+ years of use. Primary among these are brick tuckpointing, window repair or replacement, and electrical and plumbing upgrades. We also need to make upgrades to the kitchen facilities to maintain the health and safety standards requirements of the State. Most of our other targeted needs replace worn out or broken equipment or infrastructure that make the place habitable for our live-in staff and our guests.

Q Does Sanctuary of Hope duplicate service provided by other agencies? 
No. Sanctuary of Hope's unique location and ecumenical format allows it to serve portions of the community that other facilities do not serve. Only a handful of retreat facilities such as ours are in operation regionally and nationwide, none of them in the inner city of Kansas City. We believe that we serve a need that would simply go unmet and a constituency that would not be served if we did not exist.

Q Why are Sanctuary of Hope programs important? 
Sanctuary of Hope brings persons into contact with God and each other through our ongoing prayer groups, programs such as our "Healing of Memories", retreats like our "Nurturing the Mom" retreat, our "God's Art of Healing" art program, as well as through our ability to host individual and group day and multi-day retreats. The services we provide allow those who come here to "be still and know God" and that in turn allows them to take that inner stillness with them back to their daily lives and to spread God's peace and love to their families and community.

Q What about persons outside of Kansas City, KS? Will they be served, too? 
Yes! While our focus is on the persons of the inner city of Kansas City, Kansas, many of our visitors and retreatants are from the greater Kansas City area. We have had retreat groups come to Sanctuary of Hope from area schools, churches and social service agencies. We have hosted persons from around the country and even a few from countries outside the U.S. As an example, we recently had visitors from England and India visit us. 

We can also be visited on our website, where a large number of persons send us prayer requests that are lifted up in our staff's daily prayers and by our community's weekly prayer group.

You can visit us in person, you can call Sanctuary of Hope at 913-321-4673, you can fax: 913-321-4321, send us email at info@sanctuaryofhope.org or visit our website: www.sanctuaryofhope.org

Q What services does Sanctuary of Hope offer? 
Sanctuary of Hope provides space for individuals or groups to spend time in retreat from the daily craziness of life. You can contact us for scheduling of private retreat time, bringing a group or organization here for a retreat program that you are planning, or discuss what we can do to help you organize and prepare an individual or group retreat.

Among our amenities and services are:

Q What additional services will be provided with our donation? 
The changes we plan will allow us to more effectively offer our ongoing services. In addition, we will be better suited to provide retreats during the summer season, have staff dedicated to assisting private retreatants with guided retreats, to offer more and varied group retreat opportunities facilitated by our staff. In addition, we can enliven our arts program and begin outreach in other areas of community service. 

Q Where does Sanctuary of Hope get money to operate? 
Sanctuary of Hope is a non-profit, self-sustaining enterprise and receives no tax-based revenues. It relies entirely on our benefactors and retreat related revenue to operate, along with in-kind support from volunteers from our Sanctuary of Hope volunteers and from the community at large (eagle scout projects, volunteer service hours, donated professional labor) The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas provides a $1/year lease for the building and a portion of the grounds. 

Q Doesn't it cost money to have a retreat at Sanctuary of Hope? What happens to those dollars? 
Persons are welcome to visit us at any time, and spend time on our trails or in our chapel at no cost. For a more formal, scheduled retreat, there is a fee. It is those dollars that keep Sanctuary of Hope doors open. They are used to pay operating expenses.

Q Why should I help with this campaign. 
Because it makes sense for you and your neighbors! 

Visit Sanctuary of Hope and begin to understand how time spent with God here can help make you aware of God's presence in all of your life. 

Since beginning operations here in 1996, thousands of people have used our facility and its services. It is one of the few inner city retreat centers.

Giving is always a very personal decision. Hopefully you will want to join other Guardians of Hope to keep this vital resource open and improving. 

Sanctuary of Hope is a source of community improvement. Your support now will put us on course to help others "walk humbly with their God"

Q What percentage of my gift to the capital campaign will be spent on fund raising? 
We wish the answer could be "zero!", but the reality is we do not have reserve funds to invest in a capital campaign -- and it does take money to get your attention and the attention of enough donors to get the job done.

We have spent a portion of our budget to print and mail our Guardians of Hope funds request newsletter for which we have budgeted approximately $1,500. All other funds will be used for the improvement of our facilities. 

Q Will any of my money leave the community? 
No! Sanctuary of Hope is locally owned and operated. Even the equipment and materials we need will be purchased and installed from local suppliers and installers. 

Q Who will benefit from this campaign? 
You. Your community, the persons who come here and the people whose lives they touch after spending time here. 

Sanctuary of Hope is a true community resource and a tourist attraction. It is a resource, we must invest in the update -- or run the risk of losing it. 

Q Are gifts to the Sanctuary of Hope Capital Campaign tax deductible? 
Absolutely! Private gifts and bequests are encouraged and are tax-deductible for income tax purpose subject to the limitation of the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)3. 

Any gift to this project , whether cash, securities or in-kind donations by professionals, reduce the donor's taxable income by the amount of the gift and results in a direct tax saving in proportion to his or her tax bracket. 

Q What are my gift options? 
We encourage pledges to be paid over a three-year period. Gifts other than cash work, too! Capital assets such as stocks, bonds, and real estate may be committed to the project. It is also possible to gift-in-kind related to the renovation of the facilities . 

Every effort will be made to tailor gift commitments to the needs of individual donors. Please call us for information: 913-321-4673. 

Q May I give a gift in the memory of a loved one? 
Yes. This is an especially good way to memorialize a loved one or to honor a person or a group. A number of opportunities have been identified. 

One example is a brick in a planned Sanctuary of Hope memorial sculpture overlooking Interstate 70 and greater Kansas City with the name of you, your group or your loved one(s) on it. Please visit us to view existing memorials or call us for possibilities: 913-321-4673.