The Zukowski Family Foundation End of Year Letter 2013 Every holiday season, as the year begins to wind down and the festivities begin to ramp up, I am reminded that it really is “the most wonderful time of the year.” It is a time where we have the opportunity to catch up with family and friends, a time where we can catch our breath and recharge our batteries, and a time where we can reflect on our accomplishments and start to align our sights for the upcoming New Year. If we had to summarize 2013 with just one word, that word would be “AMAZING!” Amazing because it was a year filled with transition, growth, rapid changes, and new learnings. This past year we focused on discovering additional ways in which we could broaden our footprint and make a difference in many more lives. As a foundation, we challenged what we already knew in order to grow and to better serve the community. We raised our expectations of everyone involved in our cause because we know that there is still more that we can be doing to help reach a greater number of children in need. These are children for whom it’s not “the most wonderful time of the year.” Many find it difficult to make ends meet and to have their daily basic needs met. We can easily forget that what we consider essentials to the holidays are luxury items for many families who have to choose between, food, shelter, electricity and holiday cheer. These families struggle to create the magical, loving season of warmth and celebrations. In challenging ourselves we proactively reached out and partnered with schools and social workers to identify areas or gaps where we could use Zukowski Family Foundation funds as well as our resources (feet on the ground, volunteers and board members) to lend a hand and make a difference. Thanks to many of our volunteers and board members who personally shopped, and delivered groceries and other essentials, we were able to spread a little holiday cheer and warmth to more than 50 children and their families. I would like to personally thank George Reed, Tom Banas, Paula Banas, Michelle Luba, George Bikakis and Amy Radke for their personal involvement and their commitment to helping our foundation make a difference. While this is a wonderful start by no means have we reached our goals, if anything we are now inspired to do more. We will look at 2013 as our starting point and a first step on a journey of a thousand miles. I very much look forward to reporting back to you next year regarding the continued progress we made in 2014 on this important, impactful area. We remained steadfast and unchanged in many areas of our foundation, such as our scholarship award program, our dedication and commitment to working with organizations that directly work with terminally ill children, children without homes and families and children affected by military circumstances. None of our accomplishments would have been possible without the record-setting donations and pledges that we have received from across the country. We were involved with a number of fundraising events for the Zukowski Family Foundation that helped to increase our funds for this fiscal year. It is still, however, the commitments from individuals and companies that fuel the possibilities for our foundation. We are extremely appreciative for the multi-year commitments we have received and we are humbled and grateful for your continued support of our vision and mission. Once again I am thrilled to announce that since the inception of the Zukowski Family Foundation in 2008, our family has been able to match all contributions made in 2013. Our board of directors continues to give their time and insights to nurture the foundation and create opportunity for it to grow. I am blessed to be surrounded by a great board of directors, comprised of: Joe Proulx Ph.D, Todd Shaw, Tom Banas, Paula Banas, George Reed, and my wife Cheryl. I am thankful for their time, energy, and determination to conquer new challenges and create new opportunities. Thanks to their dedication, along with the selfless work of many volunteers we continue to ensure 100% of all donations will go to helping those in need. Lastly, to all who contributed your time, your dollars, your thoughts and well wishes, please accept my heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for being a part of this special journey and more importantly, thank you for helping us make a difference in so many children’s lives. Please consider joining our efforts in helping us reach more children in 2014 by making a tax-deductible contribution. All amounts of any size are greatly appreciated. Donations can be made by check payable to The Zukowski Family Foundation and mailed to P.O. Box 3034, Parker, CO 80134, or feel free to visit us online at ZukowkiFoundation.org to find out more about our mission or to make an online donation through a secure network. From all of us here at the Zukowski Family Foundation, we wish you a blessed, happy, healthy, and prosperous 2014.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 02:59:41 +0000