22ANNUAL 23 UPDATE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 05 WHY?
99 B a l l o o ns Theory of Change
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HOW?
2022 - 2 0 2 3 Financial Report
08 WHAT ?
Prog r a m ming Overvi ew
10 RECE S S
16 Y e a r s of Impact
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BEFR I E N D
Auth e n t i c Friendships
14 GLOBA L
Chan g i n g the Story Globally
16 ENGA G E + EQUIP
A Mo v e m e n t of Changing the Story
21 JOIN U S
Gene r o s i t y Changes the Story
FROM OUR DIRECTOR I actually believe and think that we can change the world. I can see it. I can envision a world where all are given the same access to spaces and community, to belonging & relationships. I can envision it because I have already glimpsed this happening time & time again through the work of 99 Balloons. Really everything we do at 99 Balloons is pressing to get people with & without disabilities together in the same spaces, to get to know one another & care for one another, we see time & time again that that is where change happens. Building these inclusive communities is everything we long & hope & work for. I always hold the very beginning of 99 Balloons - as well as the long term hope & vision for the organization – close in my heart. Something so personal to me as mother, I truly think everyone should recognize & care about. It all started with my first son, Eliot. As most of you reading these words are familiar with, Eliot had significant disability & he only lived for 99 days. Each one of those days, we beheld him just as he was – we loved everything about him – we celebrated and cared for him and those were the best days. At his funeral we released 99 Balloons, each one representing a day of his life. Each one representing the great joy of who he was, just as he was. Proclaiming Eliot’s worth led us to now proclaim the worth & image-bearing beauty of each & every human being. This was the beginning of 99 Balloons, and it remains today the thread through all we do. And now as the mother of 3 kids, 2 without disabilities & 1 with disabilities, I hope the world around them is an inclusive community for each of them to live a full life within relationships. And this…this is not just a small hope for my family, it is our huge hope & expectation for all of us. But this is not the current story for so many of our friends experiencing disability. As I look to this past year, I see so much goodness, so much of God’s beautiful provision that presses 99 Balloons deeper into changing that story. Year after year after year, Matt & I look at each other & say “the best is yet to come” and year after year after year, it keeps getting better. 2022-2023 was no different. Thank YOU for changing the story with us!
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MISSION BUILDING INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES SO THAT EVERY PERSON WITH A DISABILITY & THEIR FAMILY CAN LIVE A FULL LIVE WITHIN RELATIONSHIPS.
VISION
CHANGING THE STORY OF DISABILITY BY PROCLAIMING THE WORTH AND IMAGE-BEARING BEAUTY OF EACH AND EVERY HUMAN BEING. 04
THEORY OF CHANGE
WHEN PEOPLE WITHOUT DISABILITY GET TO KNOW PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY, THEY START TO CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER.
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11%
admnistration 11%
8%
8%
fundraising
81%
programming 81%
INCOME: $365,736.78 EXPENSES: $295,444.13 06
FINANCIAL REPORT July 2022- June 2023
2022-2023 was a year of significant impact. Looking back over nearly 16 years of 99 Balloons, each season of organizational transition not only produced challenges but also produced amazing encouragement & forward momentum. This past year was no different. We made great strides towards building inclusive communities together. Your financial support drives true life change. Your continued generosity has direct impact on individuals & families moving from isolation into belonging.
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PROGRAMMING OVERVIEW
When you see these balloons on the map, know that it is so much more than a program in a location. Each rEcess or bEfriend site is a place where authentic connection takes place, relationships are forming, & inclusion is happening! 08
RECESS SITES
Birmingham, AL - Montgomery, AL - Bentonville, AR (3) - Fayetteville, AR (3) -Rogers, AR Carlton, VIC, Australia - Anaheim, CA - Davis, CA - Oakville, Ontario, Canada - Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada - Willowdale, Ontario, Canada - Engelwood, CO - Bellevue, FL - Atlanta, GA New Albany, IN - Lyndon, KS - Baton Rouge, LA - Bolivar, MO - Branson, MO - Springfield, MO - St. Louis, MO - Pontotoc, MS - Charlotte, NC - Canton, OH - Tulsa, OK - Brentwood, TN Memphis, TN - Alvin, TX - Dallas, TX (2) - Ft. Worth, TX - Lubbock, TX - San Antonio, TX Hurricane, WV - Green Bay, WI
BEFRIEND SITES
Fayetteville, AR (3) - Rogers, AR - Bentonville, AR - Dallas, TX - San Antonio, TX
LAUNCHING RECESS SITES
Frederick, CO - Indianapolis, IN - Tyro, KS - Tupelo, MS - Pickens, SC - San Antonio, TX - Houston, TX - Rogers, AR - Bentonville, AR
LAUNCHING BEFRIEND SITES
Jacksonville, FL - Tyro, KS - Jefferson City, TN - Springdale, AR (2)
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RECESS IS AN ONGOING RESPITE EVENT MODEL THAT PROVIDES HOLISTIC MINISTRY FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH MEMBER OF A FAMILY EXPERIENCING DISABILITY
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17 YEARS OF IMPACT
Fellowship Bible Church in Fayetteville started off the year launching rEcess, which brought a leadership team of good friends of 99B together. left page - Fellowship Fayetteville's rEcess Leadership Team: left Sam & Michaela Atkinson - Michaela was a former 99B intern & volunteer. middle Daniel & Laura Robards - Served at the very first rEcess in November 2007. right Joe & Becky Fries (site director) - Becky knew & held Eliot, she was also one of the first board members, served at the first rEcess in 2007. Today she works in disability ministry and serves as the rEcess site director for the Fellowship Fayetteville site! not pictured Joel & Cari Addington - Their love story began at another rEcess site! rEcess is beautiful because truly anyone can be part. Stories are shaped because of friendships and we have hope for the future because of them. Now, Becky’s whole family serves at rEcess together and her kids have asked “mom, when is it going to be fall again? we want to know when rEcess starts again!” She shared: “to know that my kids now look forward and love rEcess as much as I do is such a cool thing, to watch how their hearts will be shaped and changed by rEcess in the same way that it impacted me and changed my life.” 11
BEFRIEND BUILDS AUTHENTIC FRIENDSHIPS AND COMMUNITIES FOR ADULTS WITH & WITHOUT DISABILITIES.
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AUTHENTIC FRIENDSHIPS
left page Tanner, Thomas & Dustin The Bass Family + Thomas....This friendship would not have happened had it not been for bEfriend. Tanner & Katie Sue Bass heard of bEfriend through a bingo night their church hosted. They joined and organically made a forever friendship with Thomas. They hit it off over their love for sports and now often invite each other over to the share a meal, watch the big game together, or play with Bass kids. They said this, “There’s so much Jesus wants to teach us through being friends with people different than us, and we think that’s especially true within the disability community. It’s also been such a good reminder to us that a conversation with someone with disabilities is not intimidating or scary, but rather the gateway to such rich friendships and all it takes to start is a simple hello.” Tanner adds that he loves bEfriend because, “we have fun and new friendships and they support us.”
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CHANGING THE
GLOBAL STORY
ALL-IN SPONSORSHIPS ALLOW CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN DEVELOPING NATIONS TO RECEIVE SUPPORT & EDUCATION
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99 Balloons partners with organizations in Nicaragua, Uganda, and South Asia in the work towards providing education and therapy for individuals impacted by disability. Through sponsorships, global trips, and documentaries, 99B seeks to support these partners in the important work they are doing in schools, homes, and community centers. Over 200 students are being directly supported through education and access to therapy and medical services, which then connects families to a community they may not otherwise have. The story of disability is changing globally, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to partner by providing financial support, resources, and encouragement.
This past year... In Uganda a three-day teacher training workshop happened titled “Educating Children with Disabilities.” Through this workshop, teachers were able to attend specialized training. In Nicaragua, a boy has been attending a local school with an aide. Further education is needed for the school to understand how to best support him, but his parents have now grown in advocating for him themselves through the examples they have seen at the center 99 Balloons partners with. In South Asia, a young boy with significant medical needs came to the center 99 Balloons supports. After being able to connect his family to the appropriate doctors for treatment, he now continues to attend therapy and educational classes and has become a part of a community.
“This is the only therapy center within a two hour drive. Our waiting list is growing. The need is great.” - Nicaragua Partner “For many of our children the gift of being sponsored to come to our school means that not only do they get loved and educated at school, but also the way their family views and treats them also changes as whilst they attend the school, their parents are educated and discipled by our social workers who take them on a journey from seeing their child as a burden, to viewing them as a blessing whom they should advocate for and thank God for!” - Uganda Partner “[Sponsorship] often means that instead of sitting/lying home alone and hungry with only mud walls to stare at, the child can enjoy loving interactions with our staff and friends, a healthy diet, therapy and an education tailored specifically to their individual needs.” - Uganda Partner
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A MOVEMENT OF CHANGING THE STORY
+ EQUIPPING THOSE WHO SEEK HELP TO ENGAGE AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS WITH DISABILITY
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It can often be difficult to quantify some of the ways that we as an organization mobilize in order to change the story of disability. At 99 Balloons, we exist to work with and on behalf of individuals and families experiencing disability: to ensure that they are welcomed and known within an unlimited number of existing communities. Toward these ends, we EQUIP those who seek out our help to ENGAGE and build relationships with our friends with disability. 99 Balloons Fellowship: Our yearlong fellow program allows individuals to go deeper into our work through curriculum, panel discussions and hands-on leadership within local rEcess and bEfriend sites. Consulting + Training + Support: Our staff team is sought out in order to assist others in their pursuits to be more inclusive of those with disabilities. Our work extends to various ministries, other non-profits, businesses and community discussions. Speaking + Content: We often say that to change the story of disability, you must know the story of disability; accordingly, 99 Balloons believes the story of hope we have to share is one the world needs to hear. Our trainings, talks and community building efforts help others envision a world that does not yet exist. Follow the QR Code if you want to discuss how we can help you or your communities become more welcoming to those experiencing disability.
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STAFF
GINN Y M OONEY Exec u t i v e D irector
SARA H C OFFEY Prog r a m D irector
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MIKE R U SCH Pres i d e n t
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SARA H H EIMER Vice P r e s i d ent
JOSH BE L L Trea s u r e r
KATE C U LLY Secr e t a r y
MADE L I N E BURNS Offi c e D i r e ctor
MATT M O ONEY
Foun d e r , Board Member
AMBE R L EONARD
Oper a t i o n s & Development
change the story with us!
Thank you. We are beyond grateful for you. The part you play in changing the story is no small part. Your generosity creates tangible, meaningful change. The words that fill these pages are only a small snapshot. Families & individuals are finding places & spaces of belonging, moving from isolation into true community. The story of disability is changing & we are hopeful. But there is still so much further to go and we need you. None of this happens without your ongoing support & generosity, which connects us all to something much bigger than ourselves. Please continue to join us -THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
JOIN US AT
www.99balloons.org/donate
OR SCAN THIS CODE
GIFTS CAN ALSO BE MAILED TO: PO BOX 10934 FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72703
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22 23 www.99balloons.org info@99balloons.org 99balloonsinc @99balloonsorg