Witnessing the Impact of Your Donation
By Kevin M. Powderly, Jubilee Major Gift Officer
When my Jubilee pal Steve Brent invited me to join him on Jubilee’s vacation to Williamsburg, VA, I had no idea the adventure I was getting myself into! This trip is one of four vacations Jubilee planned this summer for the people we support.
I am here to report that the Jubilee family embraces travel with a heartwarming vengeance. “When we come again next year …” was a phrase I heard many people say, even on day one. It was a sign the vacation was off to a good start.
In historic Williamsburg we were transported back to the 18th century. We enjoyed seeing wagon building, horse midwifery, and a young, red-haired George Washington. In a classic Jubilee interaction, Laura Jeanne Kuster upended his political speech with the announcement, “Mr. Washington with the red hair, if you don’t mind, I think I should run for President!” The small crowd burst into applause and laughter.
After getting our fill of history, we were off to Busch Gardens. Just like any trip to a theme park there were the thrills of being tossed and flipped on a roller coaster—and moments of exhaustion and impatience. However, just when the sun felt too hot and my stomach growled with hunger, Jamie took my hand and declared how brave we were to ride the coasters on the best vacation ever. That set the world right again for me, and off we went to more rides!
Upon returning home everyone at Jubilee wanted to know the best part of the trip. Steve summed it up by saying, “The best was just being together each day!” What a great feeling for me walking into breakfast and seeing the Jubilee crew saving me a seat and greeting me with “Good morning, Kevin!” Steve, Sarah Glenner, Curtis Cooper, Jordan Gould, Eleanor McCarthy, among others, made me—a Jubilee newbie—feel completely welcomed into the group.
In my role as Jubilee’s Major Gifts Officer, I speak often about how the generosity of our donors provides my new friends with unique opportunities like these trips. Now, I’ve seen firsthand how your donations impact the lives of the people Jubilee supports.
We uniformly agreed that as thrilling as it was to witness history coming alive, raise our adrenaline levels on rollercoasters, and get soaked on water rides, being together took over our hearts and minds and will live in our collective memories. Until next year of course!
