As we conclude our 11th year at Athletes for Hope, we are grateful for the amazing athletes and organizations that continue to support us daily. We owe much of our success to our passionate supporters such as Nike, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gordon & Llura Gund Foundation, the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, the Bender Foundation, our Board of Directors and so many others – thank you for everything that you do!

Since our launch, AFH has grown from its original 12 Founding Athletes to a network of over 4,000 professional, Olympic and college athletes. AFH member athletes have positively impacted tens of thousands of people across many charities and causes, and we feel lucky to work with such dedicated people on a daily basis.

In 2017, AFH deepened the reach and impact of existing programs in addition of announcing exciting new partnerships with amazing organizations., A few of these highlights include:

• Expanded reach of Athletes for Hope University to 36 college teams from University of Southern California, Southern University, Louisiana State University, Tulane University, Michigan State University, and University of Virginia.
• We announced a partnership with Starlight Children’s Foundation to bring joy and comfort to hospitalized children and their families. AFH athlete members visited over 40 different hospitals in 2017 and frequently distributed Starlight Brave Gowns – special hospital gowns designed with fun characters and themes.
• In coordination with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and HIVE, AFH expanded our footprint overseas to Kenya and Tanzania where we launched an initiative to address gender equality through the lens of economic empowerment.

On behalf of all of us at Athletes for Hope, we offer our best wishes and happiness to you and your families as we all look forward to a successful 2018.