People Can Accomplish: Looking Back on 2015
We set ambitious goals for the fall in 2015 with the launch of our #PeopleCan Campaign, aiming to ramp up support for our keystone programs: Refugee Rescues, Empowerment, Resettlement Assistance, and Education Grants. Thousands of supporters came together from around the globe to stand with the North Korean people by fundraising and donating to these programs.
With your help, we ended the year having rescued 145 North Korean refugees.
Rescue Teams were a huge part of this effort, raising over $38,000. They raised $21,528 in December alone, making it the highest fundraising month in the history of the Rescue Teams Program!
67 Rescue Teams participated in this campaign by hosting fundraisers on their campuses and in their communities. We are so proud of our Rescue Teams and how passionate they are about supporting North Korean refugees.
The People Can Tour was essential in educating individuals across the U.S. and Canada about the reality of North Korea and sharing the stories of the North Korean people we work with. We visited schools, communities, churches, and more at over 300 events this fall.
The people we met on tour jumped at the opportunity to support North Koreans, bringing in over $70,000 for our programs.
1,122 people signed up to fundraise online. Maria Masiar raised over $7,500 for Refugee Rescues through her outdoor adventures. Bethany Mandel was able to raise over $9000, which will help THREE North Korean refugees make the journey to safety and freedom. Jane Kim raised over $1,000 for our Resettlement Assistance Program to help newly-arriving North Korean refugees adjust to their new societies.
1,187 people from across the globe donated in support of our programs in amounts big and small. Every donation that we received will fund our life-changing work.
In total, you helped us raise over $117,000 to continue our life-changing work with and in support of our North Korean peers and we can’t thank you enough. It is amazing to see this global movement of support step up for the people year after year, increasing impact and changing more lives. We can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together in 2016!
