Dear Friends:

This concludes our ninth year of operation in support of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke. Over the past nine years Friends' has raised a total of $364,159.01 through grants, gifts and other donations.

Grant monies were received from a Holyoke Community Development Block Grant for $11,000 in support of our Quality of Life Program. Veterans received entertainment from approximately forty (40) different entertainers in a variety of different genres.

This year the concentration for grant monies was focused on the purchase of eleven (11) Vital Signs Monitoring Systems for each Unit of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke. We were very successful in raising  $37,200 from the following Foundations: Davis Foundation, Frank Stanley Beveridge Foundation, Community Foundation of Western MA, Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation & Westfield Bank Future Fund. Also, an additional $21,500 was given through various donations. The Vital Signs Monitoring Systems are to be purchased as soon as the minor details are worked out.

In January of 2008 Smith & Wesson stock was sold for a realized gain of $32,140.29, for a 644.68% return.

The birth of the Friends website was established in June 2008. The website address is www.friendsofthesoldiershomeinholyoke.com. The site consists of the Board of Directors' Listing; a link to the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke website; a link to the Flag & Staff Newsletter, Wish List  & Tree of Life. Monetary donations can be submitted over the web through Fast Transact or processed over the telephone.

Various Vendors sold their wares in the Lobby of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke with a portion of the proceeds going to the Friends of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke.  The amount realized was $1,098.18.

In the coming year we will continue to seek grants & donations enabling us to provide for the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke things above and beyond those not funded by the state.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the Friends of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Inc. we send our sincerest thanks and appreciation to everyone who helped in any way and the staff support from the Soldiers' Home.

       Sincerely,
       Frank J. Cackowski, President
       Friends of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Inc.