FOS seeks donations for eighth annual 'Gideon' fundraiser

Feb. 6—Friends of Sinners launched its eighth annual "Gideon's 300: Less is More Project" Wednesday — a fundraiser that aims to seek out community members willing to support the Christ-centered residential substance recovery program that focuses on restoration and reconciliation for men and women.

The program started in 2016 after Joe Welsh, FOS executive director, was led by God to the Old Testament story of Gideon in Judges 7:7-8.

In the story, Gideon was instructed by God to take 300 soldiers and face the 135,000-strong Midianite army — which led to the project initially being centered around reaching $30,000 by receiving $100 from 300 people.

"It's my very favorite fundraiser that we do because I get to use the word of God to fundraise," Welsh said.

The debut of the program was a success, according to Welsh, only to come up short of its fundraising goal the following year.

"(For) the second year in 2017, it only did like $15,000 — when we only met half our goal," he said.

Welsh said a board member "bluntly told me that it probably wouldn't work anymore" and might have to find a different direction.

But that didn't stop Welsh's perseverance.

"I was confident that God had gave me this story and gave me this as a solution to our fundraising," he said.

In 2018, Welsh said the fundraiser saw its first record year when it generated $41,000, and it hasn't seemed to slow down, as the project raised about $55,000 in 2022.

In recent years, however, FOS decided to tweak the concept.

"Instead of asking 300 people to give $100, the Lord told me just to focus on the 300 people and not ask for any specific amount," he said. "With that, some people still give $100; some people give $10; some people give $5,000 — it kind of averages itself out.

"Getting 300 individual donors is a huge goal in itself."

And while inflation has caused concerns in terms of people being able to afford everyday items, Welsh does not feel it will be a hindrance.

"I'm confident that God will send us the 300 people," he said, "and whatever that number (that's raised) ends up being is gonna be more than enough for what we need for Friends of Sinners."

Welsh also enjoys seeing support for the fundraiser in other ways.

"... My favorite part of this fundraiser is going to the mailbox every day and not just getting one of the donations ... but there would be 10 or 15 or 20 envelopes in there with their check of their donation (with) these personalized notes to me and to the ministry that are just really encouraging," he said. "That was something that kind of happened on its own.

"Not only do these 300 people make a one-time donation, but they also send me prayers and encouraging letters; and it really just energizes me and the organization knowing that these people are more than just a donation to us — they're actually joining us in prayer and fighting with us.

"They're committed to this in a way that is bigger than just the money that we raise."

Regardless of what the final number raised ends up being, Welsh continues to be grateful for the public's help.

"We've never struggled to find the support from the community, and that's something I'm really proud of," he said. "It's really cool that we live in a community that not only supports Friends of Sinners, but really a caring and giving community to lots of nonprofits.

"If it wasn't for the donors and those 300 people, we wouldn't be here."

To donate to the Gideon's fundraiser, checks can be mailed to 320 Clay St., Owensboro, KY 42301, or can be submitted online at friendofsinner.org.

For more information, visit friendofsinner.org or call 270-689-9174.