Empowered: Outreach's Longtime Supporters

All empowerment emanates from a source. At Outreach, we’ve worked for decades to ensure responsible, practical, steady expansion in our scope and effectiveness as we work to empower more people in more places than ever before. Our supporters are the heart of our work. Everything we’ve ever been able to accomplish has been a direct result of their trust, encouragement and contributions.

We spoke to some of Outreach’s earliest supporters for the latest edition of our magazine to get their insights on how far we’ve come, and how closely we’ve hewn to our founding principles, as we continue to work together for the good of the world.

“I was a part of the first iteration of Outreach, along with Charles Neff and Roy Schaffer. Our shared vision was to raise awareness of chronic global poverty and engage others.”

“One of the best things about Outreach is that it functions on a broad base of values that everyone can share, since we all want to help. The more people who have joined us from all walks of life over the years, the more we’ve been able to accomplish in communities’ and peoples’ lives.

“With the move to a new headquarters, Outreach will be able to continue growing, catching the attention of the downtown Kansas City crowd and engaging them in Outreach’s philosophy. That’s the reason Outreach was formed– so others could join us in our mission to help the poor.” — Bill Higdon, Outreach Co-Founder

“Perhaps our greatest contribution is to share with the world the way of life taught by the One who created that life. He has indeed blessed our efforts and deserves the credit for our success. We enthusiastically trust Him to lead us into a future laden with opportunities to work in the way He has ordained and crowned with the realization of a more perfect human society.” — Dr. Vicki Ross, Outreach Newsletter, 1984

“My wife Susan and I have been Outreach supporters since 1983. From the start, Outreach’s mission resonated with us — a belief in the worth of all persons, and a commitment to empower them to help themselves through permanent solutions, regardless of who they are or where they live.

“In 2011, I became Outreach’s CFO, with duties that included managing and accounting for the resources entrusted to us by our donors to ensure that every dollar spent throughout the world reflected supporters’ wishes, as well as our mission.

“Recently, I had a chance to talk with one of our founders about the Outreach of today. He told me, ‘You are doing exactly what we hoped for when we started Outreach.’

“A lot has changed over the years, but the most important things have stayed the same: We are still working with some of the poorest people on the planet and empowering them to recognize their ability to resolve the issues they face.

“And, just like in 1983 (and virtually every year since), Susan and I will be donors! We have witnessed firsthand the impact that we can have on the lives of others. Some of the details may have changed, but the men and women who work here continue to uphold the incredible mission established at the outset, to serve humanity at its point of need, all over the world.” — Orval Fisher, Former Outreach CFO