Celebrating our upcoming September Birthdays! 

In the past summer months Rising Star Outreach has been blessed and really relied on the support of volunteers to pull off some great and unique events.  Your hard work and support has increased the awareness of the organization and the needs of those that are affected by leprosy. Without your love and support of this organization the summer would not have been the success it was and you have more than our thanks, but those of the kids on our campus and the members of the colonies that we serve.  To demonstrate the power of the Rising Star volunteer's impact here is a quick recap of their outstanding work.

Golf Tournament and President's Brunch

Annually this is the largest fundraiser for Rising Star.  This is an event that cannot be completed without the help of volunteers that start preparations days before.  We had volunteers driving the Red Ledges carts delivering drinks and snacks to the golfers on a warm and sunny day.  We even had a volunteer witness the hole-in-one; the fourth in the history of the course.  Volunteers were integral in the collection of donations and they worked as advocates by answering questions and sharing their Rising Star experiences.  Our volunteers also donated their talents by providing food and preparing the flower arrangements.  There were over 25 volunteers that donated their time for us, making this one of the most successful golf events.



Slide the City

1,000 ft  slip n' slide in the middle of Salt Lake was something to see!  32 volunteers came to help hundreds slide the 1,000 feet on inflatables of every shape and color on this warm summer day. Our volunteers made swag bags, ran the check in booths and helped recapture slider's inflatables they lost as they bumped and laughed their way to the bottom. Rising Star Outreach received a donation for each volunteer for a total of over $1,900.


Lantern Fest

Lantern Fest was this past weekend on August 20th where over Rising Star volunteers helped over 8,000 lanterns rise into the Utah night sky.  We supported this activity with 45 volunteers who dedicated their time to packing s'mores boxes, manning check-in, security and safety, activities, manned the swag bags and merchandise tents.  Rising Star Outreach received a donation for each volunteer provided for a total over $2,500.

This summer over 100 volunteers donated over 350 hours!!!  Your love and support is overwhelming and will bless generations.

Gratefully yours,

The Rising Star Outreach Team:
Callie, Aubrey, Mike, Carrie, and Amy

As many of you know, India has cancelled licenses of many charities over the past two years. The government closely investigated all charities that were up for the renewal of their FCRA license (the license to bring in foreign funding for charitable purposes) to make sure they were in compliance with the many, many regulations governing charities. FCRA licenses must be renewed every five years and last year our license was due for renewal.

Rising Star Outreach has always worked hard to be in complete compliance with all government regulations. As difficult as these many regulations sometimes seem, we understand it is necessary for the Indian government to ensure that the charity sector is free from corruption and misuse of funds. This current government has been working hard to make sure that this industry is cleaned up.

Not a single charity up for renewal last year received it by the original deadline; in order to have more time for investigations and evaluations, the government extended the deadline by six months. The New York Times reported that more than ten thousand charities requesting renewal were denied. There were only a few thousand remaining. We were one of the charities remaining, hoping to receive the coveted renewal.

There was some fear that no charities would receive a renewal of their FCRA license. Finally, this week, the Indian government began to issue a few renewals and Rising Star Outreach received ours for the next five years. Praise God!

Over the past (nearly) two years of this process, there have been many prayers - both in America and in India -on behalf of our organization and all the children, families, communities, and patients whom we serve.

We are humbled and grateful to have passed all the inspections and received this confidence of the Indian government. We are committed to always honoring the efforts of the Indian government to ensure that those who serve the needy do so honorably and effectively.

We are especially grateful to God for protecting Rising Star Outreach and for the bestowal of this great blessing, which enables us to continue serving the leprosy affected and providing them with opportunities to lift themselves and their families.

We want to thank all of our supporters who have united their faith with ours in praying for this renewal. We are very blessed to have adherents of many different religious traditions who donate to and support our work. Thanks to each of you! And most of all, thanks be to God!



Becky Douglas

The back to school season is upon us! It is a time of happiness or sadness, depending on whether you are a student, teacher, or parent. And probably a bit of both no matter what.

Here at Rising Star Outreach, Back to School is an exciting time to look forward to our school opening again and a group of new faces to join us.

Our staff here in Rising Star Outreach US wanted to celebrate the coming season with some of our favorite Amazon Smile Back to School picks! (Learn more about the Amazon Smile charitable donations program)

Callie's Pick

While I love technology, there is nothing better than back to school supplies.  To this day I am obsessed with fun pencils and smelly pens and notebooks.  Amazon has the best variety of all supplies like these short mechanical pencils and these scented pens... that I may still order to this day.

The students in India only have so many pencils and notebooks.  They cherish them and use every inch of paper, every millimeter of led and every ounce of ink in a pen. They use these tools to lean and memorize their school assignments as well as writing to their family and sponsors.  Writing supplies gives our students the ability to express themselves through art, poetry and creative writing. It expands their worlds and communication capabilities.

Aubrey's Pick

Ashelee's Pick

So to start off, tell us a little bit about yourself before you became the Sponsorship Coordinator?

I’m a proud graduate of Brigham Young University-Idaho, where I studied Communications and Public Relations. After I completed an internship with Rising Star Outreach, I was then hired on as the Sponsor-a-Child Coordinator. I’m really passionate about making a difference, and I look forward to learning and growing at Rising Star Outreach. And when I’m not at the office, I enjoy hiking, exploring, traveling. But most of the time my natural habitat is a good book and a steaming cup of tea.

Talking about natural habitats, what is your spirit animal and what does that say about your personality?

My spirit animal is a turtle. Turtles mostly live in water and explore new terrains while keeping a comfortable self pace. They also symbolize longevity, patience, and intuition. I don't know about the longevity of my life yet, but I'm generally pretty happy being a turtle.



Obviously patience and intuition are great virtues for person in your position. How did you get started here in Rising Star Outreach by the way?

I first heard about Rising Star Outreach through a couple of friends who volunteered with them. They told me how amazing their experience was over in India, and how the organization was a legitimate, honest non-profit. I remember them speaking specifically about how special the kids were at the Rising Star Outreach campus and their emotional experiences with all the leprosy affected in India. I then applied for an internship, got accepted and the rest is history.

And you now are a big part of helping Sponsored Children and their sponsors share those emotional experiences with each other. 

Exactly! Our sponsorship program really focuses on personal contact between the sponsor and their sponsor child. This is something that is really important.

What is the biggest challenge facing the program?

I would say it is the issues of keeping consistently updated with sponsors and because life gets so crazy we often do not receive the changed addresses, phone numbers, or expired cards. This is hard for us to keep track of current sponsors. (Editor note: you can always update your account info by email anielson@risingstaroutreach.org or call the office at 801-820-0466)



What are you looking forward to, both professionally and personally in the future.

Contact Aubrey by email: anielson@risingstaroutreach.org or by phone 801-820-0466