Some donors write a check, but Haley Whipp paints one.
At 25 years old, Haley has quietly become one of Fresno Mission’s most faithful supporters. Haley has Down syndrome, but it’s simply one part of who she is. What stands out most is her tender heart for people in need. After seeing people on the streets of Fresno without a home or a meal, Haley knew she wanted to help. She found her own unique way to make a difference. Through something she already loved: her art.
Haley creates original artwork and sells it online, driven by the purpose of giving back to Fresno Mission through what she earns. It started after she and her mother, Jo, searched for a way to give and found Fresno Mission online. Since then, giving has become something close to sacred for Haley. Every month, she prays and asks God how much to give, and every month, she says, He tells her the exact amount. There’s no hesitation in it, no second-guessing, no distraction. Just a simple, steady act of obedience and joy.
It’s the kind of faith that’s easy to talk about and hard to live out, the kind that stays uncomplicated by the difficulties and distractions that tend to crowd out generosity in the rest of us. For Haley, giving is not complicated at all. She sees a need, she makes something beautiful, and she gives it away.
Haley’s heart for helping people did not come out of nowhere. Her mother, Jo Whipp, has spent years as a caregiver, volunteer and advocate in the anti-trafficking movement, and in February of this year published Crave: A Greater Impact, a self-care guide reminding fellow advocates that caring for others should not mean burning out. Jo is also part of Fresno Mission’s Mentor Circle, where longtime volunteers gather to share what they’ve learned along their own mentoring journeys. “If I can help people, especially caregivers or volunteers, then I know they can take better care of themselves and others,” Jo says. Growing up watching her mother live that out, Haley developed the same conviction that she also could be the kind of influence the world needs.
That conviction is on full display just a few feet from where Fresno Mission’s Donor Relations Officer, Paula Bohamed, sits every day. Three of Haley’s original pieces hang above Paula’s desk, but they didn’t get there by accident. Paula makes it a point to know the people behind every gift that comes through her office, not just what they give, but who they are, what moves them, and what keeps them coming back. With this mother-daughter duo, that meant taking the time to actually learn their story: Jo’s decades of advocacy work, Haley’s calling to help people she’d seen struggling on Fresno’s streets, and the quiet, monthly act of faith that turns Haley’s art into a gift for someone she’s never met.
[Pictured above: Jo Whipp, Haley Whipp and Paula Bohamed]
That kind of attention is Paula’s trademark. She doesn’t treat donor relations as a transaction to manage, she treats it as a relationship to steward. Hanging Haley’s paintings above her own desk was not a formality. It was Paula’s way of keeping Haley’s story close, a daily reminder of exactly why this work matters. It’s the same care she brings to every donor she works with by taking the time to know their why, and making sure they know how much that why means to us. If time, rather than a gift, is what you have to offer, Fresno Mission would love to build that same kind of relationship with you as a volunteer.
Haley’s story is proof that you do not need excess to be generous. Paula’s role in it is proof that behind every gift Fresno Mission receives, there’s someone making sure it’s never treated as just a transaction. If Haley’s story moved you today, we’d be honored to have you join them.
[Haley Whipp and Matt Dildine, CEO of the Fresno Mission]
