We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—
Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.
Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.
You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me
What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made
Something greater from the difference.
The poem above is by Alberto Rios, the inaugural state poet of Arizona. To say I love this poem is an understatement. It reflects the giving season, from Hannukah to Christmas and Kwanza. It reflects the myriad of facets that giving represents. My inbox, as I'm certain yours is, is filled with "asks" from different organizations. I'm caught between the requests to give us your money, ideas, talents, treasures and legacies, knowing it is impossible to respond to each need. The beauty of the poem, I believe, implies that we give of ourselves, no matter what that might be, a smile, a gesture of caring, a sigh of recognition or a helping outstretched hand.
When you go to the Charter's "Donate" page it is clear we are asking for money. Of course, we ask you to consider doing that to the ability that your budget allows. There are four buttons on that page for giving, please take a look at each: The Charter itself, but then three other projects that are associated with the Charter, Race4Good, a youth leadership program, Uvalde, a project in support of Uvalde, in the wake of the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting, and our latest fiscal sponsoring project, SunLight Ukraine, a project that ships simple solar powered lanterns to families in Ukraine. Click on each of the links above to learn more about each program. What to give to? As Alberto Rios reminds us, "One river gives its journey to the next." We are in this all together.
We also want to extend an invitation to become a sustaining donor through our Facebook page. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and others; is matching recurrent donations done to our organization until December 31. This is a great opportunity to have a bigger impact with your donation. 100% of your donation comes directly to us.
We thank each one of you, for taking the time to read our full newsletters, to journey with us, and together to create "Something greater from the difference."
With warmest regards,
Marilyn
