I don’t know what you may have heard about this myth of self reliance, but none of it is true. It never was. Everyone, every single human being has needed, still needs, and deserves support and guidance and assistance on their path through this life.
A young girl woke up hungry today. The world is hard and her parents are doing the best they can in their circumstances, but still she is hungry. During the school year, she could go to school and get some breakfast and lunch. She isn’t sure about next year, though. They are trying to take that away. Still she knows that a couple days a week there is a place she can go, not too far away, and get lunch provided by a local nonprofit during the summer for kids. For today she will eat.
In another town, a man woke up from a nightmare. He thought they were getting better, but the stress of the world is making him struggle again. He used to drown his pain – from his years serving overseas – in drugs and booze. But through a local nonprofit he was able to get the support he needed to get sober and to get support for his ongoing trauma related issues that make it difficult for him to work.
Somewhere not far from there a young man wakes up looking forward to a class today provided by a local nonprofit. He really loves art and would like to make this his occupation some day. But cutbacks in schools have made the types of programs he needs to follow his dreams scarce. He knows he is lucky to have found a place to get the type of learning he needs to continue on his path towards that dream.
I know a trans woman who found the courage a little later in her life to seek her truth. For the last two (2) years, she has been on a path that has made her the happiest she has been in thirty-four (34) years. The medical care she needed has been difficult to come by and is getting harder to find, but, thanks to a nonprofit organization, she can get what she needs. For her, and many other trans people like her, this world is still full of rough places and dangers, but that support makes it a little easier to live her best life.
Another woman escaped abuse today and found shelter in a local nonprofit. Another young man got into a job training program at a local nonprofit. Another family got rent and utility assistance from a local nonprofit. A young woman got clothing for a job interview from a nonprofit. A group of kids attended an educational museum run by a local nonprofit. A dog and a cat got an opportunity for love at yet another.
Most of us know these organizations. We contribute when we can afford to. The amazing people who start and run these organizations do not do this to get rich, but to make a small difference in a world that sometimes seems to care less and less.
It is hard to start and run an organization. The founder may know a great deal about environmental justice or art or how to get food to people, but they may not know how to do their bookkeeping or know anything about technology. While they might find funding to support their programs, they often struggle getting support for the infrastructure or operations that make it possible for those programs to run. Yet these behind-the-scenes functions are essential to the running of any organization successfully.
And then they find an organization like NEW, where they can get experienced support for their IT needs or their bookkeeping or strategic planning. They can learn new skills and build their networks by attending a workshop or leadership development experience like Leadership Deli. They find support when they need it most.
Those of us who get up each day and go to work at NEW may never see that little hungry girl, or the struggling vet, or the family in need, or the young man following his dream, or any of those who get what they need from their local nonprofits. But we have something to give just the same. We share in the desire to make the world just a little bit better through our actions. We get the joy of being in this community of caring people and taking some of the burden off their plates.
We choose this life and work, but we need support, too. To keep making the world even slightly better still costs money. Times are tight for everyone right now, and we’re no exception – we need your help. We need to get the word out to other nonprofits that our services are still here and available. We need funding to get these services to the organizations that need our skills, but can’t cover the full cost themselves. We need your support.
Especially in dark times, I am grateful to those who have made it possible for us to add our collective efforts to the community. And I’m grateful to those who will continue to make this possible. We are, and always have been, stronger together. And that will get us through.
