Give Thanks, Serve Others, Celebrate Together

As we prepare to join cherished friends and family members this November, I feel a great sense of excitement and anticipation.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is a time of family and harvest; a celebration of people, memories, and places for which we are thankful; and a time to express our gratitude to those around us.  It is one of our nation’s oldest holidays, celebrated widely, and yet it does not seem to have been commercialized in the manner that other holidays have. 

This is a holiday to celebrate with family and friends while patronizing our local grocer or butcher or farmers market as we engage in our own special traditions.

It is also a great time to come together to celebrate those traditions with our community. To celebrate this place we call home.  It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the president and CEO of our amazing Community Foundation for the past year. 

I have been inspired by the many wonderful celebrations of community we share, and through those celebrations it has been my great good fortune to connect with so many passionate individuals and organizations joining people who care with causes that matter.

As we prepare to give thanks, transitioning from one calendar year to the next, it is a great time to acknowledge and appreciate those around us. 

Each of us has a role in and benefits from our partnerships with non-profit and school organizations, all working tirelessly to create a better community, creating and serving a better Lorain County.

The work in service that we choose to do is often challenging; to paraphrase JFK from more than half a century ago, we don’t choose this work because it is easy, we choose this because it is difficult.  We choose this work because it aligns with our individual and community passions. 

Our service work, which we remember at this time of Thanksgiving, provides us the opportunity to come together in celebration of the extraordinary communities of Lorain County. 

Let us remember, as we prepare for this Thanksgiving holiday and celebrate the bounty surrounding us to think of those less fortunate and how we can continue to come together, enhancing communities that we all celebrate. 

Please join us at the Community Foundation of Lorain County as we build our strategic plan and framework for the coming years.  With your support, we are matching people who care with causes that matter.

Happy Thanksgiving.