Be It Resolved...

If you’re like me, certain events are the mile markers of your life--birthdays, anniversaries, new fiscal years, new calendar years. Not only do they cause us to look over our shoulders at the path we have travelled, the distance we have come and the accomplishments (and mistakes) we have made, but also to squint a little as we look hard into the future. Oh, if we could only see that more clearly!

One attempt to bring clarity to our future is to take some control…to plan how things might be different or improved. Perhaps this is the year you will become more physically fit, more environmentally conscious, or more well-read. The boxes in the garage whose contents have not seen the light of day for years might find their way into the hands of someone who could use them. And Aunt Bessie, whom you’ve not seen in a blue moon, might actually deserve a visit.

Those of us who are a part of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry family would ask you to consider a few additional possibilities as you face 2010.

For example:

Be It Resolved…that you will make a point of learning more about the local nonprofit sector, the services it provides, and the needs it addresses. In the same way that your understanding of your community and world is enhanced reading the newspaper or keeping up with the latest movies, you may be amazed at how your life will be enriched as you come to understand the sector and the people it serves. You may also be amazed at the blessings you’ll come to recognize in your own life as a result.

Be It Resolved…that if you aren’t volunteering, either for a nonprofit organization or someone who is in need, you will find a place to share your talents. If you are volunteering, see if you can find time for some additional service. We all have talents we can share—whether it is board service, or reading to young children or doing yard work or…

Be It Resolved…that you will do some planning about where you wish to offer charitable gifts, what mechanisms to use, and how to increase your contributions now and provide for the future. What is your passion? Which nonprofits make the most of their resources? How can you assure that nonprofits that plan on your current support will be able to count on it even after your passing? For each of these resolutions, your Community Foundation is a ready resource to help you learn, to develop and define your passion(s), to find volunteer opportunities and provide an easy vehicle for your charitable giving. Most importantly, we are here to assist you with the most significant resolution of all:

Be It Resolved…make every DAY matter! Happy New Year!

Denise K. Spencer