Sunday, November 10, 2013

Thank You to Our Community

"The way you get meaning into your life is to 
devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to 
your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."  
 From “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom




Community.  If there’s one thread throughout A Giving Spirit Foundation, it’s community.  Whether we’re talking about a physical location or a group of people sharing the same values and goals, community is what keeps AGSF strong. 

This was made indelibly clear this past May as Davidson businesses and the people of the community showed their ‘giving spirit’ each and every day during A Giving Spirit Foundation Awareness Month.

Davidson businesses stepped forward to support our efforts in many ways.  Some donated a percentage of sales on a given day, others donated the hard earned tips of bartenders from the Saturday night crowd.  Many donated goods for raffle prizes, and one even created a special margarita that remains on the drink menu today (just ask for the Laura-rita the next time you’re at Carrburritos!).  Individual supporters organized a walk and a yoga class, and one teacher inspired her students to create works of art.  Droves showed up to the events, rain or shine ... all to support this organization that first came to life in a home, most likely, down the street from you.

In our 2nd Annual AGSF Awareness Month, we exceeded our goals and raised over $5000. This money will go directly toward mothers in the greater Charlotte, NC area (one of the benefits of being a small, volunteer driven organization is that there are virtually no overhead costs to divert funds).

AGSF helps mothers who are struggling to provide for their family and can’t pay rent, can’t pay for electricity, can’t pay for the basics and they find themselves losing. They’re losing the sense of how to focus on being a family when they’re too concerned with whether or not there will be a roof over their child’s head next month because they can’t afford the basics in life anymore.  They’re not only losing to the physical and emotional aspects of the disease but also to the financial aspects of the disease. 

We’ve received more grant requests than in any previous year and we are asking for your help again.  We want to continue the work that Laura Somerville Woodall asked us – and you – to support back in 2008.  Help the family focus on  the family by relieving some of the financial pressures her disease brings with it.

Mrs. J is just one woman that you have helped this past year.  She is 42 years old, married and with 6 children between the ages of 2 and 16.  Mrs. J was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma and, just a few months afterward, so was her 16 year old daughter. The close-knit family was struggling, financially and emotionally, by the double impact of the disease.  AGSF provided a $2000 grant to cover two months of mortgage, allowing the family to focus on getting healthy and not whether or not they could stay in their home.

It is because of you that AGSF has been able to award over $53,000 in grants since 2008, changing the lives of 22 families.  It is also because of you that research organizations like Project A.L.S. and The ALS Association Jim “Catfish” Hunter chapter are making great strides every day in finding a cure for ALS, building awareness of this disease, and supporting families with ALS.

The goals for 2014 are simple: raise enough money to continue funding the grants that have proven vital to many area mothers; continue to support research institutions searching for a cure for ALS; and spread the word about this organization so that it can make a greater impact on the community and secure its legacy for years to come. 

“As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.”  Paul Shane Spear could have been talking about this organization’s supporters when he said this.  While we are small, our force is mighty. We have seen first-hand how a grant of $500 is just as meaningful as a grant of $1500. You are changing lives with every dollar you donate to AGSF and there are many more in our community just waiting for your help.


Here are four simple ways you can  support AGSF:

1)    Mail your check made out to A Giving Spirit Foundation to PO Box 815, Davidson, NC 28036.

2)     Select the DONATE button on the right to give a gift securely using your credit card.

3)    Participate in AGSF Awareness Month – May 2014 (email agsf@agivingspirit.org)

4)    Spread the word about the good work A Giving Spirit Foundation is doing!



Sincerely,



A Giving Spirit Foundation Board of Trustees


PS:   The best way to stay up to date with A Giving Spirit Foundation is to “like” our Facebook page.  Go to www.facebook.com/agivingspirit and hit the “like” button.  And don’t forget to Share our status updates with your Facebook friends and community!