"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
