A Letter from our Executive Director
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| Dear friends, supporters, volunteers, past & future--
I wish I could call each of you individually to invite you to our Birthday Party on Sunday. I wish I could call even a fraction of you and share how much it has meant to me that this broader community has supported Growing Hope-- and supported me-- over these seven years. I wish I could hear from each of you just why you're connected to us and what your history, and your present, and your future is with us.
Seven years ago, I could have called and invited each of you personally-- our community of friends and partners and supporters and volunteers was much smaller then, and I could not have imagined where we'd come to these years later. I couldn't have imagined how Growing Hope would grow and blossom, or how it would help me grow as a leader and a person. Today there are so many of you that I don't know your every face or name-- and many of you don't know mine. While I'm saddened somewhat at not having that personal connection with everyone, I also see that as a sign of success. We still value those individual relationships, but you are connected to us through so many tendrils that no longer all begin and end with me. You may know a GH board member, or a GH VISTA volunteer current or past, or a GH staff member-- or just generally know GH in the community through the Downtown Ypsi Farmers' Market, the Growing Hope Center, monthly potlucks, or maybe just by reading this newsletter every few weeks...
Growing Hope is all of these people-- all of you-- who pass through it, whether rooting with us for some time or being transplanted to another place or space in your life.
I've seen many faces come and go as valued Americorps*VISTA members complete their one year service with us, or board members complete their terms, or volunteers or kids who come and go. I've learned that you never know how long someone will be in our GH world, but that those who have passed through carry bits of hope and growth from us into their other life contexts. It's a spreading of seed of sorts, and I hope you feel that your connection has made your life or neighborhood just a bit more hopeful in some way.
Sunday afternoon I would love for you-- those faces I know and the ones I don't yet know-- to be my guest as we celebrate the 7th Birthday of the founding of Growing Hope. Bring family and friends and neighbors. Stay 3 minutes or 3 hours. Enjoy fresh pizza from our adobe oven, our new Ypsi Honey Project beehives, sweet treats from local bakeries, a sandcastle contest, a silent auction, and time with other people who value hope and health and community. This milestone comes at a time when many of us are working to bring a new level of stability and sustainability to Growing Hope-- with the development of our Growing Hope Center, transitioning to more permanent staffing, and refining & strengthening our core programming. I know that your continued support, love, participation, guidance, volunteerism, and advocacy for our work will help us get there.
Whether you are a past or current volunteer, financial supporter, program or garden partner, family or youth in one of our programs, vendor at our market, neighborhood resident, board alum, or just a subscriber to our newsletter, please join us. I look forward to connecting with you as we take this opportunity to recognize just how many people have rooted GH to where we are now, and how many more will help us send shoots into the future. Let's celebrate!
Growing Hope 7th Birthday Party
Sunday, May 23, 2010 1- 4 pm
@ the Growing Hope Center
922 W. Michigan Ave.
(parking on neighboring streets)
RSVPs are appreciated to let us know you'll be there and plan accordingly. Whether you can join us or not, please also consider making a gift to GH to show that you believe we should be around growing positive change in our communities and families for seventy years to come.
In gratitude,
Amanda Maria Edmonds
Executive Director & Founder
Growing Hope
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Support Growing Hope with A Gift Today!
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If you support our work and want it to see it continue to blossom, please consider making a tax-deductible online donation today! We're growing all sorts of hope and health this time of year, and we need your donations to keep it going! |
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P.S. We're gathering people's thoughts about Growing Hope and hope
you'll provide us with a quote. Email your words and thoughts to info@growinghope.net and let us know what you feel our value and impact has been on your life, your neighborhood, or our community overall.
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