| Generosity comes in all sizes |
Dear friend,
The children above are second grade students from the Goddard Elementary School in Worcester, a school where 95.5% of the children are eligible for free or reduced lunch; and for 66.9% of them English is spoken as a second language. As you might imagine, these boys and girls face many challenges at home and at school.
Last year, their teacher was instructing about the virtue of kindness, which led them to read a book about impoverished children. The Goddard students realized quickly how fortunate they truly were, and decided to raise money to help others.
The boys and girls started by contributing their own pennies, nickels and dimes. Soon other classes at the school joined the effort; they encouraged friends and family members to contribute. By the end of the year, these exceptional kids had raised more than $2,000. I share this story because it speaks volumes about how people respond to the needs of others even when their own resources are very limited. We hope that you, too, can see yourself as truly fortunate and consider extending your generosity during the holidays through a gift to United Way ( donate here). When we all put our experience, skills and commitment to work toward achieving shared goals, like the Goddard School children, we become a powerful force for creating lasting change in our community. Happy Holidays!  Sincerely,
Tim Garvin |
