Has It Really Been A Year?

As hard as it is for me to believe, I recently passed my one year anniversary with the Sonora Area Foundation.

In taking a look back over the events of the past year – personally and professionally – it lends some credibility to the old saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”

I feel like that I have moved past the initial stresses of coming out of retirement and back into the workforce; took a ride up a very steep learning curve like being in the front car of a roller coaster; and learned a new language – that of the world of community foundations – so that it would flow smoothly out of my mouth (let me apologize for some of my early presentations).

I know that I have found myself continually impressed by the number of non-profit organizations in our community that do good works. Those who work for the non-profits – whether paid or volunteer – perform acts of compassion on a regular, daily basis responding to the wide spectrum of needs in our community.

But none of it happens without you and your gifts of time, money and other resources that help to make it all a reality. We have a very generous community – you have been there to help meet the challenges of life along the way, especially as we continue to work past the recent, more difficult times.

For my part, many thanks to the Board of Directors for its patience; the Foundation staff – Lin and Cathi – for making sure that I do not dig myself in too deep; Mick Grimes for showing me a path; my family for encouraging my “encore career;” and the community for its desire to have a successful community foundation.

Last year in my initial blog article, I wrote about the road ahead. The road is smoother now, and there isn’t a lot of time to be looking in the rear view mirror. Looking forward, there is much to be done to address the core needs of food, shelter and clothing in our community. We continue to receive numerous grant applications to fund needs throughout various grant categories, including human services; education; arts and humanities; health; public/society benefit; environment/animals; and science and technology.

Join me and help the Sonora Area Foundation in its mission to strengthen the community through assisting donors, making grants and providing leadership.