Do What You Can With What You Have
I have recently been enjoying some of the work of the poet Nikita Gil. The final stanza of her poem “Your Soft Heart” struck me in particular. She writes: “Kindness is the greatest endangered thing. And here you are, existing, your heart so full with it.” This resonated with me because when we look at the world, it certainly seems that kindness is indeed “endangered”. In contrast, when I look at the Children’s Center community I can see kindness in abundance. I see your and our staff’s hearts “so full with it”. This is evident in your generosity during food and toy drives. It can be seen in the teems that hosted a volleyball fundraiser. I see it in the hearts of the trustees and staff at the M. J. Murdock Trust and The Firstenburg Foundation whose grants are transformative. I see it in our staff that give of themselves to help heal those with mental health challenges and recover from trauma. And I could list so many more of you that show us your kindness. Thank you for your support and all you do to make an impact on the lives of youth here in our community.
Matthew Butte, Executive Director
In This Issue
Meet Natalie O’Neil – our Champion in the Spotlight
How You can Become a Champion of Hope
The Power of Play: Using the ‘language of toys’ to help kids heal
M.J. Murdock Trust Inspires Generosity with a $100,000 Matching Challenge Grant
New Program Aims to Address Staff Shortages ( So We can Serve More Kids!)