Gratitude for the Great Gold Team

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” Aesop

Gold In September was built on hopes that began within the hearts and home of my family; but the truth is that the definition of family has always extended far beyond a single kitchen table to include the family of supporters, donors, volunteers, team members, advocates, and leaders who have helped to guide, encourage, influence, and shape G9. Everyone involved is part of the great gold team of hope. To say I am humbled and honored by the dedication of this team is a tremendous understatement.

During these days of great uncertainty felt by all of us, I remain certain in the power of gratitude to ensure that we can and will help each other through this crisis. I am encouraged by the acts of gratitude and stewardship that polka dot our social media feeds with colorful thoughtfulness and outreach. These gestures remain enough to remind us there will never be distance if we speak with our hearts.

It is only because of G9’s collective, generous team that the landscape of golden awareness and hope for children battling cancer has been planted, watered, and grown with thoughtful dedication. This dedication to rooting the mission has included the careful stewarding of financial support to ensure the branches of the G9 vision touch every child, everywhere.

Children are our greatest natural resource and G9 is taking steps to ensure that our financial resources keep sights set on a promising horizon. Cancer does not take a backseat to anything, even a pandemic. Children and families continue to fight and, every day, more are unwillingly called to the frontlines. In order to support these children, each and every contribution to G9 has been and remains a treasure, one that the organization honors and values.

It is because of this value that G9 continues a goal (a goal that began last September) of pulling back resources for overhead and infrastructure to ensure the success of our golden goals. G9 can and WILL continue to make an impact and you will continue to read, see, and hear about encouraging developments, ways you can help, and exciting opportunities for advancement; but we plan to make that impact with reduced spending and increased gratitude.

Thanks for the foresight of dedicated team members and trustees, G9 started taking steps toward a new vision for 2020 long before COVID19 came into view and the world as we know it looked much different. Our world is being called upon to do more with less, to steward our professional and personal lives in new ways, to touch lives while keeping our hands clean and to ourselves, and to proceed cautiously and gratefully to protect those we treasure the most . . . our family and friends, those who make up our personal teams.

My gratitude for the G9 gold team is abundant and will continue to blossom for the rest of my days. I know the concept of ‘enough’ is never one that can be adequately fulfilled when it comes to non-profits, especially those aiming to ensure the health and well-being of our children; there is always more that can be done. But I am grateful to assure every person, everywhere who supports the efforts of G9, that we are working strategically and collaboratively to ensure heart and family are honored, treasured, and enough to see every child, everywhere into a future of hope that is not a fable, but a certain truth.