We know it is Giving Tuesday and we are supposed to be sending you five email reminders with a suggested donation and a link. But we are all volunteers and we are still trying to sort through all of those messages in our inbox.
Besides. we know that our members, volunteers and supporters give all year long. You do so in many different ways. So many of you give generously of your time. You show up. You volunteer. You clean up or plant or help behind the scenes. You listen. You learn. You ask questions. You make presentations. You are the heart and soul of our organization. And you are the engine the drives all of the work that gets done each year.
Some of you provide in-kind support. Those donations of dumpster usage, food or beverage or re-usable water bottles and even the occasional tool or tent all help make our events work and provide comfort and support to our volunteers.
Some of you are members. While we don’t offer fancy perks for joining, we do make sure that every penny of your membership goes to support our many projects. We don’t have an office. We don’t pay staff. We don’t waste money on fancy printed documents and fancy advertising. We do have a phone and a storage locker. We do maintain proper insurance. We do have to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure in order to safely go about our activities.
Some of you sponsor events. Some of you send a check when you can. I know of one person who collects cans all year long and donates the proceeds. Truly a donation that feeds the soul of our organization.
Big or small. Physical presence or financial support. Your giving, all year long makes a difference. It means that we are able to help clean up tons of trash, properly dispose of hundreds of tires, plant native plants, clear invasive species, facilitate Stream Team activities and host educational events.
For this, we give you our thanks.