Thank You

Just a short while ago I was writing a piece for our newsletter on thanks and Thanksgiving. Our newsletter pieces are very short and I wasn’t able to talk about ALL the things I’m thankful for. (I won’t here either – just a little more in depth.)
People often ask me if it isn’t sad or depressing to work with young people who are homeless or who don’t have the advantages many of us take for granted. My answer is “sometimes”. It’s sometimes difficult to see the hard knocks life has handed the youth we help but it is good to know that because of our shelter, youth are not sleeping on the street and because of AYM, homeless young mothers and their babies have a safe place and that because of our outreach, disadvantaged children have food clothing and a chance to grow. I’m thankful that Alternative House is here giving all these young people an alternative and I’m thankful every day that I can come to work and help make it happen.
I think one of the key words in that last sentence is help make it happen. There are so many people involved at Alternative House. In addition to our dedicated staff we have amazing volunteers. I’m very thankful for them. Our Board of Directors are volunteers as well. They are talented and caring and make sure that we stay on track both financially and, as an organization committed to making things better for children and youth. I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am that they stand by Alternative House.
Finally, I must add how thankful I am for all of our donors and sponsors. In these hard economic times where more children need our help, our donors have stepped in. Whether it’s a pledge at our benefit breakfast, the donation of time and labor to help keep our Shelter safe and operational, a workplace giving donation or a coat drive, these gifts mean we can be here at a time when it is more critical than ever to help our community’s at-risk children and youth. I’m very thankful for that. Thank you to all of you who make such a positive difference.