grat-i-tude

Submitted by JSchaub on Sat, 12/17/2011 - 3:52pm
 Noun: The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
Synonyms: gratefulness - thankfulness - thanks - appreciation
 
 
I’ll often tell people if you want to change the world, Grand Rapids is a great place to start.  A somewhat bold statement since in reality I’m not even from West Michigan, but a Pittsburgh native.   My hubby has dotingly labeled us both “transplants,” which is cool and all, though his native state seems to have forgotten their cheese roots and are currently having an identity crisis with Michigan.   (Dear Wisconsin, fire your P.R. firm. The ‘Mitten’ has already been done. And done well, dammit.) Regardless, if I’m going to be transplanted I’m happy to confess there is no place I’d rather land than here in Grand Rapids. A place where generosity, philanthropy and volunteerism are a part of our culture, it’s who we are.   

 

At some point when I was a kid, I remember asking my mother “why we are here?”  I’d like to think my queries meant something deeply profound:  about the meaning of life, the origin of species, Adam, Eve, or as profound as a 10 yr-old can get.  But probably not. What sticks in my head, though, was her tender response. “We are here for each other,” she’d wisely profess.  One of the reasons I love being in GR?  We are a city that’s here for each other.

 

I have the incredible opportunity to be the Executive Director of Kids’ Food Basket (KFB). 

For those of you that don’t’ know, KFB is an organization committed to attacking childhood hunger in Grand Rapids.  The work we do is extraordinarily meaningful and I am truly grateful for the chance to make a difference in the lives of local children. Each and every day. I’m grateful to my Board for the confidence they have in my abilities to lead this tremendous effort, I’m grateful to my staff for the dedication and energy they put into the mission, and my gratitude for our donors and volunteers runs more deep than anything I could possibly describe with words, as they provide the love and resources to allow us the opportunity to feed kids. 

 

As leaders in the nonprofit sector, I feel it’s essential to express gratitude for be given the privilege to do this meaningful work. Often our roles in nonprofits can be rough – we often feel that we work 50% more hours than we would in the government sector and often feel that we make 50% less than we would if our roles were in the corporate sector.  But the reasons we do this work – the motivation we have to commit our time and our energy to the sector—are because our work is rooted in love. Love for each other, love for community, and our innate need as human beings to help others, to make change, to be benevolent.  Any opportunity to affect positive change, any chance to actually work on solving some of societies most pressing problems, should be met with immense gratitude. We need to realize how lucky we are and be grateful for such amazing opportunities.

 

Each and every day we have the tremendous chance, and often the unique challenge, to positively affect the lives of others in our community.  Our board and our staff trust us enough to make the critical decisions that can create a tangible difference in the world – and this is our daily work! What an extraordinary way to spend our days, making the world brighter.  The chance to work with others to make a collective impact, the chance to prevent a child from going hungry, the opportunity to change the world- could there be a greater gift?  

 

 

John Gardner once said, “we are all faced with a series great opportunities, all brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”  Each of you, each of us, has the immense capacity to impact change NOW. We realize our passions…and then we commit. We commit to the cause and we commit to bring about change.  And having the opportunity, and being given the chance to work in this space is a beautiful gift. We must remember, however, the generosity of those who allow us this opportunity. Our donors who so truly believe in our work that they fund our salaries.  Our volunteers who want so badly to change the world that they work alongside us, unpaid and with love. Our teammates whose convictions help to drive our daily work, motivate us and inspire us with their own desire to make impact. It is our responsibility to express our gratitude to all of these individuals that allow us to make change.

 

Gratitude means something different for everyone and it’s best to come up with many different ways to express it. Gratitude certainly isn't one-size-fits-all, but it must be expressed in a true and meaningful way.  The most important thing is that it is, unconditionally, expressed. Every time a child gets an evening meal, we hear and see gratitude. Sometimes it’s as they are inspecting the bag to look for decorations, and sometimes it’s digging for the ever-popular cherry tomatoes. But their gratitude is so pure, so honest, so invigorating. They teach an important lesson- to express it, feel it, and make it genuine.

 

Happy Holidays to my wonderful YNPN, change-making friends!  I appreciate each of you for the work that you are doing to positively affect the lives of others, and for your dedication and enthusiasm for your organization’s missions. Rock on, friends, rock on.

 

Voice December 2011: Bridget Clark Whitney is executive director of Kids’ Food Basket, a hunger relief organization which provides daily “sack suppers” for food- insecure children in Kent County, Michigan. Drawing volunteers and financial support from all aspects of the Grand Rapids community, KFB provides these suppers at elementary schools where 80 percent of the students live at or below the poverty level. During Ms. Whitney’s tenure in this role, KFB has grown from serving 125 children each weekday in 2002 to 4,400 children in 2011.