“It’s times like these that bring us even more closely together. And at the Community Foundation, we feel the responsibility of bringing people together to form a better place for all: donors, grantees, residents, commuters, businesses, students, and seniors – as well as our most vulnerable populations who also love, work, and contribute to the life of this county.”
Tuesday night was our annual celebration of donors and fundholders: the Friends Party. It’s a real highlight for me during the year, and it was lovely seeing so many of you there. Gathering together the amazing people that invest in the Community Foundation created a room electrified by generosity of spirit and fierce determination to move our community forward.
But there were even deeper currents running through the room: we all felt the weight of the massacre of worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The Friends Party was held at the Boulder Jewish Community Center (JCC), which has served as a gathering place for all kinds of groups and events in our community. It seemed to make the importance of our gathering together even more significant.
Indeed, it’s times like these that bring us even more closely together. And at the Community Foundation, we feel the responsibility of bringing people together to form a better place for all: donors, grantees, residents, commuters, businesses, students, and seniors – as well as our most vulnerable populations who also love, work, and contribute to the life of this county.
While many would have you believe that the world is a finite pie and you have to grab your slice, I have learned through experiencing the kindness of others that the pie of love and fortune can expand. It expands through connections among us.
It expands as we work together to ensure that all human beings have the opportunity to reach their potential.
Why is that important? Because our community is stronger when all of us rise together. A more equitable community – where all people are justly and fairly included so that everyone may reach their full potential – is a better community. Think of the great ideas, the inspiration, and the productivity that we’re missing when we work from a place of scarcity. And, on a personal level, our experience is so much more fulfilling when we learn from – and connect with – people with experiences different than our own.
When our organization came together to develop a new strategic plan, these are the values that drove and inspired us. We also asked ourselves: What assets and resources do we bring to our community table? How are they best employed for the well-being of everyone who calls Boulder County home?
We challenged ourselves to put a stake in the ground in the face of great need and limited resources.
Our plan began with listening sessions with diverse individuals countywide, the data we gathered from the foundation’s TRENDS Report, and the fierce commitment of foundation staff, trustees, donors, and many other supporters. And while it ends up being a document like any other strategic plan, it’s so much more than that. It’s a living, breathing commitment toward the north star of a more equitable Boulder County.
At the same time, it wrestles with the challenges – and the true magic – of a community foundation that takes into account, welcomes, and honors so many points of view. It’s not perfect, but our strategic plan is a wholehearted attempt to tackle the challenges of inequity through a kaleidoscope of different views, in a place that has so much to offer. We are hoping we count on you as partners in the effort because we can’t do it without you.
As a community – and as your Community Foundation – we are only as strong as our love and respect for one another.
We know the term “strategic plan” doesn’t necessarily inspire excitement, but this process has been our way of clarifying our vision for Boulder County and setting our intentions. You play an important part, and we hope that you will read the plan and share your thoughts and ideas. An abridged version of the plan is available here, and our work to flesh out the plan’s strategies will begin in 2019.
With your support and guidance, we are excited about what we can accomplish together.
In community,
Leslie Allen, Chair, Board of Trustees
