An Inspiring Message From Executive Director Aaron Zimmerman
We lifted this wonderful dispatch from Aaron's Facebook page:
Had one of those days where I was reminded of how much I love the incredible variety of things I do in my job, so kind of have to brag. First attended an assembly we put together for more than 300 5th to 8th graders at the end of their school day. They went from slightly restless to engaged to screaming like (as my colleague Nancy Weber pointed out) crazed Beatles fans because of what Angel Nafis' poetry did to them. I sure didn't have anyone like Angel come to any of my school assemblies! It was such a validation of how powerfully important writing and arts in the schools can be. Then, right after that, we had a board meeting. We have doubled the size of our board since our last meeting 3 months ago, and the folks we've brought in all bring skills to us we haven't had before, and a clear eagerness to help and have an impact. It felt magical in its own way, because it's so rare for a group that size to all be completely on the same page and so interested in working together.The word I most use for the nonprofit life is "grind," because there are so many challenges for the amount of resources we have. But after days like this, I am grateful that we all work so hard in the face of the grind. Thanks for indulging a moment of pride, but it's too easy to dwell on the struggles (of which there are many) rather than the amazing things that happen (of which there are also many).