To my community, friends of Ruth and Curt and all those who have benefited from the Respecting Our Elders food program,
Congratulations, we did it!!
Together, in community, we stepped up, we dug deep and we provided the funds to get the van back on the road again—in just one week! Over $5000! How extraordinary!! What a Thanksgiving week!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!…
To all of you who answered the urgent call for your immediate and generous support, YOU made a difference.
As you may know, the annual Respecting Our Elders Gratitude and Fundraising Party is coming up this Sunday, December 8th, from 2:00-5:00 at Avant Garde in San Rafael. Click here for details.
You may be wondering…
Why are they doing this? Wasn’t this past week’s fundraising sufficient and intended to replace the annual fundraiser? Didn’t they already reach their financial goal?
Or, you may be thinking…
“I already did my part. Why should I go? I’m not going to contribute anymore anyway!”
I’ve had all those thoughts so I figure maybe you’re having them, too. Here’s why I’m going and why I’m going to contribute and why I want you to take a look and join me on Sunday:
Besides all the time and effort to run the Respecting Our Elders food program for the past eight years, Ruth and Curt have also been financially supporting it—every month out of their own pockets—whatever was necessary above and beyond the donations received to keep the charity going to make the lives of hundreds of recipients better. Yes, every month!
They are no longer in a position to continue doing this, nor am I willing to allow them to do so. As a board member, as a grateful recipient over the years, and as a conscious caring human being, I am committed to do what I can to have this nonprofit continue its essential operations in the community and be sustainable.
If you are one of the approximately 1500 recipients or know someone who depends on the food from Respecting Our Elders to make ends meet each week, you may also want to do what you can to keep this charity going.
THREE actions you can take to join me in having Respecting Our Elders be sustainable:
1. Spread the word among the people you know by sharing this blog article with your friends, along with your invitation to join you at the event on Sunday (if you and they are in the Bay Area) and/or for them to go ahead and make a generous donation right now.
2. If you are here in the San Francisco Bay Area, come to the event on Sunday to hear more about Respecting Our Elders and look to see how you want to support this all-volunteer organization. Here’s the link again for more details.
3. Make a donation right now.
It can be a one-time donation or you can join the Respecting Our Elders Financial Family with a monthly donation. For example, $35 every month is just pennies over $1 a day—less than you would spend for that coffee drink at Peet’s or Starbucks.
On behalf of Ruth and Curt and the Board of Respecting Our Elders, I thank you in advance for your generous understanding and support at this critical time.
Warmest wishes to you and yours for a joyful holiday season,
Debra Price Van Cleave
Board Member and Volunteer
Respecting Our Elders
P.S. If you have supported Respecting Our Elders in the past, we so appreciate everything you have done, especially if you helped fund the van engine repair! AND, at this time we are asking you to step up and dig deep to make the biggest donation you can.
Let’s have this amazing organization be fully self-sufficient and sustainable and no longer a burden to the founders, our friends Ruth and Curt.