Many Ways to Give

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November is a time of year when it feels like everyone has gratitude and generosity on their mind.

Despite the difficult history of Thanksgiving in the United States, the day usually marks the beginning of the “giving” season, like end-of-year campaigns for nonprofits and kickoffs for service projects rooted in various faith traditions.

Another calendar moment that arrives at the end of November is Giving Tuesday, a day created to celebrate generosity of spirit and community that serves as a foil to the consumerist impulses created by days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. To “celebrate” Giving Tuesday, people choose to share their generosity in many different ways⁠⁠—whether it’s helping a neighbor, advocating for an issue, signing a petition, sharing a skill, or donating to causes. The wonderful thing about the intentional cultivation of this spirit of abundance and generosity is that it reminds us that everyone has something to give and every act of generosity counts.

PBC is the recipient of countless non-monetary acts of generosity each year. For example:

Outgoing Board Chair Sarah Tantillo (LEFT) takes a break FROM RAKING during Woodcutters Day 2021 with incoming Board Chair Claudia Franco Kelly (right).

  • Our Board of Trustees spend a huge amount of their time, along with their personal and professional expertise, to help guide the organization to be the best it can possibly be; to adapt to a changing philanthropic landscape, cultural landscape, and climate; and to help our staff and facilities provide a paragon experiential education experience for the young people we serve.

  • Each year, volunteers fill the Blairstown Campus for Woodcutters Day to beautify and improve the property, spending a whole day working hard in the outdoors for the good of our participants.

  • People who work in the trades, engineering, photography, or other subject specializations have offered their services to help PBC meet goals or complete special projects, such as the hydrogeneration system below the Bass Lake Dam.

  • Students and chaperones who have attended PBC volunteer their time, likeness, and voice to amplify the impact PBC’s programming has had on their lives and the lives of others.

Examples like these serve to remind us that even in times of economic uncertainty, we each have a deep reserve of generosity, which we can deploy in myriad ways to make a difference. Your time, your kindness, your skills, and your voice are all things you can give, in addition to or in lieu of a financial donation.

Regardless of each person’s capacity to give, the most important part of this “season of giving” is choosing to share of yourself, in whatever way is right for you, with others. The most important thing any single person can do is choose to give – whatever that looks like!