Kind Generosity

"Friends ... they cherish one another's hopes.  They are kind to one another's dreams."
― Henry David Thoreau

I volunteer with a dance academy and company in New York, The Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn.  I ended up working with the group through another organization called Catchafire, which I mentioned in an earlier post.  Catchafire matches individuals who would like to volunteer with nonprofit organizations that need their help.

The Covenant Ballet Theatre is run by its talented and passionate artistic director, Marla Hirokawa, and does terrific work -- it is not just the dance piece, but what it does for the community.  CBT has a high-level artistic vision coupled with a very humanitarian approach to how dance can impact all of our lives.

A few months ago, before I began working with the organization, CBT launched an on-line giving campaign to raise $19,000 through FundAnything, a Donald Trump initiative.  CBT needed funds to help it transition from its prior location to its new home.  When I began working with CBT, I sent out an e-mail to a handful of people I know in New York, telling them about the campaign and inviting them to help if they were so inclined.

Earlier this week, I heard from Marla that CBT had met and exceeded its fundraising goal.  She also shared that one of my friends, a dear friend from college, had contributed to the success of the campaign by making a personal donation as well as a matching gift from her company.  Not surprisingly, I had not heard about this from my friend. 

Contributing to an organization that a friend supports is a wonderful act of kindness -- it is generous to the organization that needs your help (particularly in this tough economic climate) and it is a lovely kindness to a friend.  It is another way of showing that you care about what is important to the important people in your life.