Opening Words from Sun. February 2 by Amanda Verbeck and Krystal White
A: Good morning. I’m Amanda Verbeck, your current Board President.
K: And I’m Krystal White, this year’s Past President. President-Elect Stephanie Sigala is downstairs in the kitchen, getting things ready for our pledge lunch today!
A: During a recent conversation, Krystal and I realized that we both have something in common…aside from being fans of the Ethical Society and serving on the Board. We both have a daily gratitude practice where we express our thankfulness for the people, events, and things in our life. We practice this with our loved ones, and it is something we look forward to each and every day. Every evening when I go to bed, Wes and I share at least three things we are grateful for. It’s the perfect way to end the day and reminds me of just how lucky I am. Gratitude is a pretty amazing thing. It acts as a link between giving and receiving. It moves us to share with one another. It encourages our overall generosity, giving our time, talent, and treasure in whatever ways that we can.
K: My family’s gratitude list reminds us of what is important, of how lucky we are to have so much, it grounds us in our values, and it compels us to share that with others. That demonstration of love, commitment, and inspiration pushes us to be more generous with our time and dollars—it led me to Board service 6 years ago and it directs our family’s philanthropy. The Ethical Society—this place and this community—help us to be better people; you motivate us to be our very best selves and inspire us to be better humans. Contributing to the Ethical Society’s annual pledge campaign is an investment in our family, in our character development, in our capacity to grow, in our relationships with others.
K: Where you give your money is a sign of love. You love this place and this community, just like Amanda and I do, and we’re excited to turn that collective goodwill and passion into financial support for the Society. The theme of this year’s pledge campaign is “Inspiring Each Other.” We are so proud of the Ethical Society community and are inspired by what we accomplish when we strive to live our values. We are grateful for you and your contributions to our community.